Why does it have to be "gun crimes" and not just "violent crimes"?
The only reason that we think there is an epidemic in gun crime in this country is that it's in our face 24/7 through constant news reportage, constant chatter on Facebook and Twitter and incessant posts like this one.
The real fact is that gun crime has DECLINED over the last two decades by a substantial amount - and this is according to DOJ and FBI statistics. Homicide with a gun in 2014 was 39% below the levels reported in 1993. Our government and population are obsessed with the idea of banning assault rifles - yet the number of murders committed with ALL rifles (including shotguns) is consistently LESS than those committed with knives.
Yet all we hear about is "Guns, guns, guns". Never before have we heard about so many guns owned by so many people being used so frequently to do so much harm to so many victims. It MUST be an epidemic! Why else would it be in the news so much?
What HAS increased, and DRAMATICALLY since 1993 is Internet usage. In 1993 we had AOL, essentially, and a handful of early adopters. Since that time we have begun carrying news and opinion feeds around with us and we get an alert every time someone posts an opinion on guns on our Facebook page.
The other factor is political. We have a populist president and populist candidates for president. They are telling us what we want to hear, and gun control is a hot-button issue right now. If a candidate were to get up and cite the FBI statistics and try to calm our nerves by telling us the truth - that gun violence is in a steady, two-decade-long decline, he would lose in a heartbeat. That kind of raw data does not play into the emotions of the electorate. Obama knows this. Clinton knows this. It's all about passion - about hope, about change, about vision, about dreams for the future ... facts can tend to get in the way of this, especially these facts.
The cause of violence is NOT guns. Guns may be a convenient means to an end at the very most - but in most cases if you take the gun out of the hands of the murderer he will reach for a knife, a rope, a baseball bat, a pipe bomb or a ton of fertilizer. Even though the San Bernardino shooters used automatic weapons, they also had a large store of pipe bombs at the ready. The Boston Marathon bombers used pressure-cooker bombs. Timothy McVeigh used a truck full of fertilizer, as did Ramzi Yousef when he bombed the World Trade Center. 9/11 was executed using box knives.
We are focused on the wrong issue. The issue is not whether concealed-carry increases or decreases gun violence. The issue is not whether we should restrict the number of bullets available, or the extent of background checks required before purchasing a gun. The issue is not the trade-show loophole.
The issue is poverty, mental illness, psychopathic behavior, sociopathy, political extremism, religious extremism, racism, anger management, envy, depression, frustration.
If gun violence were to decrease dramatically without a concurrent decrease in overall homicide and violent crime, we'd never know it, because that's not what we're looking at. How do I know this? Because it already has.
No, you are nothing but another WHINING , BLAMING, LIAR in YA's ... and probably a CHILD from the looks of your stupid question / RANT more than question repeating the foolishness of some adult or media in your life ... nor are you the type deserving of owning a gun or any other kind of weapon !
ONLY IDIOT People / Voters ... think CRIMINALS give a damn about any LAWS, especially Human-made laws - Democrat or Republican, American or Foreign ... LOL !
The solution to gun crime is absolutely no guns in existence. Good luck with that. So long as guns do exist people should have a right to defend their lives, even with guns if necessary. It's kind of like nuclear weapons. We can all agree that we would not like to be nuked. So would you advocate that we destroy all of our nukes if the rest of the nuclear armed countries get to keep theirs? North Korea has nukes these days. We keep them because they exist. It may sound like a dumb reason but if only one country had nukes than they would be able to dictate terms to any other country. So long as nukes exist than the only defense to them is to have nukes of our own. At least till we invent impenetrable shields at any rate.
Guns are the same. Guns are necessary because they exist. So long as guns exist than the defense to guns is to own your own. If you do not have a gun than someone who confronts you with one probably has an overwhelming advantage.
As a republican and NRA member I am pleased that President Obama is doing exactly what me and all my other conservative friends have been asking him to do. Just enforce the existing laws. THANK YOU OBAMA!
Answers & Comments
Verified answer
Bang! Bang!
Always double tap.
If everybody has a gun then nobody is going to shoot anybody.
Why does it have to be "gun crimes" and not just "violent crimes"?
The only reason that we think there is an epidemic in gun crime in this country is that it's in our face 24/7 through constant news reportage, constant chatter on Facebook and Twitter and incessant posts like this one.
