So I found this article through anti-gun channels. Thought I’d rip it apart!
Myth #1: They’re coming for your guns.
Fact-check: No one knows the exact number of guns in America, but it’s clear there’s no practical way to round them all up (never mind that no one in Washington is proposing this). Yet if you fantasize about rifle-toting citizens facing down the government, you’ll rest easy knowing that America’s roughly 80 million gun owners already have the feds and cops outgunned by a factor of around 79 to 1.
So why is confiscation and registration being openly talked about so much then? Its well known that registrations have done little to curb violence, or solve crimes. The only proven use for registration is confiscation. Also keep ringing that bell for US citizens being better armed and numbered than police and military, seems no matter what you say, the antis still are beating that drum that they can outlaw large numbers of guns, and simply come and collect them. Molan Labe, comes to mind!
Myth #2: Guns don’t kill people—people kill people.
Fact-check: People with more guns tend to kill more people—with guns. The states with the highest gun ownership rates have a gun murder rate 114% higher than those with the lowest gun ownership rates. Also, gun death rates tend to be higher in states with higher rates of gun ownership. Gun death rates are generally lower in states with restrictions such as assault-weapons bans or safe-storage requirements.
Have a look at that chart, it just doesn’t make a ton of sense to me. First up, “Gun Death”, you know How I feel about that, so instead I looked at the FBI murder rates. Look at that, New Hampshire, Maine, and Vermont which are in the middle of the table, and allegedly have more “Gun Death”, but they have a much lower murder rate than Massachusetts, which is totally gang infested and filled with “Gun Death”, but somehow at the bottom of their stupid chart. Go look at everything else. I think the sum is that gun ownership and gun laws don’t have as much pertinence as poverty, gang, and drug use of a state. I think we all know that what makes cities like New Orleans dangerous is NOT because they have may-issue permits, but its a gang and welfare infested slum.
They also imply that some of this “Gun Death” is accidental death from improper storage, well those numbers are so insignificant that I had to DIG through the CDC website to find the accidental death and injury rate in the US. I’ll let you dig yourself because I couldn’t find a succinct link.
Myth #3: An armed society is a polite society.
Fact-check: Drivers who carry guns are 44% more likely than unarmed drivers to make obscene gestures at other motorists, and 77% more likely to follow them aggressively.
• Among Texans convicted of serious crimes, those with concealed-handgun licenses were sentenced for threatening someone with a firearm 4.8 times more than those without.
• In states with Stand Your Ground and other laws making it easier to shoot in self-defense, those policies have been linked to a 7 to 10% increase in homicides.
OK first up, bullshit, the data simply doesn’t support that! Let’s look at Kansas, Texas, and a nice pile right here.
Also that 7-10% increase in homicide rate as a result of Stand your ground, is JUSTIFIABLE homicide. Again not anti-gun but anti-self-defense. Sorry, if the law sees the homicide as justified, I’m 100% fine with that. Also so are the antis, since they aren’t calling for disarming cops. If the cops are carrying guns, its not to tickle criminals, its to use lethal force, and very likely KILL them. We’re fine with this, so the anti-rights people need to make their piece with it and come up with a consistent point. A cop killing a mugger who is threatening with a deadly weapon is NO different than a citizen killing the same mugger.
Myth #4: More good guys with guns can stop rampaging bad guys.
Fact-check: Mass shootings stopped by armed civilians in the past 30 years: 0
• Chances that a shooting at an ER involves guns taken from guards: 1 in 5
This is the fun anti-rights circular logic. You see, if an Armed citizen stops a rampage, then it wasn’t a rampage, since nobody was killed, or a small number were killed or injured. Meanwhile if the rampage reaches rampage status, the gun obviously didn’t do any good. Their standards are literally impossible to clear.
Still what do you think of this case?, Or This one? How about This one? Or this story, which should have been a national news story, but never got ANY coverage!
Still not looking like Zero. Also I’m sure I’m missing a TON, so post them in the comments! Also there are cases like this where there could be some doubts on how the lawful gun owner played in the case, or this case, even if there are doubts on how useful the lawful gun owner, can you really say people were WORSE off from a good guy with a gun?
Myth #5: Keeping a gun at home makes you safer.
Fact-check: Owning a gun has been linked to higher risks of homicide, suicide, and accidental death by gun.
• For every time a gun is used in self-defense in the home, there are 7 assaults or murders, 11 suicide attempts, and 4 accidents involving guns in or around a home.
• 43% of homes with guns and kids have at least one unlocked firearm.
