Gun Myths.com http://www.gunmyths.com Facts and Open Discussion Debunking Gun Myths Thu, 09 Apr 2009 12:55:31 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7 en hourly 1 Myth: The Brady Bill caused a decrease in gun homicides http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/GunMyths/~3/xquTcVkruoI/ http://www.gunmyths.com/2009/04/09/myth-the-brady-bill-caused-a-decrease-in-gun-homicides/#comments Thu, 09 Apr 2009 12:55:31 +0000 kimi http://www.gunmyths.com/?p=698 Fact: All violent crime (including gun and non-gun murders) fell during the same period, 1992 to 1997. However, the percent of homicides committed with guns stayed the same. In 1992, 68% of murders were committed with guns; in 1997, it was still 68%.1 Thus, the decreased gun homicide rate was part of an overall declining crime rate, not an effect of the Brady Bill.

Fact: Gun possession by criminals has risen in the Brady years – 18% of state prisoners (16% before Brady) and 15% for federal prisoners (12% before Brady) are caught with firearms.2

Fact: The Brady law has so far failed to appreciably save lives.3

Fact: Violent crime started falling in 1991, three years before passage of the Brady law. The Brady law did not apply in 18 states, yet violent crime in those states fell just as quickly.4

Fact: A majority of Americans agree that the bill is worthless. 51% believe the act has been ineffective at reducing violent crime, and 56% believe it has had no impact on reducing the number of homicides in the U.S.5

This is an excerpt from “Gun Facts” by Guy Smith, available free from http://www.gunfacts.info

  1. FBI Uniform Crime Reports for 1992 and 1997 ↩
  2. Bureau of Justice Statistics, “Firearm Use by Offenders”, November 2001 ↩
  3. Dr. Jens Ludwig, Dr. Philip J. Cook, Journal of the American Medical Association, August 2000 ↩
  4. Prof John Lott, “Gun Licensing Leads to Increased Crime, Lost Lives”, L.A. Times, Aug 23, 2000, based on both the FBI Uniform Crime Statistics for 1990s and the U.S. Justice Department Crime Victimization Survey ↩
  5. Portrait of America survey, August 2000 ↩
]]> http://www.gunmyths.com/2009/04/09/myth-the-brady-bill-caused-a-decrease-in-gun-homicides/feed/ http://www.gunmyths.com/2009/04/09/myth-the-brady-bill-caused-a-decrease-in-gun-homicides/ Myth: Handguns are unsafe and cause accidents http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/GunMyths/~3/deuRaoIAyTU/ http://www.gunmyths.com/2009/04/07/myth-handguns-are-unsafe-and-cause-accidents/#comments Tue, 07 Apr 2009 13:50:10 +0000 kimi http://www.gunmyths.com/?p=695 Fact: Most fatal firearm accidents involve long guns, which are more deadly. These are typically hunting accidents.1

Fact: Handguns have triggers that are difficult for small (child) hands to operate, and are rarely the cause of accidents.2

This is an excerpt from “Gun Facts” by Guy Smith, available free from http://www.gunfacts.info

  1. Gary Kleck, “Targeting Guns: Firearms and Their Control”, 1997, Aldine de Gruyter at 293-324 ↩
  2. Ibid ↩
]]> http://www.gunmyths.com/2009/04/07/myth-handguns-are-unsafe-and-cause-accidents/feed/ http://www.gunmyths.com/2009/04/07/myth-handguns-are-unsafe-and-cause-accidents/ Myth: Handguns are 43 times more likely to kill a family member than a criminal http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/GunMyths/~3/nIDZR920QYM/ http://www.gunmyths.com/2009/04/05/myth-handguns-are-43-times-more-likely-to-kill-a-family-member-than-a-criminal/#comments Sun, 05 Apr 2009 13:46:27 +0000 kimi http://www.gunmyths.com/?p=691 Fact: Of the 43 deaths reported in this flawed study, 37 (86%) were suicides. Other deaths involved criminal activity between the family members (drug deals gone bad).1

Fact: Of the remaining deaths, the deceased family members include felons, drug dealers, violent spouses committing assault, and other criminals.2

Fact: Only 0.1% (1 in a thousand) of the defensive uses of guns results in the death of the predator.3 This means you are much more likely to prevent a crime without bloodshed than hurt a family member.

