10 Pro-Gun Myths, Shot Down

[DanTex]

25. LOL. By "debunking" you mean "repeating false NRA talking points".

I think this is the greatest number of falsehoods I've seen in a single DU post! Congrats!

In the past few weeks there have been bills introduced to effectively ban gun and require their turn-in and authorize the police to inspect homes without warrants.

Banning assault weapons is not the same as banning all guns. The point is, there is no threat to the second amendment or to civilian gun ownership.

2. All of those gun murders still had a human pulling the trigger. There are more people killed by hands and feet than are killed by all rifles combined, which includes so-called assault weapons.

Completely missing the point, which is that several studies have shown that more guns do result in more homicides and more suicides. In the US, well over 50% of homicides are committed by gun, and because of the gun homicides, the US has by far the highest homicide rate in the developed world.

Among Texans convicted of serious crimes, those with concealed-handgun licenses were sentenced for threatening someone with a firearm 4.8 times more than those without. That statement, from the article is a flat-out lie. The Texas Department of Public Safety tracks and publishes, online, the data.

The statement is not actually a lie, you just didn't read the entire sentence (among Texans convicted of serious crimes...).

In states with Stand Your Ground and other laws making it easier to shoot in self-defense, those policies have been linked to a 7 to 10% increase in homicides. What they are omitting is that there has been an increase in justifiable homicides. IOW more criminals are getting shot while they are committing crimes. I do not consider that to be a bad thing.

Another lie by you. There were two studies about SYG laws, and both found a significant increase in non-justifiable homicide. It might be a good idea to pop your head out of the NRA bubble from time to time.

5. For every time a gun is used in self-defense in the home, there are 7 assaults or murders, 11 suicide attempts, and 4 accidents involving guns in or around a home. That study counts only bodies. It does not count cases in which the burglar flees from the armed resident. I personally know several people who have pointed a gun at a burglar but didn't shoot as he ran away. That has happened to me. But article is not willing to accept those as valid self-defense.

Anecdotal evidence is no substitute for hard statistics. Studies have repeatedly found that a gun in a home increases the risk of death by homicide, suicide or accident, whereas, despite the fact that every gun nut worth his salt will brag about all the criminals that he has scared away with his gun, there is no credible statistical evidence that a gun provides a defensive safety benefit.

6. A Philadelphia study found that the odds of an assault victim being shot were 4.5 times greater if he carried a gun. His odds of being killed were 4.2 times greater. That study does not separate out criminals from the law-abiding. Only people with CCWs can legally carry guns in public in PA. They never state if any of the people shot had CCWs. Guns are not bullet magnets. Bullets don't curve in the air and home in on someone with a gun. So the person with the guns had to be someone whose behavior made them a target. Mostly that would be criminals settling disputes.

Yet another lie. The study explicitly controlled for criminal history, as well as a host of other factors including things like drug and alcohol use. You should try and understand how epidemiological studies work before repeating talking points you found on a gun blog.

7. In 2010, nearly 6 times more women were shot by husbands, boyfriends, and ex-partners than murdered by male strangers. Again they don't separate out the criminals from the law-abiding. It is very dangerous for a woman to have a violent criminal for their signifigant other. Peaceful couples rarely suddenly murder each other. Almost alway they already have a history of violence.

A lot of people are "law-abiding" right up until they break the law. Again, anecdotal evidence and NRA talking points are no substitute for statistical evidence. The fact of the matter is that, despite the crazy right-wing woman testifying in front of congress about protecting her family with an AR-15, a gun in the home is a much greater threat to a woman's safety than a protection.

10. An investigation found 62% of online gun sellers were willing to sell to buyers who said they couldn't pass a background check. All online gun sales have to be shipped to an FFL who must complete all Federal paperwork.

Wrong again. For example, if the buyer and seller arrange to meet in person, no background check is required. The internet has facilitated the exploitation of the private sales loophole.

20% of licensed California gun dealers agreed to sell handguns to researchers posing as illegal "straw" buyers. How is a dealer supposed to know if someone is a straw buyer? All he can do is check ID and call NICS to verify legality.

Good point. Looks like we need stronger gun laws, like for example the gun trafficking statute that many Democrats have been pushing for, or mandatory reporting of lost/stolen guns, or a national firearms registry.