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For those who think gun control laws equal lower homicide rates?
In 1998 very strict gun laws were passed in MA. Over the next decade lawfully licensed gun owners declined by 80%. In the four years prior to these laws there was a 57% decrease in firearm assaults and 50% decrease in firearm related homicides.
In the ten years after the gun laws there has been a 78% increase in firearm assaults, a 70% increase in firearm related homicides, a 236% increase in firearm related assault hospital discharges, and a 232% increase in assault related emergency room visits. Statistics are from the Mass Department of Public Health.
So why do you still support gun control laws for lawful citizens?
Thanks Ghost. I'm sorry if I had to word my question in such a way that it made you think I believe in statistics wholeheartedly. I agree that the evidence is not conclusive. However, it is much more conclusive than the evidence I have seen in about a dozen anti gun rants here tonight. At least it is a fair comparison. I agree that gun control laws don't have too much to do with homicide rates. Everyone should realize that it is a cultural thing and we are living in a culture of hate. Since that is the case I sure don't want anyone telling me I can't have a gun to fight off the crazies.
Proud Texan, I agree that if there were no guns there would be no gun crimes. However, there are guns. If the military has guns then they are still around. They will end up in the hands of criminals. Also, some members of the military are criminals. Not to mention the fact that rogue nations would manufacture and sell guns to any criminal who wanted to pay for them. As long as there are guns in my country I demand the right to them as well.
We also shouldn't forget why the second amendment exists. We have a pretty good government, but there is no guarantee that we always will. What would happen if the people needed to take power back but didn't have the power to do so?
4 Answers
- Gray WandererLv 71 decade agoFavorite Answer
Gun sales shot up starting in 1992, and murders went down nationally. The preliminary reports show the biggest increase in gun sales starting in November of 2008, and continuing to go up since, and the biggest drop in the national murder rate for the first six months of the year, a ten percent (10%) drop for the first six months of 2009.
Though it didn't happen in a school, about 3,000 people were murdered by guys with razor knives. It happened on September 11, 2001, just six weeks after the Brady Campaign succeeded in getting the Clinton Era FAA to disarm the airline pilots and make them walk through the metal detectors. Up until September 12, 2001 the Brady Campaign was bragging about how their "Safer Skies" campaign made hijackings unlikely, because there was no longer a chance of getting a gun from a pilot.
As long as there are guns in the world, people will get a hold of them, but with a general gun ban in the nation, you will have the whole nation sitting ducks, just like at Virginia Tech. THOSE 30 STUDENTS DIED because of the GUN BAN in effect on the VT campus, which disarmed any students with CCWs which could have stopped the violence.
A gun ban would increase, not decrease deaths
Source(s): http://www.nytimes.com/1991/01/26/us/us-indicts-3-... http://www.nytimes.com/1996/05/24/news/24iht-arms.... http://www.fas.org/man/crs/97-476.pdf - MeLv 71 decade ago
MA is not a closed border. Anyone can get into a car and just drive into MA.
If MA was a country, there would be checks at the border, and very few guns would be slipped through. Not to mention if MA was a country, then they would probably have very stiff penalties for possession of a firearm. (at least country with restricted firearm possessions have strict penalties)
~~Donna~~
- Anonymous1 decade ago
When we take away all the guns there will be no gun crimes. No one walks into a school with a buck knife and kills 30 people. We don't need guns in our society they have no place what so ever. We no longer need to hunt for food and our Military is fully capable of defending our nation.
- Anonymous1 decade ago
Property crimes and violent crimes in general went down from that year despite an increase in population
http://www.disastercenter.com/crime/macrime.htm
and while murder went up a little bit, it was much worse in the early 90's.
In other words, I don't think the data is as conclusive as you think it is. I personally think gun control laws don't have a large impact one way or another as other factors that contribute to crime rates.
