More Guns, Less Crime

Written by Tom Bux
Published May 24, 2004

According to John Lott, a well-respected researcher in the effectiveness of Gun laws, and author of More Guns, Less Crime, the gun grabbers have gotten their hats handed to them. Gun control is a losing issue. The fat lady is warming up.

From his Fox News Article

This month, the Million Mom March in Washington drew an anemic showing of only 2,000 people, while this year, all of the Democratic presidential candidates-- however unenthusiastically-- spoke of Americans' Second Amendment right to own guns. These are just a few of the signs that the facts finally seem to be catching up to the movement. The future for the movement looks even worse.

Whether the subject is concealed handgun laws  or bans on semi-automatic so-called "assault weapons," gun control debates have been filled with apocalyptic claims about what will happen if gun control is not adopted. One common prediction is that laws allowing the carrying of a concealed weapon will result in crime waves, or permit holders shooting others. However, with 37 states now having right-to-carry laws, and another nine states letting some citizens carry, permit holders have continually shown themselves to be extremely law-abiding. It is becoming more and more difficult to attack those laws.

Gun control does not work. Proponents of banning guns says that it will reduce crime. In England, where handguns were banned in 1997, crime has rose an average of 29% in the period of 1997-2002.

In Australia where guns were also banned, violent crime rates averaged 32% higher in the six years after the law was passed (from 1997 to 2002) than they did the year before the law in 1996. The same comparisons for armed robbery rates showed increases of 45%.

All gun control laws do is remove guns from the hands of law abiding citizens who merely wish to defend themselves. Criminals will continue to break the law and carry guns.

Gun control supporters say we should rely on the police for protection. For the majority of Americans though who don't live 5 minutes from police, waiting for police to arrive could mean the difference between being killed, injured, or assaulted by people entering their homes, or bothering them on the street.

Many gun grabbers who tend to be liberal call themselves pro-choice. They are for the woman's right to choose, and believe that the government should keep it's hands out of a woman's womb. But when it comes to the choice of carrying a weapon to protect themselves, they are all for taking that right away. And it is a right.

Just read the Second Amendment.

A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.

The "Right of the People". People you and me. Just like the right of the people peaceably to assemble. People like you and me.

This entry and more can be found at The Nap Room

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More Guns, Less Crime
Published: May 24, 2004
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Section: Culture
Writer: Tom Bux
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Comments

#1 — May 24, 2004 @ 11:03AM — Mark Saleski [URL]

you need to look up the words "correlation" and "causation".

...or maybe take a course in basic statistics.

crime rates have gone up in england since i've stopped drinking milk back in 1997...one did not cause the other.

#2 — May 24, 2004 @ 11:05AM — Mark Saleski [URL]

that being said, i don't think that any of the weapons bans are useful...since they sure don't keep guns out of criminals' hands.

#3 — May 24, 2004 @ 11:10AM — Tom [URL]

I forgot you know more than John Lott who studied the data intensively.

#4 — May 24, 2004 @ 11:26AM — Mark Saleski [URL]

yep, he studied the date intensively, and then chose the bits that backed up his conclusion

never said i knew more than lott, just that i'm suspicious of anybody taking stats and claiming causality.

#5 — May 24, 2004 @ 11:31AM — Tom [URL]

Well it can go both ways. The gun control advocates said crime would go down, but it didn't, and whether it is because of the controls or not, makes them look bad.

#6 — May 24, 2004 @ 11:34AM — Mark Saleski [URL]

yep, they did say that...and they were certainly wrong.

#7 — May 24, 2004 @ 13:09PM — SFC Ski

I'd like to know how many crimes are committed by people with registerd firearms versus those possessing an unregistered one.
I don't own a personal firearm, but the people I know who do are usually conscientious enough to use it and store it properly, and none of them have gunned down a stranger or a family member, so what is the problem with owning a firearm?

#8 — May 24, 2004 @ 13:17PM — JR

I don't own a personal firearm, but the people I know who do are usually conscientious enough to use it and store it properly, and none of them have gunned down a stranger or a family member, so what is the problem with owning a firearm?

Try that question again when you know everybody who owns a firearm.

#9 — May 24, 2004 @ 13:17PM — Mark Saleski [URL]

i have no problem with people owning firearms.

i do have a problem with bogus claims of reduced crime rates due to gun ownership.

#10 — May 24, 2004 @ 19:08PM — Michael Croft [URL]

Is this the same 'well-respected' John Lott who got in so much trouble for going on web boards under a pseudonym (Mary Roth, I think) and supporting his own work?

Whatever the truth of the issue, John Lott isn't 'well-respected'. It amazes me that Fox News managed to find someone to drag their reputation down, but I guess they did it.

FWIW, as a Texas Liberal, I'm not in favor of gun control. We have to have a few to keep the Conservatives at bay... :)

#11 — December 1, 2005 @ 21:20PM — sr

Now we have the list of non gun owners. We just need street addresses. Mark did you yourself study the date intensively or the data intensely? Im confused. Mark says John Lott choose the following bits to back up his conclusions and they are as follows-----------------------------.
We all know JR is not a gun owner. He shares empty milk containers with Mr Mark for home defense. SFC Ski thank you for your service. It allows idiots like me to blog on with fools. Im retired with your rank Ski. Two wars behind me. Tom its the milk, not controls. Just ask whats his name. JR, bet you dont know a trigger from a muslim. No doubt we will see the Croft collection of guns on Ebay.

God help us. ROCK YOUR GLOCKS.
jl

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