RE: Why More Americans Want to Own Guns
February 11, 2016 at 2:11 pm
(This post was last modified: February 11, 2016 at 2:23 pm by The Grand Nudger.)
The mainstream culture of ownership is not responsible for gun crime in the states, and mass shootings are an infinitesimal portion of our gun problem.
If you want to measure whats causal, let's do so. Six of ten gun deaths are suicides, the rate of suicide is increasing while the rate of homocide is decreasing. The remaining four are inextricably linked to our war on drugs.
Contextually, the vast majority of guns and gun owners are concentrated in rural areas which have statistically low rates of gun crime (and violent crime overall). The vast majority of guns and gun owners will never be involved in either a homocide or a suicide.
Any law we pass will effect that greater number, and almost by definition will not effect the other - they've already shown they're willing to break the law. With respect, the history of the UK and the history of the US have produced vastly different cultures. The guns have always been with us. We didn't suddenly become incompetent. Barring that one little cops vs robbers spike in the data, our murder rate is moving in the direction we want it to. IMO, addressing the war on drugs directly will do more to reduce gun crime than any gun restrictions or bans ever could, and it will also decrease the rate of violent crime overall. It would also be far easier to accomplish than any challenge to the 2nd amendment, while...likely, saving us a great deal of money. If we wanted to address the -greater- , but admittedly less sexy portion of gun death, wider access to better mental health services is probably going to be the most effective approach. Bet we'd catch some mass shooters in that net too.
If you want to measure whats causal, let's do so. Six of ten gun deaths are suicides, the rate of suicide is increasing while the rate of homocide is decreasing. The remaining four are inextricably linked to our war on drugs.
Contextually, the vast majority of guns and gun owners are concentrated in rural areas which have statistically low rates of gun crime (and violent crime overall). The vast majority of guns and gun owners will never be involved in either a homocide or a suicide.
Any law we pass will effect that greater number, and almost by definition will not effect the other - they've already shown they're willing to break the law. With respect, the history of the UK and the history of the US have produced vastly different cultures. The guns have always been with us. We didn't suddenly become incompetent. Barring that one little cops vs robbers spike in the data, our murder rate is moving in the direction we want it to. IMO, addressing the war on drugs directly will do more to reduce gun crime than any gun restrictions or bans ever could, and it will also decrease the rate of violent crime overall. It would also be far easier to accomplish than any challenge to the 2nd amendment, while...likely, saving us a great deal of money. If we wanted to address the -greater- , but admittedly less sexy portion of gun death, wider access to better mental health services is probably going to be the most effective approach. Bet we'd catch some mass shooters in that net too.
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