WASHINGTON (AP) – The Supreme Court says a federal law barring people convicted of minor domestic violence offenses from possessing guns can be enforced even in states where no proof of physical force is required to support the domestic violence charge.The justices on Wednesday reinstated charges against a Tennessee man who pleaded guilty to misdemeanor domestic assault in 2001. He was then charged in 2009 with illegal possession of a firearm. Lower courts threw out the gun charge because Tennessee law doesn’t require physical, or violent, force to have been used in misdemeanor domestic assault.
The Supreme Court reversed that decision in an opinion by Justice Sonia Sotomayor.The Obama administration argued that the lower courts’ reading of the law would render it unenforceable in many states.
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The gun-rights fanatics love to throw statistics around and come up with ridiculously low percentages of everything from accidental shootings to outright murders. Anything to protect their precious guns from disparagement.
Meanwhile, Southern Beale publishes the misuses of guns in Tennessee every week. I think it's safe to say she chronicles between five and ten incidents every week. Over the course of a year that comes to 250 to 500 documented incidents of gun misuse IN TENNESSEE ALONE. Let's assume she's getting only a part of what's actually going on in every hick town and rural back water. That makes thousands of incidents in The Volunteer State alone.
I realize the FBI and the CDC stats are unimpeachable, but something doesn't add up. There's a lot more gun misuse going on than our friends the gun-rights fanatics are getting credit for. That's what I think.
Of course that's what you think. You prefer anecdotes to properly analyzed data.
ReplyDeleteIf there was no physical violence involved was there a threat of bodily harm, physical violence, or murder?
ReplyDeleteI can't agree that one should lose their right to own a gun, if no violence, or threat of violence was involved in a misdemeanor.
In misdemeanor domestic abuse isn't there always at least the threat of violence?
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ReplyDeleteThis is documented data.
You can't possibly expect us to take your word for it.
Delete"You prefer anecdotes to properly analyzed data."
ReplyDelete"This is documented data."
Greg AND Japete are a little bit right. Anecdotal data, if its true is documented. And it also doesn't give an accurate picture of the overall problem. One problem with anecdotal data is the tendency of the person disseminating the data to sneak bit in that are opinion. For example, in Beale's last report posted here this was included with a news report.
"Seeing a lot more of these stories now: road rage and fights escalating into shootings, now that everyone is carrying guns in their cars."
http://mikeb302000.blogspot.com/2014/03/southern-beales-tennessee-gun-report.html
The comment above is an opinion, as in not documented. And in this case it was incorrect. First because as I commented on in the post, over the past five years, violent crime dropped 15%. Plus, the only recent legislation regarding guns in cars involved permit holders storing guns in cars when they have to go into a gun free zone.
In order to carry a loaded firearm in a car in Tennessee, you have to have a carry permit. Anecdotal data does work well if you're trying to illustrate something for which you have hard data, or if you're trying to baffle them with BS. The only challenge is discerning the goals of the person posting.
Speaking of Tennessee, great news!
ReplyDeleteThe state Senate has passed a bill to allow Tennesseans to openly carry guns without a state-issued permit.
The chamber voted 25-2 in favor of the bill sponsored by Republican Sen. Mae Beavers of Mt. Juliet.
Beavers said the measure would keep the background checks and training requirements in order to carry concealed firearms, but would allow anyone legally allowed to own a gun to carry it openly.
The bill would also remove state restrictions on the location of ammunition when firearms are being transported in vehicles, and would allow guns to be removed from cars on school property for the purposes of moving storing them in another part of the vehicle.
The companion bill is awaiting a vote in the budget subcommittee of the House Finance Committee.
Not Constitutional carry, of course, and it obviously still has to pass the house and not be vetoed by the governor (probably not an issue), but still fantastic news for the great people of Tennessee.
And really, if Constitutional carry is a hard sell in any given state, I can't complain too much about minimally regulated, shall issue concealed carry, combined with completely unregulated open carry.
As I mentioned in my post today about this, it is good news in the sense that it'll do you misguided movement more harm than good.
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