Mass Killings Aren't the Real Gun Problem

[bossy22]

Mass killings make for lurid news coverage—and human tragedy—but they aren't the real problem when it comes to gun violence. We can't hope to stop utterly unique crimes, and crimes that unfold in bizarre ways are rarely repeated. Sensible gun-control policies have to respond to the kinds of crime that occur relatively frequently, in familiar patterns of behavior. The more narrowly we try to tailor policies to atypical crimes like mass shootings, the less likely they are to save lives.

Over the past week, many supporters of gun control have argued that weak gun laws somehow contributed to the tragic shooting in Tucson. A spokesman for the Brady Campaign to Stop Gun Violence, for example, attributed the high death toll to the absence of any federal or state ban on large-capacity magazines for ammunition, asserting that "many lives could have been saved if had to stop shooting at 10 rounds." Other critics noted that Arizona does not require a permit to carry guns openly in public places. Still others suggested that better gun laws would have prevented a mentally ill person like Mr. Loughner from buying a gun in the first place.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703959104576081910062180664.html

[ananda]

1. Hmm...

Consider the source.

[shadowrider]

2. The source doesn't automatically mean the info is incorrect.

My biggest problem with a lot of people is their tendency to only read articles from their "approved" sources leading them to believe their viewpoint is the mainstream.

I keep an open mind and read news from a variety of sources. The truth is usually, I've found, somewhere in between.

[Katya Mullethov]

4. They are not of the body

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703791904576076373704758778.html?mod=wsj_share_twitter

A self defense network tweet I just got tryin to put a finger on the sudden....... "surge in interest " . I still give it a week after the tv noose has moved on .

[bossy22]

7. Wall street journal is a well respected newspaper

yes, they have a bit of a right tilt, but its no different than the New York Times which has a left tilt. Saying "ohh it doesnt count because its from the WSJ" is the same thing as those stupid conservatives who say "ohh it doesnt count because its from the NYT"

[Euromutt]

8. The source is Gary Kleck, professor of criminology at FSU

Says so right there at the bottom of the article.

Got any substantial criticism of the contents, or did you just want to throw in a genetic fallacy (http://fallacyfiles.org/genefall.html) because it's all you've got?

[sharesunited]

3. Dozens of singular killings and injuries every day.

Incidents of multiple homicides every month.

Mass killings twice a year or more.

Yet the affection for guns and ammo remains boundless.

What other product so commonly used in anger with intent to harm could flourish with the blessing of society?

[pscot]

5. +1

[Katya Mullethov]

9. You talkin' 'bout Juarez ?

Tell your children !


For the young 'uns , this is the Reefer Madness dude .
Prototype of the prohibitionist archetype . A roll model to some , and my sworn enemy .

""What other product so commonly used in anger with intent to harm could flourish with the blessing of society?"

Sublimely racist legislation is an excellent example of such a product . We have enough in surplus to last a long time.
Think what the US would be like with
the streets full of switch blade swinging zoot suiters and tomahawk toting indians . Not to mention the reefer smoking , cockroach fighting mexicans
and opium smoking chinese .

The newer product is updated with no racist aftertaste .
But it still consists of 100 % teh stupid
http://www.wapt.com/news/26513109/detail.html

[spin]

6. A video is worth a thousand posts. Take a few seconds and watch.

If you understand firearms you should realize that banning magazines is not a real solution.

With a little practice, a person can swap out a pistol magazine in two seconds and with a lot of practice in one second or less.

Average shooter changing magazines on a Glock 19.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SjlUY6gyuwA

Expert changing magazines:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CAFxgQmxbGI&feature=related

Also realize that a shooter can carry more than one firearm (also know as the New York Reload).