Just a few observations (about guns).

[AndyS]

I've dedicated myself since December 14, 2012 to the cause of gun violence. I was once the lone voice in Latest Threads calling attention to the cost of guns in our society. Finally I can rest a bit as ANY DAY AT ANY TIME there are at least four posts about guns, death and injury in Latest Threads. It never leaves Latest Threads.

As little as four years ago the gunners would reply to the huge and growing number of deaths from guns by saying "2/3 are suicides, not murder." That's not true anymore. Now just barely more than half are suicide. Suicides have not gone down. They are steady. Murders have increased as much as 20% year over year since 2014. And it's getting worse.

In fact if it were not for Murder and Aggravated Assault all crime would be down by double digits across the board. Both are predominantly gun crimes.

Thank you all for the support in my effort to keep this completely preventable epidemic at the fore of political discourse.

[G2theD]

1. Movies Propaganda

I really think some of these movies glorify guns, machine guns, etc.
Movies like the Matrix for example, and movies where the hero is doing (impossible) things with guns I think romanticizes these weapons to kids that feel beaten down and humiliated by their classmates

I am not saying they should be censored or eliminated. I don’t know if there is a solution.

[AndyS]

2. There may be some correlation between violence in movies and

in society. The gun makers certainly sell guns through military and masculine fantasy. However other countries show and enjoy these same movies yet don't have the rate of death and injury we do. Nor do any of them have more guns than people. I would think the correlation between number of guns and violence would be stronger than that of movies.

[G2theD]

12. Fair point

But most other countries have much stricter controls than the US, so it’s hard to quantify the impact on macho shoot everyone movies.

Our society seems to love movies that worship the everyday guy with a gun that unexpectedly faced with an impossible situation rises in all his macho and manly glory to stop all the bad guys.

I think that has some influence, not necessarily in mass shootings, but in purchasing a badass gun in the first place. After that the kids unique issues can take over.

We have WAY to many guns. I don’t own any because I believe it is more dangerous to us than the very small chance of needing to use it. Maybe I’d feel differently if I lived in a high crime area. But thankfully I live in a fairly low crime town.

Even though I don’t own guns there are people that more than compensate for me.

[AndyS]

14. First, one must never say compensate and gun in the same sentence

[G2theD]

15. Can I say micropenis?

[AndyS]

16. Only if you're talking about concealed carry . . . 😱

[G2theD]

17. I'm stopping right here. n/t

[Duppers]

13. Indeed! 👍

[DakotaSnow]

3. Some FBI statistics

The Weapons Most Commonly Used for Homicides in the United States (2019)
Handguns: 45.7%
Firearms (Type Unknown): 23.9%
Other Weapons: 11.4%
Knives or Cutting Instruments: 10.6%
Hands, Fists, Feet, Etc.: 4.3%
Rifles: 2.6%
Shotguns: 1.4%

How Often Are Assault Rifles Used in Homicides?
For how dangerous they are made out to be, assault rifles were not found to be used in homicides very often. Rifles were the weapon of choice in only 2.6% of the homicides that occurred in the United States in 2019, far lower than the 45.7% of homicides that were committed using a handgun. And even though nearly a quarter of homicides were committed using an unknown type of firearm, it’s safe to assume that handguns probably made up a large majority of that number as well. Even if a ban on assault weapons was enacted, it wouldn’t lower the number of assault rifles that are already in the United States, which is currently around the 20 million mark.

https://www.criminalattorneycolumbus.com/which-weapons-are-most-commonly-used-for-homicides/

13,922 homicides in 2019
364 were with a rifle (including "assault" rifles)

"Assault rifles" are not the problem. Handguns are.

[AndyS]

4. The easy accessibility of guns, all guns of all kinds, is the problem. Good day. nt

[DakotaSnow]

5. My last

firearm purchase was a 5 day wait and full background check through the ATF and NICS. It was not easy, fast, or cheap. Thanks.

[AndyS]

6. FFL? nt

[DakotaSnow]

8. No

Not me. I work insurance, not that industry.

[AndyS]

7. No, you couldn't be a FFL. That takes a BG check from

the FBI, ATF, DOJ, State and Local police and takes at least 3 months. I know, I've had one. So, because you had to suffer through a 5 day waiting period, poor dear, that means your were (or are) a citizen of CA, FL, IL, RI or DC. Not HI, that is a 14 day wait.

Full background check by ATF and NICS? Didn't know there was a part check.

The NICS check itself takes on average 108 seconds (per ATF records). If you can't pass one you can check out most social media sites for gun sales. Yeah, it's against terms of service but just search for 'go bang' and you'll find something that gets past the algorithms. Or you can hang out in the parking lot at the next gun show. Failing that with a bit of skill you can just make one from a kit. That's what about 30% of crime gun owners in CA did.

So please spare me the terrible hardship you went through to get a gun. I mean, five whole days! How did you survive?

[DakotaSnow]

9. I think you misunderstood.

5 days is nothing. Make it 2 weeks. A month. Us hunters buy months ahead of time.

[AndyS]

11. Okay, my bad and apologies for snark.

Still my point remains. It is the easy accessibility of guns that is the problem. Any gun, all guns.

A few stats for you as well:
80%, the % of guns used in mass shootings what were legally purchased which means that the buyer passed a BG check and was a "law abiding citizen".
30%, the % of mass shootings in which the gun was purchased less than 30 days before the crime.
17%, the amount gun deaths increase after a 5 day waiting period is waived (suicide and homicide combined).
15%, the increase in homicides within 3 years of a Stand Your Ground law passes.
20%, the average annual increase in homicide rate since 2014.
120%, the number of guns in America compared to people.

So, what'cha hunt? Elk? Ya' get more meat off a forequarter than a whole whitetail in TX. Mule deer are 3x a whitetail. It's cheaper to buy a yearling calf than hunt a whitetail.

[Gaugamela]

10. Assault rifles are the weapon of choice in mass shootings, and since there's

no rationale for individuals to own them it makes since to ban them. Sure the country will still be saturated with existing assault rifles, but you have to start somewhere. Buy-back programs could be implemented, and other restrictions on private sales. I would support expanding the assault weapons ban to include all semi-automatics: rifles, handguns, shotguns, etc. The reason the police held back in Uvalde was they didn’t want to go up against an AR-15.