Keith Devens .com

More guns, less crime

Right Wing News (great freaking site): Gun Control Doesn't Work:

Well let's take a look at places in America where handguns have for all intents and purposes have been banned and see how that worked out. Here are some facts from the National Center for Policy Analysis...

In fact, the NPCA has a whole series of 15 Myths About Gun Control. No reason not to list them all here for all of our convenience:

• Myth No. 1: Guns cause crime
• Myth No. 2: Gun Control Laws Reduce Crime
• Myth No. 3: Guns Are Of Little Help In Defending Criminals
• Myth No. 4: Killing someone is the only reason to buy a handgun.
• Myth No. 5: People who buy guns are more prone to violence and crime than are other people
• Myth No. 6: Criminals mainly have guns in order to commit crimes... myth number 7 (Myth No. 7: Killings and other violent crimes were prevalent in the Old West because guns were so plentiful) is on the same page.
• Myth No. 8: Gun control laws keep criminals from obtaining guns.
• Myth No. 9: Required waiting periods would prevent some of the most vicious crimes
• Myth No. 10: Most murders are committed by people killing friends or family members
• Myth No. 11: The availability of guns contributes to crimes of passion
• Myth No. 12: Automatic rifles and so-called assault weapons are too dangerous to be left in private hands
• Myth No. 13: Gun control laws are especially needed to prevent the purchase of "Saturday Night Specials" (note the relation of this to the recent crazy 1.2 million dollar ruling against a gun distributor because someone was murdered with one of the guns they sold), myth number 14 (Myth No. 14: People don't need guns for self-protection because they can rely on the police) is on the same page.
• Myth No. 15: Gun ownership is not a constitutional right.

What do you know? They cite actual sources and statistics. Their conclusion nails it though.

Although firearms are used in about 12 percent of violent crimes, it is unlikely that any kind of gun control legislation could remove more than a handful of those firearms from felons' hands - and there is no evidence that the disarmed criminals using them would not then turn to other weapons. Most criminals do not obtain firearms through conventional sources. Thus, as opponents of gun control correctly contend, gun control measures in the United States, if anything, contribute to increased criminal violence because they deny guns to honest citizens but not to criminals. They might accurately be called victim disarmament laws. [emphasis mine]

Armed citizens pose a risk of punishment to criminals - perhaps more so than does the criminal justice system. Gun ownership may exert as much deterrent effect on violent crime and burglary as the criminal justice system does. The battle over gun control is not about controlling inanimate objects; it is about controlling people. To extend gun controls would make the nation better for criminals and worse for the rest of us.

The faulty assumption of the loonies who want to pass strict gun laws is that criminals would for some reason be deterred by gun laws when they're not deterred by other laws.

Someone I know won't actually take a stand on the issue, but will only say "I just wish there were less guns". On the contrary, any statistics I've ever seen show that where there are more guns, there is less crime. In fact, I believe that rather than guns being some kind of danger to society, they're actually the most efficient tool for self-defense that has ever been invented, especially for those who otherwise are at a disadvantage physically, particularly women.

If you're interested in this subject, you may also be interested in The Seven Myths of Gun Control, which is a pretty good book.

Permalink | Comments? | Tags: Opinions/Politics | id 3090

02:19 (utc-5)
edited: 02:29 (utc-5)