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"Know thy self, know thy enemy. A thousand battles, a thousand victories."
Sun Tzu
It can be invaluable during debates to know the standard arguments used by the anti-gunners and be ready to defeat them with logic. A great resource for going just that is Gun Facts - Your Guide to Debunking Gun Control Myths.
We can take that resource and apply it to the "Sensible Solutions" proposed by the Ohio Coalition Against Gun Violence to demonstrate how rational facts defeat the hysterical rantings they come up with.
"Over 1,000 Ohioans are killed by gun violence each year."
Looking at the Ohio Office of Criminal Justice Services website, we can review statistics for various years and see that this statistic sounds far worse than it is.
In 2006 (the last year for hard data), there were 511 murders. That same site lists that firearms are used in just over half of all murders, giving us a little over 250 firearm murders per year in Ohio. Of course, this includes criminal on criminal killings as a result of drug activities.
I was able to find suicide statistics for 2004, and there were 1,319 in Ohio that year. Again, roughly half of suicides are committed with a firearm. Combining these two give them the 1,000 deaths figure. Of course, it is pretty naieve to believe that even if they could get a total gun ban (criminals included) that these deaths would just vanish.
Another statistic that really messes up their arguments out of the gate is murders in Ohio have steadily decreased since 2004, the year concealed carry passed in Ohio.
"Close loopholes that allow 40% of guns purchased in Ohio to be from unlicensed dealers, without the instant background checks required by the Brady Law."
Gun Facts: There is no such thing as an "unlicensed dealer," except for people who buy and sell antique – curio – firearms as a hobby.
What they really mean by "unlicensed dealer" is private citizens. They want to make it so that you can't sell a gun to your father, brother, best friend, coworker, or the guy at your hunt club you've known for 20 years. This despite not having any evidence that such a thing would even decrease crime. And don't forget, part of the 40% figure are criminals selling to criminals, and they're already barred from selling to each other and wouldn't get a background check anyway!
"Pass a one-gun-a-month law to prevent the illegal practice of secondary gun sales to criminals."
Gun Facts: A detailed study of the major surveys completed in the past 20 years or more provides no evidence of any relationship between the total number of legally held firearms in society and the rate of armed crime.
Gun rationing would only make sense if decreasing the number of firearms owned had an effect on crime. It doesn't. And again, is a criminal who is alreaydy breaking the law by buying a gun from another criminal going to limit himself to just one per month because he might break another law?
"Mandate the registration of all handguns: handguns are used in 3/4 of firearm deaths and the public overwhelmingly supports handgun licensing and registration."
Well, we've already debunked the 3/4 (75%) claim. Real statistics show a 50% rate of use. As to the public's "overwhelming" support for licensing and registration, it should be pointed out that the study they quote was conducted by Lake Research Partners, and organization describing itself as being made up of "the Democratic Party's leading strategists" and lists several strongly anti-gun clients. Think the questions might have been a little biased?
Gun 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.
"Keep guns out of the hands of children with a juvenile possession law and child access prevention law."
Gun Fact: In the 1950’s, children routinely played cops and robbers, had toy guns, were given BB rifles and small caliber hunting rifles before puberty. Yet the homicide rate in the 1950’s was almost half of that in the 1980’s.
Gun Fact: Fewer than 2% of all unintentional injury deaths for children in the U.S. between ages 0-14 are from firearms.
Gun Fact: Children are 12 times more likely to die in an automobile accident than from gun-related homicides or legal interventions (being shot by a cop, for example) if they are age 0-14.
Gun Fact: In 2001, there were only 72 accidental firearm deaths for children under age 15, as opposed to over 2,100 children who drowned.
Do I even need to continue with that one?
"Ban Assault Weapons and Saturday Night Specials useful only for criminals, including "cop-killer" bullets and high-capacity clips."
Gun Fact: In 1994, before the Federal "assault weapons ban", you were eleven (11) times more likely to be beaten to death than to be killed by an “assault weapon”.33 In the first year since the ban was lifted, murders declined 3.6%, and violent crime 1.7%.
Gun Fact: Even weapons misclassified as “assault weapons” (common in the former Federal and California "assault weapons" confiscations) are used in less than 1% of all homicides.
Gun Fact: "Saturday Night Specials" were used in less than 3% of crimes involving guns.
