Myths and Facts About Gun Violence in America

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14. Let's take a closer look at those myths and rebuttals.

From your link:

Myth: There is decreasing public support for policy solutions to curb gun violence.

Fact: The majority of Americans support common-sense measures to prevent gun violence. For example, 86% of Americans support a measure requiring all gun buyers to pass a criminal background check, while 63% of Americans support a measure banning military-style assault weapons. In fact, even 74% of NRA members and 87% of non-NRA gun owners support requiring criminal background checks of anyone purchasing a gun. While public opinion polling by Gallup has shown decreasing support for "stricter gun laws," other polls show that Americans overwhelmingly support specific gun policy solutions.

The NRA does not oppose background checks. In fact the NRA helped design the NICS system and the legislation. Intrastate private sales are not in the perview of the federal government and is a state issue. Private sellers can't use the NICS system due to privacy issues.

Myth: All we need to do is enforce the laws already on the books.

Fact: Gun enforcement is critical, and law enforcement agrees. But even law enforcement believes that enforcement, without stronger laws, is not enough. The guns and ammunition used by the suspect in the Aurora shooting were all legally purchased under current law – including a military-style assault weapon and 6,000 rounds of ammunition. That’s because existing gun laws are riddled with loopholes and gaps. For example, a 1994 law that banned the sale of military-style assault rifles was allowed to expire in 2004.

The 1994 AWB did not ban assault weapons. It merely banned some minor cosmetic features on some guns. That the Batman killer had 6,000 rounds of ammo is irrelevant. He fired only about 100. The other 5,900 did nothing.

Myth: Guns don’t kill people – people kill people.

Fact: The Harvard Injury Control Research Center has accumulated a considerable body of evidence about the relationship between gun availability and gun violence, concluding that more guns means more gun murders and more gun suicides.

In the past ten year about 100 million new guns have been sold, yet the murder rate continues to drop.

Myth: America’s gun laws don’t work.

Fact: There is plenty of research that demonstrates the effectiveness of a wide range of gun laws, including laws restricting access to guns by domestic violence perpetrators, laws regulating the oversight of gun dealers, and laws regulating gun permits.

That depends upon which laws are being discussed. Some laws work, some don't.

Myth: Gun ownership is on the rise and guns are everywhere.

Fact: Actually, gun ownership is significantly in decline in America, according to the General Social Survey, one of the leading sources of data in social science research. A vast majority of the American public do not own firearms.

Other Duers have previously posted other studies that show gun ownership to be rising.

Myth: If a member of the audience during the Aurora shooting were armed, tragedy could have been prevented.

Fact: There is no credible evidence that the carrying of hidden, loaded weapons decreases crime.

The Joyce Foundation is trying to dodge the question. The "myth" is not about the effect of CCW on crime, but on whether or not an armed citien might have been able to stop the carnage. There have been several mass shootings that have been stopped by armed citizens, and there have been crimes that have been stopped by armed citizens. There is a current thread about an old guy that helped the police in a shoot-out with a murderer. The old geezer (I can use that word. I am a geezer myself.) hit the bad guy five shots out of five at 165 yards with a handgun.