A SERIOUS Question for Gun Control Proponents

[NY8123]

If you want another good point of reference for your debate look at this site as well.


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[El Scorcho]

As a matter of fact you are over 9000 times more likely to be killed by a doctor who makes a mistake in America, than someone with a LEGAL gun. Should we ban doctors?? What about cars. There is a much higher chance that you will be killed by a drunk driver than by either guns or doctors. So since some misuse cars and drive cars illegally does that mean all those that use cars correctly have to give up their cars because some use theirs incorrectly??

This is absolutely ridiculous.

Doctors and cars have absolutely vital positions in society. Guns have one purpose. The comparison is ridiculous.

[El Scorcho]

It has had very little impact on the overall totals in Australia, the article that you quoted in your post is flat out wrong information other than the amount of killings over 4 at a time. Facts and Figures for Australian gun related violence and death buy back years bolded:

In Australia, annual homicides by any means total

2010: 217
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2009: 261
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2008: 251
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2007: 216
2006: 256
2005: 199
2004: 164
2003: 278
2002: 291
2001: 300
1999/00: 302
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1998/99: 327
1997/98: 298
1996/97: 299
1995/96: 302
1994/95: 326
1993/94: 323
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1992/93: 331
1991/92: 313
1990/91: 323
1989/90: 307

In Australia, annual firearm homicides total

2010: 30
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2009: 36
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2008: 27
2007: 28
2006: 41
2005: 15
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2004: 15
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2003: 54
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2002: 45
2001: 47
2000: 57
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1999: 50
1998: 57
1997: 79
1996: 104
1995: 67
1994: 76
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1993: 64
1992: 96
1991: 84
1990: 79
1989: 80
1988: 123

In Australia, annual suicides by any means total

2010: 2,359
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2009: 2,284
2008: 2,340
2007: 2,227
2006: 2,118
2005: 2,101
2004: 2,098
2003: 2,213
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2002: 2,320
2001: 2,454
2000: 2,363
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1999: 2,492
1998: 2,683
1997: 2,720
1996: 2,393
1995: 2,368
1994: 2,258
1993: 2,081
1992: 2,294
1991: 2,360
1990: 2,161
1989: 2,096
1988: 2,197

In Australia, annual firearm suicides total

2010: 162
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2009: 169
2008: 183
2007: 190
2006: 181
2005: 147
2004: 167
2003: 193
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2002: 217
2001: 261
2000: 222
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1999: 269
1998: 235
1997: 329
1996: 382
1995: 388
1994: 420
1993: 431
1992: 488
1991: 505
1990: 486
1989: 450
1988: 521



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Ah, statistics without context. The NRA would be proud.

The stats above are absolutely meaningless because there is no way of having a control group. You have nothing to compare the statistics to.

In fact, the statistics show that overall violent crime has steadily decreased over time in the US along with the murder rate. However in Australia the violent crime rate has increased over the past 20-30 years, while the murder rate has continued to fall. Australia became more violent but the murder rate decreased.

The semiautomatic weapons ban and tighter gun control in Australia also coincided with a dramatic increase in drug related gang crime, as well as a slashing of the mental health budget which both would have had an effect on the violent crime rate.


The other important point to consider is that even before gun control, guns were not particularly common in Australia. The (legal, accounted for) ownership rate was far lower than in the US. Less than 1/4. The impact of theoretically removing all semiautomatic weapons from the US would be far, far more pronounced than it was in Australia.

[GoFins!]

Interesting video from the gun control hearings:



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- proposed assault weapons ban is an ineffective piece of legislation
- fully automatic machine guns are already functionally illegal
- according to DOJ (under Janet Reno/Bill Clinton) the previous assault weapons ban did not reduce the number of victims per incident or multiple gun shot wound victims
- proposed legislation based on cosmetic features (scary looking guns), NOT performance features, functionality, power, lethality.
- according the the DOJ, before background checks went into effect 1.9% of firearms used in crimes were obtained at gun shows

[NY8123]

Ah, statistics without context. The NRA would be proud.

The stats above are absolutely meaningless because there is no way of having a control group. You have nothing to compare the statistics to.

In fact, the statistics show that overall violent crime has steadily decreased over time in the US along with the murder rate. However in Australia the violent crime rate has increased over the past 20-30 years, while the murder rate has continued to fall. Australia became more violent but the murder rate decreased.

The semiautomatic weapons ban and tighter gun control in Australia also coincided with a dramatic increase in drug related gang crime, as well as a slashing of the mental health budget which both would have had an effect on the violent crime rate.


The other important point to consider is that even before gun control, guns were not particularly common in Australia. The (legal, accounted for) ownership rate was far lower than in the US. Less than 1/4. The impact of theoretically removing all semiautomatic weapons from the US would be far, far more pronounced than it was in Australia.

Not really dude the context is right there for the taking. Stats are what you make them and to pretend that the NRA is the only group using stats as propaganda to further their cause is as shortsighted as saying "but there is really no good reason for an everyday citizen of a 1st world country to carry a gun or keep a gun in their home." You say there is no control to compare to but the control is in the past data that has been collected, you bench mark what you had verse what you have now. Ten years is more than enough time in a chunk to have a statistically valid control group, in fact you could make the case that five years is more than enough.

You typed it right out in your post, the buying back of guns in Australia did nothing to curtail drug related violence or crime rate. It also did nothing for the suicide rate, people killed themselves all the same. So again what it is the purpose behind the ban? Is that you just don't agree with the second amendment or is that you truly think it is going to help? It will not help in the overall totals, just like the Harrison Act did nothing but create a market for criminals to profit from illegal drugs.

If you want to know everything about the relevance of the Australian buy back and correlation to guns read this paper from page to page, as I did:
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It shows a strong correlation that the buy back lowered gun deaths but the error bars are also large. It also cannot explain away the suicide substitution rate, it gives a theory to support the notion that the suicide substitution rate is related to a proposed change in reporting practices but the paper found no reason that the practices were changed so it is merely speculation. The problem with Australia is the fact the rates are low anyway providing little certainly that the NFA worked, as I said there is a R2 value that the correlation is strong for deaths and suicides being lower when correlated with the buy back and suggests that it helped, the range of error in those findings extended from zero to above the national averages for deaths per 100,000 so the suggestion is questionable because of the overall low numbers of deaths by these means in Australia anyway. However the suicide substitution rate was over 100% which implied a rise in suicides which was unexplainable by the study. There was also a little blurb in there about the type of guns that were handed in and they were mostly .22 caliber and shotguns which are not being discussed here in the US or on the Australian ban list. There is also evidence to suggest that the gun related deaths were falling before the NFA so while there is a reason of confidence that the NFA worked there is also holes in the study. Which leads me to my original statement of whether it worked as intended or not or if the overall trend was already there to begin with and the NFA came in the middle of a downward trending cycle.

I own guns and I always will own guns, my son owns a gun, my dad does and so does almost every single person that I know. It is a right granted by the constitution of the Untied States of America and I cherish those rights. If you have cause to support your actions are for the greater good, so be it but if you pass laws to make yourself feel good while not addressing the fundamental problem of the US which is the civility and social respect we show each other than it is as fruitless as drinking water from the back of the glass.

[MoFinz]

This is absolutely ridiculous.

Doctors and cars have absolutely vital positions in society. Guns have one purpose. The comparison is ridiculous.

Guns have multiple purposes, among them Protection and Defense. I'd say they are pretty vital.

Have you figured out how to disarm bad guys yet?

[MoFinz]

A School shooting...a 5 yr old taken hostage.....how would disarming Joe Citizen have stopped these crimes? Seriously, how many laws were already broken in the commission of these crimes?