This is an excerpt from “Gun Facts” by Guy Smith, available free from http://www.gunfacts.info

  1. Arthur L. Kellerman, Protection or Peril?: An Analysis of Firearm-Related Deaths in the Home, 314 New Eng. J. Med. 1557-60 1986. Kellerman admits that his study did “not include cases in which burglars or intruders are wounded or frightened away by the use or display of a firearm.” He also admitted his study did not look at situations in which intruders “purposely avoided a home known to be armed.” This is a classic case of a “study” conducted to achieve a desired result. In his critique of this “study”, Gary Kleck notes that the estimation of gun ownership rates were “inaccurate” , and that the total population came from a non-random selection of only two cities. ↩
  2. Ibid ↩
  3. Dr. Gary Kleck, “Point Blank: Guns and Violence in America.” New York: Aldine de Gruyter. 1991 ↩
]]> http://www.gunmyths.com/2009/04/05/myth-handguns-are-43-times-more-likely-to-kill-a-family-member-than-a-criminal/feed/ http://www.gunmyths.com/2009/04/05/myth-handguns-are-43-times-more-likely-to-kill-a-family-member-than-a-criminal/ Myth: People with concealed weapons permits will commit crimes http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/GunMyths/~3/fyhsmJ9m8hc/ http://www.gunmyths.com/2009/04/03/myth-people-with-concealed-weapons-permits-will-commit-crimes/#comments Fri, 03 Apr 2009 14:40:50 +0000 kimi http://www.gunmyths.com/?p=685 screenshot-4

Fact: The results for the first 30 states that passed “shall-issue” laws for concealed carry permits are similar.

Fact: The general public is:1

  • 5.7 times more likely to be arrested for violent offenses than CCW permit holders.
  • 13.5 times more likely to be arrested for non-violent offenses than the than CCW permit holders.

Fact: In Texas, the general public is 14 more likely to commit a crime than a CCW permit holder. They are also five times more likely to commit a violent crime. 2

Fact: Even gun control organizations agree it is a non-problem, as in Texas- “because there haven’t been Wild West shootouts in the streets”. 3

Fact: Of 14,000 CCW licensees in Oregon, only 4 (0.03%) were convicted of the criminal (not necessarily violent) use or possession of a firearm.

Fact: In Florida, a state that has allowed concealed carry since late 1987, you are twice as likely to be attacked by an alligator as by a person with a concealed carry permit.4

This is an excerpt from “Gun Facts” by Guy Smith, available free from http://www.gunfacts.info

  1. “An Analysis of the Arrest Rate of Texas Concealed Carry Handgun License Holders as Compared to the Arrest Rate of the Entire Texas Population”, William E. Sturdevant, PE, September 11, 1999 ↩
  2. Texas Department of Public Safety and the U.S. Census Bureau, reported in San Antonio Express-News, September, 2000 ↩
  3. Nina Butts, Texans Against Gun Violence, Dallas Morning News, August 10, 2000 ↩
  4. Florida Department of State, “Concealed Weapons/Firearms License Statistical Report”, 1998 – Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission, December 1998 ↩
]]> http://www.gunmyths.com/2009/04/03/myth-people-with-concealed-weapons-permits-will-commit-crimes/feed/ http://www.gunmyths.com/2009/04/03/myth-people-with-concealed-weapons-permits-will-commit-crimes/ The Myth of 90 Percent: Only a Small Fraction of Guns in Mexico Come From U.S. http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/GunMyths/~3/44Dscviw1jU/ http://www.gunmyths.com/2009/04/02/the-myth-of-90-percent-only-a-small-fraction-of-guns-in-mexico-come-from-us-presidential-politics-political-news-foxnewscom/#comments Fri, 03 Apr 2009 04:17:48 +0000 Chance http://www.gunmyths.com/?p=742 Finally someone in the mainstream media posted some sense when it comes to this whole Mexico Gun fiasco:

There’s just one problem with the 90 percent “statistic” and it’s a big one:

It’s just not true.

In fact, it’s not even close. The fact is, only 17 percent of guns found at Mexican crime scenes have been traced to the U.S.

The Myth of 90 Percent: Only a Small Fraction of Guns in Mexico Come From U.S. on Foxnews.com.

]]> http://www.gunmyths.com/2009/04/02/the-myth-of-90-percent-only-a-small-fraction-of-guns-in-mexico-come-from-us-presidential-politics-political-news-foxnewscom/feed/ http://www.gunmyths.com/2009/04/02/the-myth-of-90-percent-only-a-small-fraction-of-guns-in-mexico-come-from-us-presidential-politics-political-news-foxnewscom/ Myth: Gun registration will help police find suspects http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/GunMyths/~3/FgWNVZG6VOk/ http://www.gunmyths.com/2009/04/01/myth-gun-registration-will-help-police-find-suspects/#comments Wed, 01 Apr 2009 12:25:47 +0000 kimi http://www.gunmyths.com/?p=682 Fact: Registration is required in Hawaii, Chicago, and Washington D.C. Yet there has not been a single case where registration was instrumental in identifying someone who committed a crime.1 Criminals very rarely leave their guns at the scene of the crime. Would-be criminals also virtually never get licenses or register their weapons.

