American Journal of Medicine: Higher gun ownership equals higher gun violence

[NYC_SKP]

87. CDC study ordered by Obama. "Ten Surprising Findings From a New Report on Gun Violence"

The study is available here, for free, unlike, for example, the Bogus study: http://www.iom.edu/Reports/2013/Priorities-for-Research-to-Reduce-the-Threat-of-Firearm-Related-Violence.aspx

Slate put together a good read:

Ten Surprising Findings From a New Report on Gun Violence

The gun control debate is certainly worth reopening. But if we’re going to reopen it, let’s not just rethink the politics. Let’s take another look at the facts. Earlier this year, President Obama ordered the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to assess the existing research on gun violence and recommend future studies. That report, prepared by the Institute of Medicine and the National Research Council, is now complete. Its findings won’t entirely please the Obama administration or the NRA, but all of us should consider them.

Here’s a list of the 10 most salient or surprising takeaways.

1. The United States has an indisputable gun violence problem.

2. Most indices of crime and gun violence are getting better, not worse.

3. We have 300 million firearms, but only 100 million are handguns.

4. Handguns are the problem.

5. Mass shootings aren’t the problem.

6. Gun suicide is a bigger killer than gun homicide.

7. Guns are used for self-defense often and effectively.

8. Carrying guns for self-defense is an arms race.

9. Denying guns to people under restraining orders saves lives.

10. It isn’t true that most gun acquisitions by criminals can be blamed on a few bad dealers.

These conclusions don’t line up perfectly with either side’s agenda. That’s a good reason to take them seriously—and to fund additional data collection and research that have been blocked by Congress over politics. Yes, the facts will surprise you. That’s why you should embrace them.

http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/human_nature/2013/06/handguns_suicides_mass_shootings_deaths_and_self_defense_findings_from_a.html

It's time for DU members to have an adult conversation about a range of potential helpful measures that can be taken to reduce gun violence.