Gun Fact: Fewer than 2% of all "Saturday Night Specials" made are used in crimes.
Plus, what they really mean by "Saturday Night Specials" are the inexpensive handguns favored by poorer citizens who can't afford expensive guns. Banning those guns equates to a total gun ban for those citizens.
Gun Fact: KTW rounds, wrongly labeled as “cop killer” bullets, were designed by police officers, for use by police to penetrate hard targets like car windshields. KTWs have never been sold to the general public.
Gun Fact: KTW rounds are Teflon coated to prevent heat build-up in a police officer’s gun barrel, not to pierce body armor.
Gun Fact: The number of shots fired by criminals has not changed significantly even with the increased capacity of handguns and other firearms. Indeed, the number of shots from revolvers (all within 6-8 round capacity) and semi-automatics were about the same – 2.04 vs. 2.53. In a crime or gun battle, there is seldom time or need to shoot more.
"Encourage safe storage of guns, including passing a childproof gun law."
The NRA encourages safe storage. I have no issue with that. And we've already debunked the "kids and guns don't mix" myth.
"Continue to allow local governments to pass tough gun violence prevention laws."
Better remove this one, folks. Preemption killed the patchwork quilt of local gun laws, and OFCC's win in OFCC v. Clyde upheld preemption. Having one set of laws in one place and a whole new set 10 feet away doesn't do anything to reduce crime. All it does is serve to restrict freedom and make accidental criminals out of ordinary citizens who cross the wrong line on some map.
"End the unpopular "concealed carry" law that allows Ohioans to carry loaded, hidden guns."
Unpopular? Is that why well over 100,000 Ohioans have chosen to get one? If it was so unpopular, why is there no public outcry against it? Could it be, perhaps, because the program has proven to be effective for the last five years?
Well, that was fun. I encourage everyone to read Gun Facts and get the truths to combat the myths. You'll be glad you did the next time an anti-gunner starts spouting the same old tired lies and you're ready with the facts!
Check out other Gun Rights Examiners:
- National Gun Rights Examiner: Holder first squall in an approaching storm
- Los Angeles Gun Rights Examiner: What it is about guns isn't even about guns, Part III: The Castle Doctrine
Comments
The problem I see with gun lock legislation is that it will be used to sue and criminalize the otherwise law-abiding, making crimes where there would be none before. And I need to ask for what gain?
The CDC studied 51 of the best gun control studies the WORLD had to offer, to include child found “insufficient evidence to determine the effectiveness of any of the firearms laws or combinations of laws reviewed on violent outcomes.”
Then The National Academy of Sciences study who issued a 328-page report based on 253 journal articles, 99 books, 43 government publications, a survey of 80 different gun-control laws and some of its own independent study. In short, the panel could find no link between restrictions on gun ownership and lower rates of crime, firearms violence or even accidents with guns.
John Lott in an article titled A false safety said “Yet, gun locks also pose real risks. Besides the costs that may deter poor people from buying guns, locked guns are also not as readily accessible for defensive gun uses. Since potentially armed victims deter criminals, storing a gun locked and unloaded may therefore increase crime. Exacerbating this problem are serious reliability issues. Even though the police are extremely important in reducing crime, they simply can't be there all the time and virtually always end up at the crime scene after the crime has been committed. Having a gun is by far the safest course of action when one is confronted by a criminal. Even if one has young children, it does not make sense to lock up a gun if one lives in a high-crime urban area. Laws, or for that matter exaggerations of the risks involved in gun ownership, which make people lock up their guns or cause them not to own a gun in the first place will result in more deaths, not fewer deaths.”
For the record, I was only going along with the "encouraging" safe storage concept, not the passing of any laws. Safe storage doesn't necessarily mean locked up. For example, a loaded gun in a quick open pistol safe is stored safely, yet still available for quick self defense.
Very good article, sir. Even the Anti's don't always know how the statistics they use are skewed and false.
Unfortunately, actual facts won't change the beliefs held by many. When confronted with a challenge to a long held worldview that defines who they are, brain lock and NEENER, NEENER action seems to be the most common response. Keep up the good work though.
You're absolutely right, GrumpyUnk. It can be very hard to impossible to change the believes if the die-hard antis. But, where these facts can be far more valuable is when talking to someone who really hasn't thought about the issue and is just parroting what he or she heard. Get a fence-sitter thinking, and it is much easier to convert them.