This is an excerpt from “Gun Facts” by Guy Smith, available free from http://www.gunfacts.info

  1. Prof. John Lott, “Gun Licensing Leads to Increased Crime, Lost Lives”, L.A. Times, Aug 23, 2000 ↩
]]> http://www.gunmyths.com/2009/04/01/myth-gun-registration-will-help-police-find-suspects/feed/ http://www.gunmyths.com/2009/04/01/myth-gun-registration-will-help-police-find-suspects/ Myth: Only police should have guns http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/GunMyths/~3/akg1FG8pCt4/ http://www.gunmyths.com/2009/03/29/myth-only-police-should-have-guns/#comments Sun, 29 Mar 2009 15:21:12 +0000 kimi http://www.gunmyths.com/?p=670 Fact: “…most criminals are more worried about meeting an armed victim than they are about running into the police.”1

Fact: 11% of police shootings kill an innocent person - about 2% of shootings by citizens kill an innocent person.2

Fact: Police have trouble keeping their own guns. Hundreds of firearms are missing from the FBI and 449 of them have been involved in crimes.3

Fact: People who saw the helplessness of the L.A. Police Department during the 1992 King
Riots or the looting and violence in New Orleans after hurricane Katrina know that citizens need guns to defend themselves

This is an excerpt from “Gun Facts” by Guy Smith, available free from http://www.gunfacts.info

  1. Wright and Rossi, “”Armed and Considered Dangerous: A Survey of Felons and Their Firearms”, 1986 ↩
  2. Cramer C and Kopel D. “Shall issue: the new wave of concealed handgun permit laws.” Golden CO: Independence Institute Issue Paper. October 17, 1994 ↩
  3. ABC News, July 17, 2001 ↩
]]> http://www.gunmyths.com/2009/03/29/myth-only-police-should-have-guns/feed/ http://www.gunmyths.com/2009/03/29/myth-only-police-should-have-guns/ Crime and Guns http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/GunMyths/~3/0UrthGHHmms/ http://www.gunmyths.com/2009/03/27/crime-and-guns/#comments Fri, 27 Mar 2009 13:16:42 +0000 kimi http://www.gunmyths.com/?p=656 Basic to the debates on gun control is the fact that most violent crime is committed by repeat offenders. Dealing with recidivism is key to solving violence.

  • 71% of gunshot victims had previous arrest records.
  • 64% had been convicted of a crime.
  • Each had an average of 11 prior arrests1.
  • 63% of victims have criminal histories and 73% of the time they know their assailant (twice as often as victims without criminal histories)2
    .

Most gun violence is between criminals. This should be the public policy focus

This is an excerpt from “Gun Facts” by Guy Smith, available free from http://www.gunfacts.info

  1. Richard Lumb, Paul Friday, City of Charlotte Gunshot Study, Department of Criminal Justice, 1994 ↩
  2. San Francisco Department of Public Health and San Francisco Injury Center, “Firearm-related Injury Incidents in 1999 – Annual Report”, February 2002 ↩
]]> http://www.gunmyths.com/2009/03/27/crime-and-guns/feed/ http://www.gunmyths.com/2009/03/27/crime-and-guns/ New Site: GunMarket.us - Free Gun Classifieds http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/GunMyths/~3/LlYcYGBjlGI/ http://www.gunmyths.com/2009/03/26/new-site-gunmarketus-free-gun-classifieds/#comments Thu, 26 Mar 2009 13:11:35 +0000 Chance http://www.gunmyths.com/?p=718
Free Gun Classifieds

Free Gun Classifieds

Just a quick note to let everyone know that I’ve launched a new free gun classifieds site, GunMarket.us.

This site was created in response to the Reddit Guns community needing a “site like craigslist” to post free gun classifieds. All listings are 100% free, as in free beer. Free image hosting is included with the listings too. There is no registration required to post a listing.

I’ve set up a demo listing showing the features available, and you can search the whole US or by state and region, just like Craigslist. There is a also a “Looking to Buy” section where you can post what you are looking for.

It’s a new free site for gun collectors and shooting fans- I need help filling it up with listings! Tell your friends about it and lets get it rolling! If you can think of a feature that is missing feel free to use the contact form on this site or contact me directly at contact (at) gunmarket.us

]]> http://www.gunmyths.com/2009/03/26/new-site-gunmarketus-free-gun-classifieds/feed/ http://www.gunmyths.com/2009/03/26/new-site-gunmarketus-free-gun-classifieds/ Myth: Assault weapons are used in 16% of homicides http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/GunMyths/~3/kQYMb7jVFhk/ http://www.gunmyths.com/2009/03/25/myth-assault-weapons-are-used-in-16-of-homicides/#comments Wed, 25 Mar 2009 15:03:18 +0000 kimi http://www.gunmyths.com/?p=653 Fact: This figure was concocted to promote an “assault weapons” bill in New York. The classification scheme used encompassed most firearms sold in the U.S. since 1987 (center fire rifles and shotguns holding more than six cartridges, and handguns holding more than 10 rounds). By misclassifying “assault weapons”, they expanded the scope of a non-problem.

This is an excerpt from “Gun Facts” by Guy Smith, available free from http://www.gunfacts.info

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