Thread: Gun Control

I'm very skeptical of Internet forwards. I generally check out Snopes.com and see what they have to say.

Here's what they have to say:
http://www.snopes.com/crime/statistics/ausguns.asp
The information in the forward is misleading, misinterprets statistics, jumps over relevant facts, and is occasionally mathematically incorrect.

Here's what the CDC says about firearm deaths in the USA:
2005 unintentional firearm deaths: 789
2005 total firearm deaths: 30,694
2005 firearm deaths from legal intervention: 330
2005 firearm deaths from suicide: 17,002
This indicates that statistically the most likely person you're going to kill with a gun is neither a mugger nor a hopped-up home invader, but rather yourself.

'Rabbit

ps:

Originally Posted by AttackRabbit

statistically the most likely person you're going to kill with a gun is neither a mugger nor a hopped-up home invader, but rather yourself.

Thanks for the sobering reminder. The NRA used to send the same message back in the 1980's. I don't know if they do anymore. Now I just feed money to their lawyers to protect 2d amendment rights. It fatigues me anymore to read main street NRA propoganda.

Originally Posted by jmw_man

In the state of Victoria alone, homicides with firearms are now up 300 percent. Note that while the law-abiding citizens turned them in, the criminals did not, and criminals still possess their guns!

And that my friend is the only point I need to oppose gun control.

And even if most gun violence is people hurting themselves, should would then rid our society of knives...or maybe even cars...those kill lots of people every year. But we can't do that can we...because those are things we consider a necessity, so we don't want to burden ourselves by getting rid of them... If I've said it once, I've said it a thousand times... get rid of guns, and someone will stab another...get rid of knives, and someone will strangle another...get rid of rope, and someone will club someone to death with a bat....and just for shits and giggles, let's get rid of bats....what's to stop someone from bashing my head in with a rock?

Guns don't kill people...people kill people.

Originally Posted by rock_lobster

Originally Posted by jmw_man

In the state of Victoria alone, homicides with firearms are now up 300 percent. Note that while the law-abiding citizens turned them in, the criminals did not, and criminals still possess their guns!

And that my friend is the only point I need to oppose gun control.

From the Snopes article:
"Then we have the claim that "In the state of Victoria alone, homicides with firearms are now up 300 percent." This is another example of how misleading statistics can be when the underlying numbers are not provided: Victoria, a state with a population of over four-and-a-half million people in 1997, experienced 7 firearm-related homicides in 1996 and 19 firearm-related homicides in 1997 (an increase of 171%, not 300%). An additional twelve homicides amongst a population of 4.5 million is not statistically significant, nor does this single-year statistic adequately reflect long-term trends."

You can of course believe whatever you'd like.

'Rabbit