It has been no secret that Piers Morgan is a big opponent of guns and the Second Amendment, but for a fleeting second it almost seems as though the irritable whinger ‘gets it’. Almost.
I’ve had some of the pro-gun lobbyists on here, saying to me, ‘Well, the reason we need to be armed is because of tyranny from our own government,’ and I’ve always laughed at them,” Morgan said last night. “But, actually, this is vaguely tyrannical behavior by the American government. Read more »
The Atlantic has put together some proper facts and statistics about “gun violence” in America. I think you will be surprised, particularly those of you like the dick Piers Morgan who call for assault rifle bans just how few deaths are caused byt people armed with assault rifles:
How much gun violence is there in the U.S.?
There were 8,583 homicides by firearms in 2011, out of 12,664 homicides total, according to the FBI. This means that more than two-thirds of homicides involve a firearm. 6,220 of those homicides by firearm (72%) are known to have involved a handgun.
It’s worth noting that violent crime rates of all types have been steadily decreasing since the early 1990s. No one is quite sure what is causing this decrease, though there are many theories, ranging from tighter gun control laws to more innovative policing and changes in the drug market. Whatever the cause of this decline, America still has a homicide rate of 4.7 murders per 100,000 people, which is one of the highest of all developed countries (see: international comparison).
Gun violence also affects more than its victims. In areas where it is prevalent, just the threat of violence makes neighborhoods poorer. It’s very difficult to quantify the total harm caused by gun violence, but by asking many people how much they would pay to avoid this threat — a technique called contingent valuation – researchers have estimated a cost to American society of $100 billion dollars.
Guns are also involved in suicides and accidents. 19,392 of 38,264 suicides in 2010 involved a gun (50%), according to the CDC. There were 606 firearm-related accidents in the same year — about 5% of the number of intentional gun deaths.
Back in 2007 gun control was debated and ABC looked at the issue…nothing has changed that would affect this story other than the liberals are still trying to take the guns:
ABC anchor John Stossel discussed the self-defensive benefits of gun ownership, debunking the myth that “gun control reduces crime.” The segment aired during 20/20′s recurring series, “Myths, Lies & Downright Stupidity,” based on Stossel’s book of the same title. Citing the recent Federal Appeals Court for DC ruling overturning Washington, D.C.’s ban on gun ownership, Stossel talked to the pro-gun plaintiff in the case, Tom Palmer, and pointed out that the murder rate in D.C. increased after the city’s gun ban: “Since Washington’s gun law passed, the murder rate actually increased, even while America’s murder rate dropped. It’s because guns can also save lives, says Palmer, as one saved his years ago in California.”
Of course people, especially Whangarei based teachers will fail to understand that guns can actually save lives. The vast majority of people killed in gun related homicide are criminals. Read more »
In the the wake of the Port Arthur massacre Australian politicians reacted in a illogical manner and ignored sensible advice. They put in place bans and amnesties to lower the number of firearms in the community. That hasn’t worked out so well…the numbers though are probably suspect because they are from that anti-gun weirdo Philip Alpers:
Professor Alpers said since eight people were killed in Melbourne’s Queen Street massacre in 1987, Australia had run 38 gun amnesties for a combined total of more than 3000 weeks.
This included the 1996-97 national firearms buy-back and the 2003 handgun buy-back, which resulted in 728,667 newly prohibited guns being handed back in return for compensation. Read more »
There is much talk of “gun control” in the US, with a great deal of the focus being dispossessing citizens of the means to defend themselves from the criminal elements that commit crimes. Focus needs to be also on the vast majority of gun owners who do not break the law…like concealed carry permitted citizens.
The population of concealed-carry permit holders in the U.S. now exceeds 9 million, and this group is responsible for very little crime — they commit crime at a rate lower than the general population, and lower than police officers, and they certainly, as a rule, don’t open fire on anyone who looks threatening. They are not the problem, and concealed-carry generally is not the problem. It may even be part of a solution, until such time as a giant magnet appears over the continental U.S. and sucks into the sky America’s civilian-owned weapons, or until the gun control movement convinces the majority of Americans who believe in private weapons ownership to open a debate about the 2nd Amendment. Read more »
A reader emails regarding the gun control debate and in particular the Piers Morgan vs. Alex Jones.
So yeah.. just got through reading the reporting about this and finally got time to watch the full broadcast:
To be honest, after watching that, I think most pro-gun advocates need to let that one slide. I’m sure the pro-control crowd, given time to see more than just the highlights and soundbits, will want some distance.
