Monday, December 28, 2015

The Republican Fear of Facts on Guns

NYT

The three rivals for the Democratic presidential nomination showed enough sense of responsibility in their debate on Saturday to freely discuss the nation’s epidemic of gun violence. Unfortunately, this was only half the debate voters deserve. The Republican candidates are callously ducking the issue. Among the recent casualties of such silence was a bill in Congress that would have lifted a ban on basic federal research into gun violence and its toll on public health. 

For nearly two decades, Congress has banned needed research on gun violence by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Last week, Congress, doing the bidding of the gun industry, quietly killed a provision in the omnibus spending bill that would have reversed that ban.

In so doing, it left intact an anti-science smoke screen that has helped the industry and its lobbyists deny and dispute the facts of the gun violence that takes more than 30,000 lives a year.

Imagine if the tobacco industry had been similarly favored by Congress with a ban on federal research about cigarette deaths. Imagine, too, if the auto industry had such a shield during the years when the government successfully fought unsafe cars in the cause of public health.

8 comments:

  1. "Private research is valuable, but in-depth federal studies are crucial for discovering the full patterns of crime and death fed by the relentless weakening of gun laws in recent decades."

    Wouldn't gun crime be the something the DOJ should handle? And they aren't under the restriction mentioned here.

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    1. "For nearly two decades, Congress has banned needed research on gun violence by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Last week, Congress, doing the bidding of the gun industry, quietly killed a provision in the omnibus spending bill that would have reversed that ban."
      This is not about "private" research.

      Delete
  2. There's no "fear of facts" on the part of civil liberties supporters......there is a fear of Statists using an unrelated government agency as a proponent for policy goals, where their attempts at legislation have been twarted by the will of the people [I know, insert the vapid and reflexive "NRA" boogeyman response here]. Gun controllers have built an entire industry of obfuscation, willfull ignorance and intellectual perfidy....so it should come as no surprise that they would attempt to label crimes committed with firearms [or firearms ownership in general] as a "disease".

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    1. "Gun controllers have built an entire industry of obfuscation"

      Hahahahaha, like the gun controllers demand that the CDC DOES NOT look into gun violence.

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    2. How is crime a disease? Should the FBI now engage in influenza mitigation. What sort of stilted logic do you employ.

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    3. Hahahahaha, like the gun controllers demand that the CDC DOES NOT look into gun violence.

      You do realize, don't you, that CDC stands for "Centers for Disease Control"? Yeah, well it turns out that having the means to destroy one's enemies isn't a disease. Go figure.

      Delete
  3. Here's another 2 cents worth fer ya.
    Is it a possibility that these deaths by cops is a result 'Roid Rage?
    Consider: Has anyone else noticed that many cops resemble the Hulk? How many of these cops came from war zones overseas, not only former soldiers, but also former members of Blackwater. In 2007, (CNN report) it was determined that 25% of Blackwater's mercenaries were on Steroids.
    Also a report just put out by Police Chief Magazine:
    http://www.policechiefmagazine.org/magazine/?fuseaction=display_arch&article_id=1512&issue_id=62008
    whose title is:
    Anabolic Steroid Use and Abuse by Police Officers: Policy & Prevention
    So, mix guys legally carrying guns under the guise of LE with confronting idiots under the influence of herbs or chemicals that make them feel invincible when confronted by some macho maniac on steroids and what do you think is gonna happen?

    orlin sellers

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