There are loads of "unlicensed dealers" at gun shows. But, they're selling books, scopes, T-shirts, luggage, parts, hot dogs, coffee, etc. A most dangerous congregation of potntial miscreants.
James: Gun control is not about guns it is about control.
It is amazing. While the stats. speak for themselves the battle for legal gun owner ship goes on.
Part of the problem is that most people are dealing with the symptoms instead the disease.
Every year we are confronted with gun control anti constitutional rhetoric and laws being thrown at us and forced upon us.
Every year we move closer to a socialistic government and more laws designed to force us into it.
These predators who destroy the constitution that is designed to protect the common person have only one thing in mind, (disarm the people and enslave them to regulations which control). The fact that you are left help less to defend yourself from various predators including government control does not even enter into the equation.
In my mind I am asking, how long are law abiding people who want to own and carry guns so they can protect their families and themselves going to put up with a government that only wants to force its unrealistic ideals on them. How much of your constitution are you willing to forfeit?
The terrible thing about it is that it has gone this far. Year after year it gets worse and harder for the law abiding citizen to deal with.
Things you need to consider are the disorganization of the law abiding constitutional majority. A house divided falls. There are more than enough gun owners and law abiding citizens in this country to put a stop to this rip off but they cannot get organized.
The government quite well understands that and uses it against all who do not agree with them. You are ignored because you are divided and have no strength. Basically you are a noisy nuisance who will go away in due time.
The fact is, I wonder if the people can stand against a government assault.
All the government has to do is to separate and take out the individual groups and the rest of the country will stand back as the media justifies the assault while conducting a witch hunt for the next poor unorganized group who dares to disagree with them.
You can gripe and complain all you want about the assault on your constitution right to bare arms but by yourself you cannot stand against the onslaught on your rights.
Americans need to organize as a constitutional group and effectively deal with the elected government. Government by the people for the people.
The problem with the whole thing with guns is that people who know don't need to and those that need to don't. The membership of OFCC and Buckeye firearms should be 300% more than it is. People are still like sheep thinking someone else will keep track of things for them. Fighting for what is right, logical and real requires effort. Thanks for these web sites and pages of info. Each person reading them needs to develop their own personal Email list and send out info to those less willing to find it on their own. Thanks for the work here.
Doc832
James, I agree with your idea that gun owners who believe in the Bill of Rights, have to organize. In the next four years, I look for laws increasing the cost of ammunition by increasing the tax and mandating that all ammunition must have some kind of ID on it. I look for another "Assault Weapons" ban and limiting weapons to only 10 rounds. I also look for Federal gun registration and "one gun a month" laws. Anyone who has purchased a gun legally already has their name and address registered with the FFL license holder who sold them the gun. It wouldn't be hard for the Feds to obtain their names and then go to their homes to arrest and confiscate the "illegal" guns that the new laws describe. The only way to stop this would be to organize and with one phone call, the citizen being threatened with arrest and seizure of his/her weapons, could have 100 armed men be on sight in 15 minutes. 1000 armed men in an hour if need be. The SWAT team would be notified that they were conducting an illegal and unconstitutional raid and would be asked to disperse. What happened after that would be their choice. Just as our forefathers fought the corrupt British government, we would now have to fight this corrupt government. One man alone can do nothing, but 1 million men can do a lot to restore this Nation to what the Founding Fathers meant it to be.
Daniel, If you are still following this, do you know where the heck the Against Gun Violence people are getting that "1,000 Ohioans are killed by gun violence each year" number?
Marica
From the Ohio Office of Criminal Justice Services website. You take the number of murders (511) and divide by two to get the number committed with a firearm (255).
Then, you have to add in the number of suicides (1,319), but take into account that again, about half are committed with a firearm. 660+255=915, which I'm guessing they assume is close enough to claim 1,000.
To James and Otter: I fully agree with you guys regarding the need for communtities of 2A supporters to organize NOW. However, the "one phone call" deal probably won't work since the JBTs will likely shut off your phones, both landline and cellular. They COULD block even handheld two-way radio signals. So the 'notification' part of the system needs thought and a solution. Anyone got any ideas? I thought of Carrier Pigeons but ....
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