You don’t have to print what I’m saying here, but you’re welcome to if you like - if you want to blog it, that’s your call, cut and paste as you see fit.. grab what you need. If you’re re-printing, just include the statement from myself that I try to live, act and comment from a neutral position – I’ll hear out both sides then make my own judgement. I don’t comment from the left, right, or center, nor do I subscribe to their mailers – only what I personally believe, regardless of political fanboi-ism.
I’ve wavered on my (very ‘not matters much at all considering I don’t have a US citizenship’) opinion of the whole US firearms debacle. I don’t believe that civilians have a “need” for firearms like the “civilian” modified AR-15. I’m highly aware that 70-odd% of firearms violence is caused by hand-guns, not Assault Rifles. I’m well aware that considering it’s political and historical ramifications, the 2nd Amendment must be upheld.
But what exactly are the ramifications of that 2nd Amendment; what did those founding fathers mean; and what do those sacrosanct passages really entitle a gun owner to?
The full debate between Alex and Piers uncovers a lot – and it’s not the conspiracy about serotonin re uptake inhibitors.. or any other crackpot idea that Jones can make some money off now that Ron Paul isn’t being fucked over for his financial benefit.
In case you missed it.. “INFOWARS DOT COM!!!”
Alex Jones is the Alexei/Lucia Maria of US Gun Politics. He’s the example of the absolute worst of the argument, that level that Colbert doesn’t even reach in his satire. The problem is that one side uses reason, the other froths at the mouth- and because the former engages the latter, the latter is enabled.
I’ve spent time among the Ron Paul crowd, arguably the most Republican of the GOP. I’ve spent time among the Obama people, who are the Clinton people, who are the Carter people. And to look at both of their arguments, I see the flaws in both.
The Democrats are reacting, which they should, but in the wrong areas: I personally think they’re on the right track with universal background checks, particularly in the area of mental health, and closing loopholes like the “Gun Show Loophole”. But they’re reacting too late, to political footballs that are simply a hot topic to earn a vote.
The Republicans are reacting, which is, I guess, all they can do.. defend the 2nd Amendment, and manoeuvre around that basic premise. The problem is that their current argument (see Wayne LaPierre’s comments and their notorious press release) falls apart when they compare themselves to other countries – ie: video game consumption per capita.
I think the issue, that nobody wants to address as a potential political landmine, is the question of “Why are Americans so much more prone to deciding to go out in a ‘Blaze of Glory’ by shooting up a school before they top themselves? Is our national culture a bit… ‘fucked’?”
Probably the best piece I’ve read on the gun debate so far – takes a look at both sides.
It is a very good article on the issue of gun control and well worth a read. My favourite part is this explanation about reality for liberal panty-waists:
Like most gun owners, I understand the ethical importance of guns and cannot honestly wish for a world without them. I suspect that sentiment will shock many readers. Wouldn’t any decent person wish for a world without guns? In my view, only someone who doesn’t understand violence could wish for such a world. A world without guns is one in which the most aggressive men can do more or less anything they want. It is a world in which a man with a knife can rape and murder a woman in the presence of a dozen witnesses, and none will find the courage to intervene. Read more »
Barack Obama has done more for the gun industry than any subsidies have …every time he opens his gob and talks gun control the general public rushes out and buys even more guns. I suppose he could claim it is his way of boosting the economy pre-Christmas…watch him claim success as the next economic indicators come in and show retail sales pre-Christmas rocketed.
Call it the law of unintended consequences. The more our public officials — from President Obama on down — talk about gun control and a possible ban on high-powered assault-type weapons, the faster the things are flying off the shelves.
Yes, even here in uber-liberal Massachusetts gun shops are doing a land office business in precisely the same gun used to slaughter 26 people at the Sandy Hook Elementary School.
The owner of the Northeast Trading Co. in North Attleboro told the Herald he sold out of the AR-15s, including a shipment of seven Bushmasters, Tuesday in four hours. The owner of C&F Guns in Middleboro reported that the 30 assault rifles he had in stock on Tuesday were gone by Wednesday — yes, that would be the day the president announced his task force and vowed to combat the “epidemic of gun violence that plagues” the country.
In relation to your posts on gun control in the USA, thought your readers might be interested in this clip:
Penn Jillette on a panel talk show with 3 womens. Penn is the voice of logic and reason regarding gun control but is on his own against 3 clucking hens wanting to ban or blame everything but the shooter. I did some googling on one of the points Penn makes – in 2005 there were 810 accidental drownings in the USA in 0-14 year olds, in the same year there were 305 firearm deaths (both accidental and homicide) in the same age bracket. Source cdc.gov.
I have no problem with media attention on the tragedy at Sandy Hook, but when will the media lead the charge on amending swimming pool fencing regulations, like they are now doing with gun control?
