Tuesday, March 13, 2012
The Gun-Carry Culture
Daisy, my blog-sister and one of my very first blog supporters, sent me this wonderful link. The Christian Science Monitor, in this lengthy article is basically observing the winning ways of the gun-rights movement, attempting to plumb its mysteries and origins.
I particularly liked this. It seems to me that the enjoyment of one's freedom to own and use guns very quickly diminishes the freedom of others.
One of the closing paragraphs contained some statistics which I suppose are to show the innocuous and even beneficial nature of the gun obsession.
But more importantly, when either side of the gun debate presents statistics on gun violence to support their argument, they're leaving out the important fact that gun availability is only one factor. Other factors which contribute are, social conditions in the country, unemployment and education, the various waves of illegal drugs being introduced into the society. There are many variables, the gun is just one, but it is one of the most tangible and one about which something should be done, in addition to addressing the other social ills of course.
The number of defensive justified killings rose dramatically, but aren't those numbers laughingly small. Please keep in mind that many gun-rights advocates claim there are 2.5 million defensive gun uses per year, yet only a couple hundred result in death. Don't get me wrong, the fewer people killed with guns, the better I like it, but don't go telling me this handful of justified killings is why we need laxer gun laws. Guns still cause more harm than good, in my opinion.
What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.
I particularly liked this. It seems to me that the enjoyment of one's freedom to own and use guns very quickly diminishes the freedom of others.
"People are buying guns to deal with their anxiety of feeling they have no safety or they have this need for their political sense of freedom, but not everybody shares that level of personal threat," says Joan Burbick, author of "Gun Show Nation," a critique of American gun culture. "And when you're going to insist upon this in public spaces or shared spaces like a basketball game or a park, then you're really intruding into where other people get their personal sense of safety."
One of the closing paragraphs contained some statistics which I suppose are to show the innocuous and even beneficial nature of the gun obsession.
Moreover, the number of deaths caused by a gun in the US has been declining even though the number of guns carried in public has been growing. Federal statistics show that between 2005 and 2009, the number of annual murders committed with a gun dropped from 10,158 to 9,146. During the same period, the number of justifiable, or defensive, homicides rose from 196 to 261.The declining number of murders, approximately 10%, over those 5 years is partly due to better trauma care in hospitals. Advances in medical procedures and lessons-learned from past experiences accounts for a good bit of that. Fewer people who are seriously wounded die.
But more importantly, when either side of the gun debate presents statistics on gun violence to support their argument, they're leaving out the important fact that gun availability is only one factor. Other factors which contribute are, social conditions in the country, unemployment and education, the various waves of illegal drugs being introduced into the society. There are many variables, the gun is just one, but it is one of the most tangible and one about which something should be done, in addition to addressing the other social ills of course.
The number of defensive justified killings rose dramatically, but aren't those numbers laughingly small. Please keep in mind that many gun-rights advocates claim there are 2.5 million defensive gun uses per year, yet only a couple hundred result in death. Don't get me wrong, the fewer people killed with guns, the better I like it, but don't go telling me this handful of justified killings is why we need laxer gun laws. Guns still cause more harm than good, in my opinion.
What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.
Student Arrested for Threatening a Shooting Rampage
I don't know, that kid sure has a droopy left eye. No guns in the dorm, no guns in his parents' home, sounds like he's quite a threat.
What's your opinion? Did they mention in the video how many people say stupid things like this and don't carry it out? I suppose it's right that they arrest the kid and check him out, but anything more than a slap on the wrist for being stupid would be too much.
What do you think? Please leave a comment.
Three West Virginia Gun Bills Being Considered
Senate Bill 149, introduced by state Senate Majority Leader John Unger (D-16), would mandate police authorities return all seized firearms, not currently being held as evidence in a criminal investigation, to the lawful owner if able. If the lawful owner is not found or unable to take possession of the firearm, SB 149 would require these agencies to sell these firearms at a public auction to a licensed firearms dealer. Current West Virginia law allows for seized guns to be immediately destroyed. SB 149 would prevent the wasteful and expensive practice of destroying firearms that could be re-circulated through licensed dealers to the retail market.
Senate Bill 353, introduced by state Senate President Jeff Kessler (D-2) and Senate Majority Leader Unger, would expedite the process of purchasing a firearm for valid concealed carry permit holders by making West Virginia eligible for an exemption from the FBI National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). Such carry permit holders have already cleared a background check. This legislation would further conform state law to federal law and lead to greater reciprocity for permit holders throughout the United States.
Senate Bill 478, also sponsored by state Senator Unger, would create an apprentice hunting license that is available to West Virginia residents and non-residents alike. The licenses established pursuant to SB 478 are similar to current youth hunting licenses but would be available to apprentice hunters of any age. Apprentice hunters will be encouraged to go afield while under the supervision of a person eighteen years of age or older who possesses a valid West Virginia hunting license. This would allow the “apprentice” to be introduced to hunting without having to take the otherwise required hunter education course.
I would have to say no to that middle one. The other two can pass, I suppose.
What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.
