Gone Dark

Other things are on my plate.

Going dark until further notice.

Guns Stop Crime: Just a Myth?

A recent Mother Jones article wants to dispel the "gun lobby talking point" that guns stop crime. In fact, they even give us colorful chart and graphs to prove their case.

And guess where they get their statistics from?

Yep.

Our friend Josh Sugarmann and the fine folks Gun Control Cultists and Bigots at the Violence Policy Center (VPC).

I'll talk about the VPC report in just a sec.

First, the Mother Jones article.

When you cut through the charts and comparison of statistics, one thing stands out: guns stop crime.

Which makes the article somewhat false. Or at least, widely inaccurate and misleading.

See, the headline challenges a myth. The myth says: "guns stop crime." In order to bust that myth, the evidence presented should show that crime is not stopped by guns/gun use.

But each of their charts and figures show guns stopping crime.

Whether that number is less than 3% or only 10% or the price of tea in China, the fact remains:
Guns stopped crime. Ergo: Challenge Fail.

Now, to the VPC report.

The Mother Jones pieces gets its content from a recept VPC report called "Firearm Justifiable Homicides and Non-Fatal Self-Defense Gun Use" (you can read it here [PDF])

Here's the interesting bit: the link Mother Jones gives send you to a VPC press release page touting said report with a headline that reads: "Guns are Rarely Used to Kill Criminals or Stop Crimes New VPC Analysis Reveals."

The key here is the headline. Particularly in the use of the word "rarely."

See, Folks, when the Average Person sees or hears the word "rarely," the immediate mental picture that springs up is of some event that doesn't happen a lot.

Brigadoon, for example, is rare.

Death from being struck by a cow falling from a height of 10 feet.

Drowning in a grain silo.

You get the picture.

So if they say that gun use against criminals or to stop crimes is rare, I'm expecting to see a number like 1 or 2.

Every 10 years.

Or something to that effect.

But when the number for justifiable homicides in 2010 is 230, that's not rare.

True, it's a small number. But it's 230.

239 more than 1.

Likewise, the 235,700 self-protective behaviors involving a firearms.

235,700 is a pretty good-sized number.

Consider: Orlando, FL had a 2010 population of 238,300.

Yes. That Orlando.

Home of Walt Disney World, Sea World, and a few other theme parks.

No. Not rare at all.

It happens.

The release concludes that the gun lobby assertion of defensive gun use is

hollow and the assertions false. When analyzing the most reliable data available, what is most striking is that in a nation of more than 300 million guns, how rarely firearms are used in self-defense.

No.

The report is "hollow and the assertions false."

Gun are used in self-defense.

Between 230 and 235,000 times.

(photo: Oleg Volk/A Human Right)

See Gun Control Blame Gun Owners For Boston Marathon Explosions

Once again, Gun Control Advocates happily dance in the blood of massacre victims.

Consider this email I got from our friends at the Brady Campaign:

Each time an incident of mass murder occurs, Americans band together — first in shock, and then afterwards as one unified voice to say: "Enough is enough."

An innocuous enough beginning. Then it continues:

Our heartfelt thoughts and prayers go out to the victims of yesterday's Boston Marathon attack. For those of us who have personally experienced gun violence, the feelings of frustration, anger, bewilderment and sorrow caused by this tragedy are all too familiar.

Did you see? Did you see what they did there?

They went and compared the Boston bombing to gun violence.

But wait! There's more!

Sadly, in addition to remembering those lost in Boston, today is the day we also remember 32 Virginia Tech students and faculty who were murdered six years ago in another senseless massacre.

There. Dancing in the blood of victims.

And now, here's the kicker:

Regardless of whether casualties are caused by knives, guns or bombs, Americans have had enough. We can no longer be a nation that makes it easy for terrorists, criminals and other dangerous people to get their hands on the deadly tools that enable mass murder.

And voila! There it is.

They just implied that gun owners are responsible for the Boston Marathon explosions.

Gun Control Logic Train Wreck

This recent article I ran into is a prime example of the inane logic that governs Gun Control Advocates.

Here:

Chicago’s gun laws aren’t the cause of the recent uptick in violence, nor does it prove that gun regulations are ineffectual. If anything, it underscores the need for tighter federal laws.

The rest of the article attempts to explain the above but I want to focus on the quote.

