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- - There's no evidence that banning guns cuts crime (http://goldismoney.info/forums/showthread.php?t=269035)

Big_Rob | 05-28-2008 03:23 PM
There's no evidence that banning guns cuts crime There's no evidence that banning guns cuts crime John R. Lott Jr. http://www.philly.com/inquirer/curre...uts_crime.html is a senior research scientist at the University of Maryland Philadelphia had 406 homicides in 2007, and, at 28 per 100,000 people, it also had the highest murder rate of any major city in the United States. No wonder Philadelphians want things done. Recently, the city focused on a new tragedy, the murder of a 12-year police veteran and father of three, Sgt. Stephen Liczbinski, by three bank robbers with long, violent criminal records. To Gov. Rendell, Mayor Nutter, Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey, and freshman U.S. Rep. Joe Sestak, the solution is simple: more gun control. After pushes failed for new state and local laws, last Thursday these four politicians announced that the solution to Philadelphia's problems was re-enacting the Federal Assault Weapons Ban. They focused on the Chinese SKS rifle used to shoot Liczbinski five times. Rendell claims that "the only people who should have weapons like this is the police and the military." Some are calling the SKS an "assault weapon," although it is not so defined in any federal law and is not banned as such. And although the phrase assault weapon conjures up images of the rapid-fire machine guns used by the military, the SKS rifle is not a machine gun, instead functioning the same way as any semiautomatic hunting rifle. It fires a bullet similar to (indeed, slightly less powerful than) those fired from deer-hunting rifles, with the exact same rapidity. This debate might make more sense if there were some evidence that the Federal Assault Weapons Ban lowered crime rates, but all the published academic studies by criminologists and economists find that neither the initial ban in 1994 nor its sun-setting in 2004 changed rates of murder or other violent crimes. Similarly, there is no evidence that state bans have mattered. For example, a report for the National Institute of Justice by Christopher Koper, Daniel Woods and Jeffrey Roth at the University of Pennsylvania's Jerry Lee Center of Criminology studied the first nine years of the federal ban and found that "we cannot clearly credit the ban with any of the nation's recent drop in gun violence. And, indeed, there has been no discernible reduction in the lethality and injuriousness of gun violence." They note that "the gun-ban provision targets a relatively small number of weapons based on outward features or accessories that have little to do with the weapons' operation." Even gun control groups realize that the presence or absence of such laws make little difference. Before the federal law sunset, a representative for the Violence Policy Center, a gun control group, said that "if the existing assault-weapons ban expires, I personally do not believe it will make one whit of difference one way or another in terms of our objective, which is reducing death and injury and getting a particularly lethal class of firearms off the streets." The center argued that the law involved only "minor changes in appearance." Indeed, the U.S. murder rate was 5.7 per 100,000 people in 2003, the last full year before the law sunset. It was still 5.7 in 2006. Over the same period, the rate of violent crimes fell slightly. In the 43 states without their own assault-weapons bans, the murder rates fell, while they rose in the seven states with such bans. Violent-crime rates fell more quickly in the 43 without bans than in the seven states with them. Yet it always seems easier for politicians to blame the lack of gun control rather than focusing on their own responsibilities. When Washington and Chicago experienced explosions in murder and violent crime after banning handguns, leaders there did not blame their bans, but rather they blamed the rest of the country that had not also adopted stricter regulations. Ultimately, however, is it really surprising that Philadelphia's murder rates have risen while its arrest rates have fallen? Former state House Speaker John Perzel proposed a different approach (an approach Rendell opposes) to fix Philadelphia's low and falling arrest rates. Perzel's solution? Help Philadelphia hire more police. If politicians are unwilling to spend more money on police or to make the police force work more effectively, there is another solution: Encourage law-abiding citizens to defend themselves. One possibility is to eliminate fees for poor law-abiding people, those who are the most vulnerable victims of crime, to obtain concealed-handgun permits. If the government isn't going to protect people, why charge them for the opportunity to defend themselves? Research by David Mustard at the University of Georgia also found that more concealed-handgun permits reduce the number of criminals with guns and thus reduce violence against police officers. Obsessing on gun control proposals distracts from doing what works. At some point it should be obvious to everyone, even politicians, that all the hype about "assault weapons" is just wrong. John Lott (johnrlott@aol.com) is the author of "More Guns, Less Crime" and "The Bias Against Guns."

Twisted Avatar | 05-28-2008 03:54 PM
Re: There's no evidence that banning guns cuts crime Banning guns dosent reduce crime?? BRILLIANT!!! The man needs to run for the white house........ there is still time to register. T

90%RealMoney | 05-28-2008 04:14 PM
Re: There's no evidence that banning guns cuts crime Try convincing a Democrat of that fact. Their little pea brains cannot comprehend it. Emotionally, it just doesn't make sense to them. Funny how Demos want abortion to be legal, because if not, women will go get them illegally, and unsafely. But when it comes to guns, they don't think anyone obtains them illegally, only legally. Shows them for the idiot hypocrites that they are!

phideaux | 05-28-2008 04:21 PM
Re: There's no evidence that banning guns cuts crime Since when have mainstream politicians ever paid any attention to the truth?

