Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Law and Order Weak Gun Laws = More Murder and Gun Crime, Study Says
Posted by Brantley Hargrove on Tue, Dec 23, 2008 at 2:25 PM
No topic on PITW attracts as much discussion and vitriol as the topic of gun control. So, without further ado, I give to you the findings of a study commissioned by this group, Mayors Against Illegal Guns. Now I will preface this by saying that the study finds a majority of this type of crime is committed by a minority of gun owners.
Mandatory background checks go a long way to keeping guns out of the hands of unsavory characters with checkered pasts, but that doesn't stop the interstate trafficking of guns from states with weak gun laws to states with strong gun laws--the primary focus of the report. Those states that supply the most guns used in crime across state lines are, predictably, mostly southern: Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Kentucky, Alabama, Virginia, Georgia, Indiana and Nevada. The rankings are calculated by number of guns exported per 100,000 people. Tennessee ranked 15th in the nation--more than Florida, Texas and California.
The long and short of it is that these states, which literally export crime guns at more than twice the national average, are all missing certain gun control laws. Not only are these states supplying the armament for violent crime elsewhere, their rates of gun-related crime are higher than those states who have fewer weapons illegally exported. Now when the study deems a state weak in that respect, it means there's no requirement for background checks at gun shows and no law that requires lost or stolen guns to be reported to police.
Interpret these results as you will, PITW readers, but this study says tighter gun control is good for public safety, not just here but across state lines.
Comments (20)
Showing 1-20 of 20
"So, without further ado, I give to you the findings of a study commissioned by this group, Mayors Against Illegal Guns. "
Which automatically means it's nothing more than a liberal propaganda piece and nothing that even remotely resembles a legitimate study.
Case closed.
like
dislike
Brantley, it's so foolish of you to present gun nuts with actual evidence. There's a reason they're known as nuts. Facts mean nothing to them.
You mean the free hand of the market has its finger on the trigger? No one could have predicted that!
Wow, all those mayors, all craven liberals. Who knew?
And where does your legitimate research come from Gilbert Martin? A respected nonpartisan think tank called NRA? You must realize that anything it publishes is laughable.
Seriously, I have an idea that the NRA HQ up there in Reston has a kind of blog-watch center where all these gun-lover comments on blogs like Pith are auto-generated after a spider crawls around the Web and finds any mention whatsoever about gun control.
Or perhaps this service been outsourced to cinder block barracks in the suburbs of Birmingham or Valdosta or, say, Antioch? What's the piece rate, Gil? Of course, it's cut-and-paste, so it must be pretty easy work.
"Brantley, it's so foolish of you to present gun nuts with actual evidence. There's a reason they're known as nuts. Facts mean nothing to them."
Facts?
You're a liberal, Woods.
And just like all the rest of them, you are physically incapable of ever establishing anything to be a fact.
Maybe I don't pay close enough attention, but Gilbert, aren't you one of those hardcore anti-elitist types? If so, are you trying to sound ironic?
Maybe I haven't been paying close enough attention, but Gilbert, aren't you typically one of those hardcore anti-elitists types? If so, are you trying to sound ironic?
Here's something I haven't seen anybody address...how on earth can Tennessee be considered a state with "weak" gun control laws? A Tennessee resident who wants to buy a gun has to pass both the TBI background check as well as the national NICS background check before a dealer is permitted to sell them a gun.
Even a minor arrest is enough to kick out your TBI report, which then has to be appealed before your application goes to NICS. Most states only use the NICS background check for approval of gun sales, few require two levels as does Tennessee.
As for the alleged "gun show loophole"? It's a myth. I have never met a single federally-licensed firearms dealer who would risk their license (and livelihood) by not performing the mandatory state and federal background checks before selling a gun, whether at a gun show or no.
Truth is, most crimes are committed by people that steal, or buy stolen, guns. They're "criminals," and by their nature, they commit crimes. All the gun laws in the world won't change that fact....
You haven't been paying attention to the news lately, have you, reverend? The TBI has been neglecting to check that ol' criminal background before they hand out gun permits. And if you've been tossed in the insane asylum because you're dangerously mentally ill, you can pass a background check and buy a gun in Tennessee on the day you are let out of the hospital. That's because we don't give the names of involuntarily committed people to the FBI.
To clarify, it's actually the Safety Department, of course, that wasn't checking criminal backgrounds. Now, they say they're doing it.
but this study says tighter gun control is good for public safety
There are a lot of actions we could take to improve public safety. But many of them, like restricting access to guns, are unconstitutional.
Its about balance.
It's a slippery slope, to be sure. I'm not advocating rolling back our constitutional rights. I grew up hunting in Texas. But if you're a respectable, responsible citizen, there's no reason tighter gun control laws would prevent you from owning a gun.
Woodsy...You don't seem to be able to focus, so try this and read slowly...
Purchasing a handgun and obtaining a concealed carry permit (not what you incorrectly refer to as a "gun permit") are two different things. You are allowed to do either without the other. Each requires a background check.
I suspect bad guys will do neither so strengthening gun laws will have no effect on their actions.
By the way, here's where you can find the study: http://www.mayorsagainstillegalguns.org/downloads/pdf/trace_report_final.pdf
Emmett, the researchers in this case used "trace data" to arrive at their conclusions, meaning they traced the origins of guns used in crime--where it was sold and by whom. Then they compared the rates at which crime guns are exported by states with weak gun control laws and states with strong gun control laws. States with tighter laws exported fewer guns used in crimes. Tighter gun control laws may not affect the intent of the baddies out there, but they can prevent them from obtaining the means.
you know i have 14 guns in my house and have never commited a crime. so why dont you cry baby shit heads get a grip and go hug a tree or each other or what ever it is you stuped people do other than trying to breakdown our country