Once again, here it is:

Chicago’s gun laws aren’t the cause of the recent uptick in violence, nor does it prove that gun regulations are ineffectual. If anything, it underscores the need for tighter federal laws.

Did you read it again?

Here's the translation: Even though Chicago has strict laws, there is still violence taking place but that doesn't mean the laws don't work. What it means is that we need even stricter laws.

Say what?

That, Dear Readers, is called a Logic Train Wreck.

I wonder if the article's author can smell what he's shoveling...

(photo: Train wreck at Montparnasse 1895/Wikimedia Commons)

Good Guy With a Gun

The NRA's Wayne LaPierre:

"The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun."

And the opening line to a January 31st Washington Post news report:

Atlanta’s police chief says an armed officer working at a city middle school where a teen was shot was able to disarm the suspect moments after the shooting.

Notice what I bolded?

It works, people.

It works.

How To Fight Gun Violence

So just how do we fight gun violence?

Passing more gun laws isn't the answer. Criminals already don't follow what laws there are. To pass even more laws that they aren't going to follow anyway is an exercise in futility.

So what do we do?

Here's my idea: The Gun Crime Initiative.

The concept behind this is to punish any gun crime committed and, in showing what happens when gun crime is committed, deter future instances.

The message we want to send is: "You don't want to do this because what will happen to you is nasty and bad."

*   *   *

THE GUN CRIME INITIATIVE

1. GUN CRIMES
Prosecute and convict for felony possession of firearm and any and all crimes against persons involving the use of a firearm. Target gang members and known felons who are not serving jail time and actively pursue them. Stop and frisk.  When arrested, detained and held without bail until hearing.

Penalty: 10 year full sentence per count, to be served in a secure, supermax-level facility described in Section 4 below. No parole. No release until sentence is served. No decrease of sentence. No "time off for good behavior."

2. ACCIDENTAL SHOOTINGS/NEGLIGENT DISCHARGE
Against self: Confiscation of any and all owned firearms. Marked as prohibited person (permanently), illegal to possess firearms.

Against another:
Shooter is under 10 years of age: Counseling. Marked as prohibited person (permanently), illegal to possess firearms.
Shooter is 10 years of age and over: Same penalty as Gun Crimes, Section 1 above. Confiscation of any and all owned firearms (if applicable). Marked as prohibited person (permanently), illegal to possess firearms.

3. ILLEGAL ACCESS TO FIREARMS/GUN TRAFFICKING
Work with organized crime and gang units to identify any and all traffickers. Arrest, prosecute, and convict. Same penalty as Gun Crimes, Section 1 above.

Anyone who attempts illegal access to firearms, either through illegal means or is already a prohibited person, and is caught suffers same penalty as Gun Crimes, Section 1 above.

4. PRISON FACILITY SPECIFICATIONS
Cells: 6ft x 8ft. Plain. Steel walls. Opaque doors. Unbreakable and anchored furnishings and fixtures. Stainless steel lavatory. Soundproofed walls and plumbing.

Prison: Single-cell confinement. 24/7 supervision and surveillance. Basic utilitarian clothing (one size fits all overalls). Three basic meals per day, served via door ports. No gyms. No libraries. No recreation facilities. No education facilities. Minimal contact with staff. No contact with other inmates. No visitors.

Out-of-cell Time: One (1) hour of out-of-cell time under supervision in an open-air area 20ft x 20ft with 30ft high steel walls.  One (1) inmate at a time in open-air area.

5. ARMED RESPONSE OFFICER, SCHOOLS
Stationed in every school and university classroom near the main classroom entrance. Not a peace officer. Only assignment is to respond to an armed incident in the classroom with lethal force. Plainclothes. Trained in armed self-defense/use of lethal force. Licensed. Issued a .40-caliber or better handgun as sidearm using JHP ammunition and worn/carried in concealed carry configuation. Level III-A or Level III body armor.

*   *   * There's my idea.

What do you think?

EDIT: Suggestions for improvement are welcome. Anything to add? Anything to take away? Add it in the comments below.

Riddle Me This, Gun Control Advocates

California has strict gun laws.

Yet according to the 2011 FBI Uniform Crime Reports, we had 1,220 firearm deaths.

How is this possible with strict gun laws?

Aaaand....go.