The Three Republican Weasels of the North Carolina House
It's fascinating how the gun-rights extremists are so quick to turn on their own if they don't tow the line. Any reasonableness or compromise is unacceptable for them and will be punished. They are true fanatics.A political advocacy group is promising “payback” in this year's election against state Rep. Chuck McGrady and other North Carolina lawmakers they view as soft on pro-gun laws.
Grass Roots North Carolina, an all-volunteer organization whose main focus is preserving the right to keep and bear arms, has labeled McGrady, former state Rep. David Guice and House GOP leader Paul “Skip” Stam as the “three weasels of the North Carolina House” for what it views as the Republican trio's role in weakening an omnibus gun bill signed into law in December.
McGrady last week defended an amendment he introduced to the bill — which passed by a 59-57 vote — that allows business owners to prohibit those with permits to carry concealed handguns from locking the weapons in the trunks of their cars. McGrady said he stood by Stamm, who spoke on the House floor about the matter last summer, agreeing that it was a property-rights issue.
“I think when one owns one's property, you ought to be able to tell people whether they can bring guns or not to your property,” McGrady said.
What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.
Monday, March 12, 2012
Officer's Daughter, 7, Dies after Being Shot by Younger Sibling
Herald Net reprots
The 7-year-old daughter of a Marysville police officer has died after being shot by a younger sibling.
The girl died at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle early Sunday.
The shooting happened Saturday afternoon in the officer's parked van in Stanwood. The sibling, whose age and gender have not been released, found a loaded handgun in the vehicle and fired it, striking the girl, according to the Snohomish County Sheriff's Office, which is investigating.
The vehicle was parked across the street from Stanwood's City Hall near the intersection of Highway 532 and 102nd Avenue NE. The children's parents were standing by the van when the shooting happened, talking with their friend, local artist Jack Gunter.
The Famous 10% (Reposted by Popular Demand)
A couple weeks ago I made a statement that among the legal gun owners there are between 10% and 30% who should not have guns. After the bombardment of complaints I received, I retracted the statement and amended it to a simple 10%. Naturally, the pro-gun crowd who felt they had me on the ropes weren't satisfied with that. They were outraged. They demanded proof. They provided "proof" that the figure is really less than 1%. One guy suggested I downgrade my idea from "theory" to "hunch."
In this post I propose to offer a bit of what goes into my thinking. I won't call it proof, because as I've said before, much of this is not quantifiable. We must use common sense. So, in order to guard against bias, I'll downplay the numbers, allowing only very conservative figures to go towards the final result.
In the end, I will once again call my idea a "theory," and I would expect to never again hear the complaint that I make this up as I go along, that I say these numbers off the top of my head, and as Mike W. so eloquently put it, that I pull this stuff out of my ass.
Here goes. Let's presume there are 80 million gun owners. That means we need to identify 8 million who aren't fit to have a gun.
Good guys who turn bad. 1%
Some of you guys have generously provided the stats on concealed carry guys who get in trouble. That combined with the FBI stats of overall crime, allowing for the fact that some of the FBI criminals were not gun owners, we come up with about 1 million. So what we're saying is every year about 1 million gun owners out of the 80 million get in serious enough trouble to lose their right to bear arms. If you have trouble with that, look at the crime stats, add the felonies up and divide by 2, estimating that half the men own guns.
Alcoholics and drug addicts. 3%
It is estimated that 8.5% of the population is alcoholic. What percentage do you suppose has problems with other substances, anything from prescription medication to illicit drugs, another 10%?. Let's say 5%. That's 13.5% of our population at large and consequently of the 80 million gun owners. In all fairness, most of them, although I don't personally feel comfortable with their having weapons, won't cause any problems. But what of the worst 3%, say? These are the guys who become anti-social when they drink or party with drugs. You know the type. 3%.
Depression. 3%
It is estimated that about 8% of our population had at least one MDE (major depressive episode) in the last year. Gunowners, being no different from regular folks, can claim this same percentage, which I'll bet goes a long way explaining all those suicides. Since not everyone who suffers one of these episodes attempts suicide or does something else rash, let's call it 3%.
Rage (including road rage). 1%
One of the most frightening types of rage is called Intermittent Explosive Disorder (IED). It is estimated that 4% of the population has yearly episodes. I say not a single one of them should own a gun. I realize some of these guys also suffer from depression and may have even been counted under "Alcoholics and drug addicts," so we can cut the 4% in half twice and settle on 1%. I'll throw in the regular rageaholics and road rage maniacs for free. 1%.
Domestic abusers. 3%
It is estimated that 22% of women in America have been abused. It's men doing that abusing, usually the domestic partner, so let's say 22% of the men out there are guilty of this behaviour. Only about half of those men are gun owners, so we're down to 11%. Now, let's eliminate the one's who slap their partners once in a while because they asked for it. Now let's cut it way down because many responsible owners of firearms can successfully separate their domestic squabbles from their proper gun management. I say 3%.
