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Post by
Firallon
I don't remember when or where I heard/read this statistic, and google isn't helping me much, but something like 80% of violent criminals currently in US prisons have at one point been deterred by defensive firearms.
As I said, I can't site my source so take that with a grain of salt
Post by
skribs
Wow, long page to jump into, and an obviously heated debate. Good!
What others have said is correct. While Canada has fairly strict gun policy, Mexico does not. Considering the luck we've had with southern border patrol, I think we would need to clear that up before gun control could even be possible. Unless all access points into the country are well controlled, there can be no chance of success in banning guns.
We have a lot of gun manufacturers. What that means is the political ramifications for those who pass a gun ban which shuts down all of the gun shops, shooting ranges, hunting ranges, gun manufacturing shops, etc. is the fact that now you will have a LOT of people who are out of a job. Worst case scenario is that now a lot of citizens who are told they have to give up their firearms (which could be an expensive collection) are
all
armed. Every cop is going to have a very stressful time taking them away, knowing that every house they go to to collect a gun is an angry, armed person who has possibly just snapped.
On the same note, a lot of gun manufacturers manufacture weapons for the military as well. That's a lot of money they'd lose for R&D if they lose the American market. So there's multiple political ramifications if a ban went into place.
If guns are made illegal, then it is possible that it will be harder for some criminals to access guns. But in all honesty, I think the reason the black market is smaller than it could be is because most of the illegally owned guns are guns that are used for specific things, e.g. machine guns or concealed weapons (such as a sawed-off shotgun or a machine pistol). If things like semi-autos, revolvers, and normal-sized shotguns/rifles were illegal, I'm sure the black market would open up to that. As I said above, that black market would be virtually impossible to control without proper border control.
I wish I remember where I saw it, but on one gun forum I saw a link to statistics that showed per-person there is a higher likelihood of a doctor accidentally killing you than a gun owner fatally shooting someone. Which prompts the sarcastic argument "We should make doctors illegal." In all seriousness, I'm sure most gun owners have never killed anyone. If guns were illegal, people could still kill people. I've also read on numerous pages when looking for a home defense gun that the majority of those shot with a handgun live - so the arguments about it being a higher likelihood of death aren't as relevant.
I don't live in fear of a drive-by or home invasion, but that doesn't mean I can't prepare for it. The important things are training and safety. I believe (like someone on page 2 or 3 said) that guns should be treated like cars. Require a class and a background check to get a license, and should you be convicted of a crime or have an accidental shooting, your license should be revoked. Simple as that.
Oh, and I would find it odd if Austria had a ban on guns, considering that they make the Glock.
Post by
676666
This post was from a user who has deleted their account.
Post by
Hyperspacerebel
If you consider that there has been an average of 160,000 troops in the Iraq theater of operations during the last 22 months, and a total of 2112 deaths, that gives a firearm death rate of 60 per 100,000.
The firearms death rate in Washington D.C. is 80.6 per 100,000.
That means that you are about 25% more likely to be shot and killed in our Nation's Capital, which has some of the strictest gun control laws in the nation, than you are in Iraq.
Conclusion: We should immediately pull out of Washington D.C.
If "we need guns to protect ourselves" is silly, so is "banning guns will keep them out of the hands of criminals."
Post by
Modibybob
If you consider that there has been an average of 160,000 troops in the Iraq theater of operations during the last 22 months, and a total of 2112 deaths, that gives a firearm death rate of 60 per 100,000.
The firearms death rate in Washington D.C. is 80.6 per 100,000.
That means that you are about 25% more likely to be shot and killed in our Nation's Capital, which has some of the strictest gun control laws in the nation, than you are in Iraq.
Conclusion: We should immediately pull out of Washington D.C.
That really is a terrible example considering that D.C. has no IEDs, VBIEDs or mortars.
I for one will keep my shotgun, especially since there have been cases close to where I live of break-ins, hostage-taking, burglary and other things of horrid nature.
Post by
Hyperspacerebel
That really is a terrible example considering that D.C. has no IEDs, VBIEDs or mortars.
That's the whole point.
Did it go completely over your head? DC has super strict gun laws, and yet more Americans are dying there per capita than Iraq.
Post by
Squishalot
http://dc.about.com/b/2008/03/12/firearm-death-rates-in-washington-dc.htm
http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/g/gun-deaths-joke.htm
Those numbers didn't look right to me, so let's consider:
32 homicides per 100,000, over a 12 month period.
The 60-per-100k in Iraq is a monthly figure, annualised to 720 per 100,000.
No, those numbers really don't stack up. Yes, it's a bogus analysis.
(No, I don't really have a fence-side opinion on the matter. I'm just here to debunk hysteria.)
Post by
Hyperspacerebel
That's my fault for not sourcing the number, I guess. It was just something interesting I had run across. My actual point was below it.
Post by
Squishalot
I know, and I agree with you - it's still a legitimate point.
Post by
Modibybob
That really is a terrible example considering that D.C. has no IEDs, VBIEDs or mortars.
That's the whole point.
Did it go completely over your head? DC has super strict gun laws, and yet more Americans are dying there per capita than Iraq.
They're only dying because they don't have guns to defend themselves with.
Post by
375923
This post was from a user who has deleted their account.
Post by
darkcopper
But
Austria
Switzerland
keep it going!
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