This article is just how the antis need the debate to go.
About a quarter of high-risk youth who go to the hospital for an assault-related injury own a gun, according to a new study. But, even if they don’t own a firearm, the majority of these youths say they are okay with retaliatory violence.
Gun violence is the leading cause of death for adolescents and young adults between 14 and 24.
Overall, 467,321 were victims of a crime committed with a gun in 2011, according to the National Institute of Justice. Firearms were used in 68 percent of murders, 41 percent of robberies and 21 percent of aggregated assaults that year.
Researchers talked to 689 high-risk youths between 14 and 24 who had visited Hurley Medical Center’s emergency department in Flint, Mich. for an assault-related injury. The vast majority were in the emergency room because of injuries caused by their peers (67 percent), while a fraction (15 percent) admitted their injuries were caused by their partner. About 14 percent were under the age of 18, and 32 percent had a child of their own. Most of the people surveyed were not involved in a gang.
Twenty-three percent said they owned a firearm, with the majority (83 percent of gun owners) admitting they purchased the gun illegally. Out of all the owners, 22 percent had a automatic or semiautomatic weapon.
Males were more likely to have a gun than females. About 37 percent said they owned a gun for protection, 10 percent said they were holding it for someone and 9 percent said they had one because their friends had one. Forty-two percent said they carried the firearm outside the home.
People who owned firearms were more likely to use illegal drugs, have been involved in a serious fight and to support aggressive behavior that increased their risk for retaliatory violence.
Do you really “Own” a gun if its stolen, and it will be taken away and you’ll be put in jail the MOMENT a cop catches you with it?
Yeah these people sound EXACTLY like the 86,000 people at the NRA Convention is Houston this year! These are NOT a reason to ban guns these are the reasons why we NEED to CARRY guns! Further this is the reason why gun rights advocates always say “Enforce the Existing Laws”.
You want to save these troubled kids….put more cops on the streets. The drugs, violence, and guns they have is more than enough to arrest them, charge them, and get them some intervention.
And if the intervention doesn’t work, the rise in carry permit holders means that more of them will get shot and killed when they decided to prey on people who don’t have gang affiliations. (BTW the article says these kids aren’t involved in gangs…BULLSHIT!)
Researchers talked to 689 high-risk youths between 14 and 24 who had visited Hurley Medical Center’s emergency department in Flint, Mich. for an assault-related injury.
Yeah because every youth all across the country is the same as the ‘high risk youths’ in Flint Michigan.
Funny how my two sons, daughter in law, future daughter in law all fall into that age range and have never been to the emergency room for assault related injuries.
Rant Time. I’m sick of these Gooberment Types classifying 20-somethings as “Youths”. I spent my 18th Birthday in Boot Camp, and my D.I. NEVER treated any of us as “Youths.”
When my Parents were 24, they were Married, had 2 Kids, and were working their Asses off to build their American Dream.
This @%$%^%$&&^& CODDLING of 18-24 year old is %^&$&%# SHIT! There’s a Boatload of “Youths” filling any Military Cemetery you wish to Visit. And NONE of them had to be Tucked in at Night, or get Special Treatment from the Gooberment because they were “Youths.” They were Men and Women who put their Asses on the Line to try and keep EVIL from taking over our Nation.
And it’s Disgusting that this Gooberment keeps implying that “It’s Not Little Johnny’s Fault that he decided to Kill and Rape and Rob people because he’s so Young.”
Bull. Rant over.
Put more fathers in the kids’ homes.
Amen.
There’s so many entitlements (READ: incentives) available to single moms that it actually pays better to NOT have your kids’ dad(s) around. The entitlements there for single dads, too, but men claiming to be single dads get audited/scrutinized more frequently. (That’s a subject for another time.)
The family is the fundamental unit of society. A government that encourages freedom, liberty, and excellence recognizes and promotes that fact. A government that desires power and control will do everything in its power to disenfranchise and break up that unit, which fosters dependence on the State and surrendering of essential freedoms in exchange for “entitlements”.
Which government do we have?