Rape. 1%
The U.S. Department of Justice statistics for 2005 say that 191,670 incidents of rape or sexual assault were reported. Only 16% of rapes and sexual assaults are reported which brings the total in 2005 to about 1 million. 1 of 6 U.S. women has experienced an attempted or completed rape. These rapists may be some of the same guys we already counted in the "Domestic abusers" percentage. Also, some of these1 million rapes per year might be done by the same people, creating additional duplicate counting. I say we need another small entry here, say 1%.
General stupidity and irresponsibility. one half of 1%
I couldn't find anything to support this except humorous things that weren't very funny. But, just look around. You know who these people are.
There you have it, support for my "theory" that about 10% of the legal gun owners should not have weapons. I honestly believe using the same method I could make a good argument for the higher figures I'd stated earlier, but in the spirit of giving the benefit of the doubt in all cases, I'll leave it at 10% (rounded down from 13%, you probably noticed).
Some gun enthusiasts are very comfortable with the "us against them" mentality. They do it with the good gun owners and the criminal ones. They do it with the pro-gun folks and the anti-gun folks. It's all foolishness, say I. It is from their very midst, from this 10% that we have a significant "people flow." Not every one of the members of the group will go bad, and certainly not this year, but it is from their ranks that we see so many national headlines.
Please feel free to comment. I'd love to hear your opinion.
In this post I propose to offer a bit of what goes into my thinking. I won't call it proof, because as I've said before, much of this is not quantifiable. We must use common sense. So, in order to guard against bias, I'll downplay the numbers, allowing only very conservative figures to go towards the final result.
In the end, I will once again call my idea a "theory," and I would expect to never again hear the complaint that I make this up as I go along, that I say these numbers off the top of my head, and as Mike W. so eloquently put it, that I pull this stuff out of my ass.
Here goes. Let's presume there are 80 million gun owners. That means we need to identify 8 million who aren't fit to have a gun.
Good guys who turn bad. 1%
Some of you guys have generously provided the stats on concealed carry guys who get in trouble. That combined with the FBI stats of overall crime, allowing for the fact that some of the FBI criminals were not gun owners, we come up with about 1 million. So what we're saying is every year about 1 million gun owners out of the 80 million get in serious enough trouble to lose their right to bear arms. If you have trouble with that, look at the crime stats, add the felonies up and divide by 2, estimating that half the men own guns.
Alcoholics and drug addicts. 3%
It is estimated that 8.5% of the population is alcoholic. What percentage do you suppose has problems with other substances, anything from prescription medication to illicit drugs, another 10%?. Let's say 5%. That's 13.5% of our population at large and consequently of the 80 million gun owners. In all fairness, most of them, although I don't personally feel comfortable with their having weapons, won't cause any problems. But what of the worst 3%, say? These are the guys who become anti-social when they drink or party with drugs. You know the type. 3%.
Depression. 3%
It is estimated that about 8% of our population had at least one MDE (major depressive episode) in the last year. Gunowners, being no different from regular folks, can claim this same percentage, which I'll bet goes a long way explaining all those suicides. Since not everyone who suffers one of these episodes attempts suicide or does something else rash, let's call it 3%.
Rage (including road rage). 1%
One of the most frightening types of rage is called Intermittent Explosive Disorder (IED). It is estimated that 4% of the population has yearly episodes. I say not a single one of them should own a gun. I realize some of these guys also suffer from depression and may have even been counted under "Alcoholics and drug addicts," so we can cut the 4% in half twice and settle on 1%. I'll throw in the regular rageaholics and road rage maniacs for free. 1%.
Domestic abusers. 3%
It is estimated that 22% of women in America have been abused. It's men doing that abusing, usually the domestic partner, so let's say 22% of the men out there are guilty of this behaviour. Only about half of those men are gun owners, so we're down to 11%. Now, let's eliminate the one's who slap their partners once in a while because they asked for it. Now let's cut it way down because many responsible owners of firearms can successfully separate their domestic squabbles from their proper gun management. I say 3%.
Rape. 1%
The U.S. Department of Justice statistics for 2005 say that 191,670 incidents of rape or sexual assault were reported. Only 16% of rapes and sexual assaults are reported which brings the total in 2005 to about 1 million. 1 of 6 U.S. women has experienced an attempted or completed rape. These rapists may be some of the same guys we already counted in the "Domestic abusers" percentage. Also, some of these1 million rapes per year might be done by the same people, creating additional duplicate counting. I say we need another small entry here, say 1%.
General stupidity and irresponsibility. one half of 1%
I couldn't find anything to support this except humorous things that weren't very funny. But, just look around. You know who these people are.
There you have it, support for my "theory" that about 10% of the legal gun owners should not have weapons. I honestly believe using the same method I could make a good argument for the higher figures I'd stated earlier, but in the spirit of giving the benefit of the doubt in all cases, I'll leave it at 10% (rounded down from 13%, you probably noticed).
Some gun enthusiasts are very comfortable with the "us against them" mentality. They do it with the good gun owners and the criminal ones. They do it with the pro-gun folks and the anti-gun folks. It's all foolishness, say I. It is from their very midst, from this 10% that we have a significant "people flow." Not every one of the members of the group will go bad, and certainly not this year, but it is from their ranks that we see so many national headlines.
Please feel free to comment. I'd love to hear your opinion.
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