Jennifer L. Cruz of Guns.Com--Not Very Bright (Part 1)

Recently, Mike B. posted an outstanding article exposing the biases of an op/ed piece purported to be a Harvard University 'study'  reported by Jennifer L. Cruz of Guns.com.

In her reporting, Ms. Cruz asserts the op/ed piece by Don Kates and Gary Mauser was "recently published."

This is true if you believe "recently published" means over six years ago.

Second, Ms. Cruz insinuates this op/ed was a "study"--it isn't, it is an opinion piece.  It was published in the Harvard Journal of Law & Public Policy in 2007, which doesn't publish studies but commentary on various issues concerning the law and public policy.  Thus, the article did not have to face peer-review or other scrutiny as actual studies would.

Despite these glaring errors, Ms. Cruz seems more than content to amplify them.  For example, Ms. Cruz tries the neat tactic of comparing small sample sizes to larger ones; she writes: "For example, in Luxembourg handguns are completely banned and gun ownership of any kind is extremely rare. However, the country’s murder rate is nine times that of Germany’s, despite Germany having gun ownership rates 30,000 times higher than Luxembourg."

Where to start?  In Luxembourg (population ~520,000),  annual gun homicides rarely exceed 3. And the per capita gun homicide rate is usually around .5.  In Germany (population ~82 million), gun homicides annually are about 150-200 with a per capita gun homicide rate of about .2.  Statistics Pro Tip:  comparing very small populations against much larger populations is very risky since, in the smaller samples, a a small movement either way will unduly skew any inference.

Ms. Cruz also glosses over the fact Germany's and Luxembourg's gun laws are very similar.  She pretends Luxembourg has no guns while Germany is awash in them.  In point of fact, Germany prohibits automatic firearms and requires both registration and special authorization of semi-automatic and handguns. The per capita rate of gun ownership in Germany is less than 2.5 per 100,000.  The per capita rate of gun ownership in Luxembourg is 0.5 per 100,000.  so, Germans tend to own guns at about 5x more than the people of Luxembourg.  Yet, gun homicides are 50-150X greater in Germany.  So much for gun ownership rates being "30,000 times higher than Luxembourg."

In Part 2, we will have more.  Meanwhile, let's remember Ms. Cruz is part of the crowd asserting vaccinations are bad for children despite all the evidence to the contrary.

Today's Top NRA-Certified Instructors

Wendell Docteur:

On May 3, police were notified by Bridgeport Hospital staff that they were treating Docteur for a gunshot wound to the right leg.
Police said Docteur told them he had been out riding his bicycle on California Street when he was confronted by a half dozen men, dressed all in black with hooded sweatshirts covering their faces.
He said the men demanded his money and then shot him. As they fled they yelled, "North End, North End," which Docteur told police he took to mean they were a gang from the North End of Bridgeport.
But police said Docteur's story just didn't smell right.
Despite insisting he was shot at, police said they could only find a bullet exit hole from his pants.
When they confronted Docteur with this discrepancy, they said he admitted he had accidentally shot himself while riding.

Jimmy Null and Joshua Snow: 

It was after midnight and Joshua Snow just grabbed his gun when he saw his car getting burglarized and went outside in his boxers; he didn't have time to get dressed.
Ultimately, holding a gun while wearing nothing but underwear is what made him look so suspicious that his neighbor shot him.

Vintage Ad

Other States Hamper N.J.'s Tough Gun Laws

North Jersey dot com

Under New Jersey law, Robert Leonardis is exactly the kind of person who never should own a gun. And the .45-caliber handgun police say he fired, nearly killing a Hackensack police officer, never should have wound up in the state.

Leonardis is a member of the Sex, Money, Murder set of the Bloods gang with a long criminal record, according to police. On July 22 he allegedly opened fire on three Hackensack police officers, missing Officer Joseph Ayoubi by inches.

Like most guns used for crimes in New Jersey, the handgun Leonardis used was trafficked illegally from another state, police say. His gun was mailed from Florida via UPS, said Bergen County Prosecutor John L. Molinelli.