The real fact is that gun crime has DECLINED over the last two decades by a substantial amount - and this is according to DOJ and FBI statistics. Homicide with a gun in 2014 was 39% below the levels reported in 1993. Our government and population are obsessed with the idea of banning assault rifles - yet the number of murders committed with ALL rifles (including shotguns) is consistently LESS than those committed with knives.
Yet all we hear about is "Guns, guns, guns". Never before have we heard about so many guns owned by so many people being used so frequently to do so much harm to so many victims. It MUST be an epidemic! Why else would it be in the news so much?
What HAS increased, and DRAMATICALLY since 1993 is Internet usage. In 1993 we had AOL, essentially, and a handful of early adopters. Since that time we have begun carrying news and opinion feeds around with us and we get an alert every time someone posts an opinion on guns on our Facebook page.
The other factor is political. We have a populist president and populist candidates for president. They are telling us what we want to hear, and gun control is a hot-button issue right now. If a candidate were to get up and cite the FBI statistics and try to calm our nerves by telling us the truth - that gun violence is in a steady, two-decade-long decline, he would lose in a heartbeat. That kind of raw data does not play into the emotions of the electorate. Obama knows this. Clinton knows this. It's all about passion - about hope, about change, about vision, about dreams for the future ... facts can tend to get in the way of this, especially these facts.
The cause of violence is NOT guns. Guns may be a convenient means to an end at the very most - but in most cases if you take the gun out of the hands of the murderer he will reach for a knife, a rope, a baseball bat, a pipe bomb or a ton of fertilizer. Even though the San Bernardino shooters used automatic weapons, they also had a large store of pipe bombs at the ready. The Boston Marathon bombers used pressure-cooker bombs. Timothy McVeigh used a truck full of fertilizer, as did Ramzi Yousef when he bombed the World Trade Center. 9/11 was executed using box knives.
We are focused on the wrong issue. The issue is not whether concealed-carry increases or decreases gun violence. The issue is not whether we should restrict the number of bullets available, or the extent of background checks required before purchasing a gun. The issue is not the trade-show loophole.
The issue is poverty, mental illness, psychopathic behavior, sociopathy, political extremism, religious extremism, racism, anger management, envy, depression, frustration.
If gun violence were to decrease dramatically without a concurrent decrease in overall homicide and violent crime, we'd never know it, because that's not what we're looking at. How do I know this? Because it already has.
No, you are nothing but another WHINING , BLAMING, LIAR in YA's ... and probably a CHILD from the looks of your stupid question / RANT more than question repeating the foolishness of some adult or media in your life ... nor are you the type deserving of owning a gun or any other kind of weapon !
ONLY IDIOT People / Voters ... think CRIMINALS give a damn about any LAWS, especially Human-made laws - Democrat or Republican, American or Foreign ... LOL !
It's a simple case of cause and effect - the more guns in circulation, the more shootings there will be.
The solution to gun crime is absolutely no guns in existence. Good luck with that. So long as guns do exist people should have a right to defend their lives, even with guns if necessary. It's kind of like nuclear weapons. We can all agree that we would not like to be nuked. So would you advocate that we destroy all of our nukes if the rest of the nuclear armed countries get to keep theirs? North Korea has nukes these days. We keep them because they exist. It may sound like a dumb reason but if only one country had nukes than they would be able to dictate terms to any other country. So long as nukes exist than the only defense to them is to have nukes of our own. At least till we invent impenetrable shields at any rate.
Guns are the same. Guns are necessary because they exist. So long as guns exist than the defense to guns is to own your own. If you do not have a gun than someone who confronts you with one probably has an overwhelming advantage.
Ahhhhhhh sarcasm! My favourite form of wit! Of course more guns for more people would be a good thing right ;)
Wait..... You weren't being serious were you?
That's what we have now and we are number one in gun crimes.
How about we try something different?
Libtards need to realize you can't regulate our personal and economic freedoms.
I almost forgot to say this but out of the 400+ people killed by guns this year, all shooters were Libtarded all victims were NOT Libtarded.
#DeregulateGuns
#GunReformNOTControl
The solution is more white people with guns and more non white genocide.
As a republican and NRA member I am pleased that President Obama is doing exactly what me and all my other conservative friends have been asking him to do. Just enforce the existing laws. THANK YOU OBAMA!