• In one experiment, one third of 8-to-12-year-old boys who found a handgun pulled the trigger.
Do we need to re-hash this junk science? Kellerman’s study was crap, and made great efforts to count criminals engaging in unlawful behavior, and illegally held guns, and made great efforts to discount lawful self defense.
The “danger” of homes with unlocked guns is NOT coupled with any statistically relevant gun accidents. And that last study involved disabled real firearms being placed in a TOYBOX with other toys. OF COURSE the kids are going to play with the guns in that context. This is NOT a reasonable or realistic scenario!
Fact-check: In 2011, nearly 10 times more people were shot and killed in arguments than by civilians trying to stop a crime.
• In one survey, nearly 1% of Americans reported using guns to defend themselves or their property. However, a closer look at their claims found that more than 50% involved using guns in an aggressive manner, such as escalating an argument.
• A Philadelphia study found that the odds of an assault victim being shot were 4.5 times greater if he carried a gun. His odds of being killed were 4.2 times greater.
Again, more conflating criminals engaging in unlawful acts with illegally owned firearms with lawful citizens. They’re intentionally cooking the data.
Myth #7: Guns make women safer.
Fact-check: In 2010, nearly 6 times more women were shot by husbands, boyfriends, and ex-partners than murdered by male strangers.
• A woman’s chances of being killed by her abuser increase more than 7 times if he has access to a gun.
• One study found that women in states with higher gun ownership rates were 4.9 times more likely to be murdered by a gun that women in states with lower gun ownership rates.
The guns are irrelevant! Women staying in abusive relationships are at a HUGE risk of being murdered by their partners. Doesn’t matter if its a gun, a knife or a car. If you’re in an abusive relationship GET OUT! If you have kids, TAKE THEM WITH YOU! It is NOT worth you and your kids getting murdered or orphaned! This isn’t a gun issue, and its shameful to paint it that way. Even if everybody is disarmed, this will NOT prevent domestic murder and abuse! This is plain and simple blood dancing!
Myth #8: “Vicious, violent video games” deserve more blame than guns.
Fact-check: So said NRA executive vice president Wayne LaPierre after Newtown. So what’s up with Japan?
Well, Japan has a problem with not reporting violent crimes, so the numbers can’t be trusted. Japan has woman-only subway cars to prevent sexual assault! You think these assaults are reported to the police? Yeah.
Still as I’ve said before, if violent video games and movies cause violent crime, I wouldn’t be typing this, I’d be fending off violent hordes! So this point is indeed valid, tho I disagree with their proof methods.
Myth #9: More and more Americans are becoming gun owners.
Fact-check: More guns are being sold, but they’re owned by a shrinking portion of the population.
• About 50% of Americans said they had a gun in their homes in 1973. Today, about 45% say they do. Overall, 35% of Americans personally own a gun.
• Around 80% of gun owners are men. On average they own 7.9 guns each.
Sorry, you call my house and ask if I own guns, I’ll be hanging up the phone. Still I can easily disprove these numbers beyond the simple one of noting that all the people buying guns in a frenzy right now are NOT the hardcore gunnies. We already have guns, and aren’t willing to pay inflated prices, its the new people who are buying because they’re worried they’ll miss their chance to own guns! Still look at Massachusetts! You need a permit to BUY a gun here, so people applying for new permits are NOT gun owners, but they’re spending HUNDREDS of dollars so they CAN get guns, and these would be their first guns. Another “myth” that happens to be true!
Myth #10: We don’t need more gun laws—we just need to enforce the ones we have.
Fact-check: Weak laws and loopholes backed by the gun lobby make it easier to get guns illegally.
• Around 40% of all legal gun sales involve private sellers and don’t require background checks. 40% of prison inmates who used guns in their crimes got them this way.
• An investigation found 62% of online gun sellers were willing to sell to buyers who said they couldn’t pass a background check.
• 20% of licensed California gun dealers agreed to sell handguns to researchers posing as illegal “straw” buyers.
• The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives has not had a permanent director for 6 years, due to an NRA-backed requirement that the Senate approve nominees.
Umm you just disproved your point! Criminals buying guns is a FEDERAL CRIME! Knowingly selling guns to criminals, or grossly negligent selling practices are a FEDERAL CRIME! If these problems are already illegal, why do we need NEW laws again?
Wow, that was really easy. Makes you wonder why the person writing this didn’t do the hour’s worth of research I just did!
**UPDATE** Just found a very similar, but with some different references so a little more diversity for those interested over at National Review.
