Gun Myths #1

This, and the subsequent additional posts on gun myths in this blog, is derived from Guy Smith’s compilation Gun Facts v5.0.

Myth: Gun control reduces crime

As far as the US goes, not so much. Most gun control laws have been writtent since 1968, yet the murder rate rose during the 70’s-90’s (FBI UCR for 2000), Maryland claims to have the most restrictive gun  laws (debatable) and is #1 in robberies, #4 in violent crime and murder, and a robbery rate 70% higher than the national average (Ibid). New York has one of the most restrictive gun laws in the nation and 20% of the armed robberies (UMass). Four cities, Washington DC, Chicago, Detroit, and New York, represent 20% of all homicides with only 6% of the populations… yet these cities have had a virtual prohibition on handguns for some time (Ibid). The US government in US DOJ 2006 publication Violent Encounters, “found insufficient evidence to determine the effectiveness of any of the firearms laws or combinations of laws reviewed on violent outcomes” and also concluded that none of the attackers interviewed was “hindered by any law–federal, state or local–that has ever been established to prevent gun ownership. They just laughed at gun laws”.

Net Learning: Criminals do not obey laws (see the definition of a criminal).