Twisted Avatar | 05-28-2008 04:34 PM
Re: There's no evidence that banning guns cuts crime Quote:
Originally Posted by phideaux (Post 1122174) Since when have mainstream politicians ever paid any attention to the truth?
On same day the devil wants to give up being the bad guy. T

JJ_ | 05-28-2008 04:47 PM
Re: There's no evidence that banning guns cuts crime right on...

The Argent Dragon | 05-29-2008 09:31 AM
Re: There's no evidence that banning guns cuts crime I've been thinking lately that CRIMINALS are 'For' gun bans to make their jobs easier. :wink:

stungun16 | 06-03-2008 05:30 AM
Re: There's no evidence that banning guns cuts crime Surely there must be some truth in the fact that if a population has a high number of firearms there is the capacity for a higher number of firearm related crimes!

Twisted Avatar | 06-03-2008 05:32 AM
Re: There's no evidence that banning guns cuts crime Quote:
Originally Posted by The Argent Dragon (Post 1123030) I've been thinking lately that CRIMINALS are 'For' gun bans to make their jobs easier. :wink:
They most certainley do. T

Bx3 | 06-03-2008 09:43 AM
Re: There's no evidence that banning guns cuts crime I think the solution to all this violence is more hugs. Deep down inside every violent felon is a little boy/girl who just didn't get the hugs that they deserved. Therefor, I am proposing a national hug day. I would also like to form a non profit group so we can apply for govt funding. We shall call it Hug Every Person As Though IT IS Allowed. We can use the acronym HEPATITIS A!........wait, that won't work. Damn it people, guns aren't the answer, just go out and hug someone, even if they are threatening to blow your brains out!!! Your life just isn't worth having to hurt someone else over.:confused_ma:

Bx3 | 06-03-2008 09:54 AM
Re: There's no evidence that banning guns cuts crime Quote:
Originally Posted by stungun16 (Post 1129626) Surely there must be some truth in the fact that if a population has a high number of firearms there is the capacity for a higher number of firearm related crimes!
Stun, based on this and some of your other posts I am beginning to think that you might be against guns which given the reality of our times makes you anti self defense as well. Don't worry, I'll protect you.......wait, your all the way in Australia, sorry, your on your own. Try that hugging thing though. I think it might work. Please get back to us on it's effectiveness or have one of your relatives get back to us....er....uh...if you are incapci.....busy.:wink:

Big_Rob | 06-03-2008 10:56 AM
Re: There's no evidence that banning guns cuts crime Quote:
Originally Posted by stungun16 (Post 1129626) Surely there must be some truth in the fact that if a population has a high number of firearms there is the capacity for a higher number of firearm related crimes!
Yes and no. One might think that if a society has more firearms there will be more firearm related crimes, but it boils down to who has the firearms. Most people that own firearms are regular law abiding citizens that use their firearm as the best option for self defense. But there is also a huge criminal element in the United States that also illegally possesses firearms. Knowing that criminals are predators that attack those in society that appear weak and unarmed, why would any law-abiding citizen turn in their weapons if congress decided to unconstitutionally repeal our second amendment? The whole thing boils down to "When seconds count, the police are only minutes away". BTW - there are more crimes committed with automobiles than firearms

Lars Ragnarsson | 06-03-2008 09:00 PM
Re: There's no evidence that banning guns cuts crime Quote:
Originally Posted by Big_Rob (Post 1129957) BTW - there are more crimes committed with automobiles than firearms
And that's why we need the Assault Soccer Mom SUV Ban to be enacted immediately!!!

budfox | 06-03-2008 09:06 PM
Re: There's no evidence that banning guns cuts crime Banning guns increases crime. It's a no brainer. My evac home is in a small town where 90% of the people are armed. I leave my doors open there.

stungun16 | 06-06-2008 10:18 PM
Re: There's no evidence that banning guns cuts crime Quote:
Originally Posted by Bx3 (Post 1129862) Stun, based on this and some of your other posts I am beginning to think that you might be against guns which given the reality of our times makes you anti self defense as well. Don't worry, I'll protect you.......wait, your all the way in Australia, sorry, your on your own. Try that hugging thing though. I think it might work. Please get back to us on it's effectiveness or have one of your relatives get back to us....er....uh...if you are incapci.....busy.:wink:
Hey Bx3, I believe the police and army should have guns, but am really not sure about the right to bear arms for every one. At the risk of copping a hiding from the majority in this forum, I believe if there are more guns out there, there will be more gun related crimes and deaths. I suppose I am naive enough to believe I don't need to protect myself from an invasion because that is what the military is for ( and I did spend a considerable time in the military so I have got half a clue at least).:wink: Oh, and I am definitely pro self defence, I just don't think that has to be with a gun.

electric-amish | 06-06-2008 10:22 PM
Re: There's no evidence that banning guns cuts crime Police meet in large groups with Guns as do Armed Forces. I am always surprised those Guns do not just start shooting like crazy and kill everyone there. Psst---Its not the Guns. E-A

honu5050 | 06-07-2008 11:37 AM
Re: There's no evidence that banning guns cuts crime when i first started going down to the southern states and I'd walk into a business and see a shotgun or handgun on or neer the owner/clerk.... hell it made me feel safe !

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