New Jersey’s gun laws have long been and remain among the toughest in the nation. But almost every day, New Jersey residents are shot and killed in gun crimes. Statistics indicate that the vast majority of those cases involve guns purchased in other states and transported to New Jersey illegally.

Of more than 2,000 guns used in New Jersey crimes that were traced to their state of origin, fully 80 percent originated elsewhere, according to the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). More than half — 55 percent — were imported from just seven states: Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, South Carolina, Florida and Ohio, all of which have weaker gun-control laws than New Jersey.

That fact of life hampers efforts in New Jersey to limit the number of guns illegally on the street. The importance of state law is seen in states that take a more lax approach to gun control. In Pennsylvania and Florida, for instance, 79 percent of all crime guns originate in the same state as the crime, according to the ATF.

Lawful Oklahoma Gun Owner Shoots Girlfriend in the Back - Claims it was an Accident

Local news reports

Tulsa police arrested a suspect after an early Sunday morning shooting. 

Around 12:30 a.m., Deangelo Stevens got in an argument with his girlfriend and followed her into the bathroom where she was trying to hide. The police report states Stevens admitted, after being arrested, to "tusseling" with the victim when the gun went off. Steven's 4-year old daughter was present with his girlfriends 14-year-old daughter. The 14-year-old is who called 911 for her mother.

Stevens claims it was an accidental shooting, but police arrested and charged him with shooting with intent to kill, and domestic assault and battery in the presence of a minor. 

The woman was shot in her back and is in critical condition at St. Francis hospital.

I wonder if he had a concealed carry permit?  Unless some invasive reporter comes up with the info, no one will bother to check. It has nothing to do with the case. 

What do you think?  Please leave a comment.

Pennsylvania 8-Year-old Shot by his Younger Brother - No Adult Arrested Yet

The Patriot News

Cumberland County’s district attorney said the shooting of an 8-year-old boy by his younger brother appears to be accidental.

But District Attorney David Freed said state police have executed a search warrant, and are currently investigating a home in the second block of Broad Street in Southampton Township, trying to get some answers as how a young child got his hands on a small-caliber handgun, and shot his brother.

The child was flown to Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center where Freed said he was undergoing surgery. Freed was unsure of the boy's exact medical condition, but described it as “very serious.”

Meanwhile, the boy’s younger brother is in the care of the county’s Children and Youth Services.

Police are still trying to piece together how it happened.

“It doesn’t appear to be an intentional act,” Freed said. “We, of course, have to answer questions like ‘how was the gun stored,’ and things of that nature.”

If there are any charges pressed, Freed said it likely would not be for several days.

Police are still gathering evidence, Freed said.

It almost sounds like the article is defensive of the time it's taking for the investigation. Three times they referenced the gathering of evidence and the time it will take.

Is it really so difficult to answer the question of how the gun was stored? It seems pretty obvious to me.

When a kid is hurt with a gun, an adult should be held accountable, and not days later.

What's your opinion?  Please leave a comment.

Florida Man Killed in Accidental Shooting

Local news reports

A 32-year-old Pensacola man was killed after a gun apparently accidentally discharged at a home in Lynn Haven, according to the Lynn Haven Police Department.

Investigator Steve McNeil identified the victim as Anthony Jamar Pickering.

Police said he was killed at 1 a.m. Saturday at a home at 415 Kentucky Ave. from “an accidental discharge while handling a firearm.”

The only other person at home at the time was Pickering’s brother Allan Jermaine Pickering.

“Police would like to stress that this does not appear to be an act of violence and there is no danger to the community,” McNeil said in a press release.

I don't know what's worse, the inaccurate reporting that says the "gun discharged" or the police saying this is NOT an act of violence and "there is no danger to the community."

Negligent gun handling should be taken much more seriously than this. All those involved should be disarmed forever in order to eliminate repeat performances, which is what many of these incidents are.

What's your opinion^  Please leave a comment.