"The only way to stop a bad guy with a gun is with a good guy with a gun." – Wayne LaPierre, vice president of the National Rifle Association. One problem: that's statistically bullshit.
Data show, guns are rarely used in self-defense — especially relative to the rate at which they're used in criminal homicides or suicides. In 2012, there were 8,855 criminal gun homicides in the FBI's homicide database (https://goo.gl/cvzAZz), but only 258 gun killings by private citizens that were deemed justifiable (https://goo.gl/UsmfJl), which the FBI defines as "the killing of a felon, during the commission of a felony, by a private citizen."
That works out to one justifiable gun death for every 34 unjustifiable gun deaths.
Or, look at it this way. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data shows that in 2012 there were 20,666 suicides by gun. That works out to one self-defense killing for every 78 gun suicides. CDC data show that there were more than twice as many accidental gun fatalities as as justifiable killings.
There are plenty of reasons for owning a firearm… I don't personally own one but grew up the son of a cop so I've been firing them my entire life… shooting them is fun. However, it's really time to stop this nonsensical gun industry propaganda that more guns === more safety; the data doesn't back it up.
Violence Policy Center report: http://www.vpc.org/studies/justifiable15.pdf
Great post, personally I would be somewhat worried to leave the house if we had 33% of our population owning firearms.
People get angry, when guns are added to the equation it never ends well.
Defending yourself does not always involve a fatal shot or even actually shooting the bad guy. btw I don't own a gun.
How are suicides even a factor in this?
+Scott Winberg Suicides by Firearm? I'd say it's a statistic worth mentioning in this conversation. Especially when the number is that high.
Without gun they still can suicide
Not with a gun they can't… The stats from Oz clearly show that less guns equal less total Suicides.
I'm all for gun Rights and am a concealed carrier but what happened at this church was above and beyond any of that. Hard to stop a kid with a semi automatic and a plan, especially when he walks into a place of worship, sits down with the group and then attacks. No way to stop that. That piece of shit coward will pay dearly for all the lives he took and effected. No debating that. Almost impossible to stop or prevent people like him . There sneaky, and don't give much notice before they act. This is where faith in a Savior and a just and merciful God comes in real handy.
+Kip Hartwell
Banning guns in Australia did them no end of good, I went through their gun statistics year by year a few months ago and the turn around is incredible, even overall violent crime went down.
Casey, I don't want to get all anti-theist in a gun debate but: The kid is an Xian, and will pray for forgiveness from now till execution and goes to heaven. I would have jumped in front of him to save others, but don't believe and will go to hell?
As John Stewart said, time to get serious.
I said nothing about hell. I'm a Christian and don't agree with what you said about pray till his execution and gain forgiveness and go to heaven. If it worked like that then who wouldn't believe!!!!!?? Point in my comment about my faith was meant to come across as positive and hopefully uplifting for those suffering and in pain and looking for awnsers that they just won't find but a belief in a higher power and a salvation of some type have helped me through some painful times. In my opinion, religious differences don't matter at all, someone who believes in something/someone greater than themselves and follows it with conviction and it makes them a better person, who is to say its the "right" religion or not.
And over 2 million crimes stopped in progress without death because a civilian was carrying a firearm
https://youtu.be/B5ELyG9V1SY
+Rust Cohle you would never know if 33% of the population owned a gun without seeing some infographic.
In reality, almost 3/4 of US states have a gun ownership rate above 33%.
My state until recently had no gun laws or permits. Now we've got one on the books preventing violent felons and mentally unstable people from buying guns from gun stores.
It's not like some Mad Max post apocalyptic state with people shooting each other left and right, which makes talk of banning guns or creating more laws irritating.
It's worked rather well here with no gun laws, stop trying to piss on my head and ruin my day.
Tatsumi Holmes, unfortunately, the science just does not back that up. Guns don't prevent crimes, they cause accidents (statistically speaking) and lowering gun ownership saves people.
Big cats and undulates may fight tooth and antler, but taking away hunters guns could save them and more.
The fake president actually accidentally said the truth: We keep knives, Dr.s and cars (the biggest killers) because they are more useful than they harm. Guns just aren't the way USA uses them. They are the way Canada or Switzerland use them. Can you see a difference?
+Matt Lorence
Have you seen my nations' town centres on a Friday and Saturday night? We have a binge drink culture here, I very much doubt adding guns to the mix would be a good idea.
Furthermore, I know what 5% of the population are like up to the age of about 25, low mental ability, anger issues, etc… Give them guns and they'll be extremely dangerous.
Yes I did look at a gun ownership info graphic, not sure what the relevance is.
I'm not sure how I am trying to ruin your day, maybe you're trying to ruin mine?
And here I thought liberals were all about choice. Isn't Suicide a choice?
+Kip Hartwell Actually Science does back up my statement. Watch the video I linked and you'll see that knives kill 5 times the people guns do, why don't we ban them more than 10 fold lives are lost due to preventable medical errors than with guns. Guns save more than they kill and taking away firearms only leads to more Gun crime that is what science shows
I still think its convenient in america you label all your bad guys and they agree to be labeled. I assume with some flashing lights to make it really clear.
At least, I assume that's how they bad guy/good guy shooting logic goes.
Bad guys had red blinking lights so you know which person with the gun to shot right?
Also they let you draw your gun while they are pointing theirs at you I assume, else it just isnt fair.
+Tatsumi Holmes
You're so completely wrong, I've looked at both my country's (UK) and Australia's crime stats extensively, going year by year to see if gun violence dropped after both countries' bans on firearms and they dropped massively, so your view that gun crime goes up is utterly wrong. Not sure what you mean by science but statistics clearly refute what you've just said.
Check the stats out, it's all there. Even overall violent crime went down and guess what? No massacres!!!!!!!
+Rust Cohle Yet if you go look at Statistics in the United states and you'll find that a lot less violent crimes are committed when people are allowed to carry firearms, hell there's a town in Georgia that makes it a requirement for citizens to own firearms. It's one of the most peaceful towns in the states. If you actually looked at the statistics 7 years after the handgun ban Britain saw a huge increase in handgun murders. The state of DC saw a large increase in firearm related crimes after the ban, but once it was lifted the number of violent crimes commited with a firearm decreased.
I did check the stats out homicides and murders decreased but volt crimes with a firearm didn't so before you pull that Jim Jefferies bullshit look at the stats that show only armed robbery decreasing in number. What kind of criminal would rob a store for money knowing that a couple people within the store could have conceal carry permits and a firearm on them?
Don't get me wrong, any kind of violence towards another human being is fucking despicable
bad gun for people
+Tatsumi Holmes I can see that murders involving firearms stayed the same generally, if not risen, mainly it seems because gang warfare entered a new phase in some cities here, but one good thing that came from it is the drop in massacres.
It seems ordinary criminals do no just go in to schools and kill everything they see, it also seems that everytime a massacre is commited, it is done with a legally obtained firearm by someone who isn't well known to the police.
So if anything, banning guns does tend to stop massacres, it doesn't have a huge effect on other firearm based crime.
My take on this chart is that it shows, in every case but the first, guns being used illegally or with out the proper care.
……so, because we live in a world of criminals, suicidal depressives, and careless dolts, I need to give up my legal property, and the inherent right to own and wield said property. A right, BTW, which the constitution does not grant, but simply lists as one that cannot be taken away.
+Tatsumi Holmes Except that's not accurate and based off old data. More recent studies have shown gun controls estimated to have cut fatal shootings by 40%.
http://arstechnica.com/science/2015/06/connecticut-gun-controls-estimated-to-have-cut-fatal-shootings-by-40/