...and anyone else that is a proponent of gun control:

This is from the CATO Institute...

May 12, 2000 Gun Control: Myths and Realities by David Lampo

David Lampo is the publications director at the Cato Institute. The number of well-publicized public shootings during the past few years, especially the tragedy at Columbine High School, has re-energized the gun control movement. As a show of strength, a coalition of gun control groups has organized a "Million Mom March" to be held in Washington, D.C. on Mother's Day, an event designed to stir up emotions rather than promote rational thought. And when one looks at the facts about gun control, it's easy to see why the anti-gun lobby relies on emotion rather than logic to make its case.

Think you know the facts about gun control? If your only source of information is the mainstream media, what you think you know may not be correct. Take the quiz below and test your knowledge.

1. Thousands of children die annually in gun accidents.

False. Gun accidents involving children are actually at record lows, although you wouldn't know it from listening to the mainstream media. In 1997, the last year for which data are available, only 142 children under 15 years of age died in gun accidents, and the total number of gun-related deaths for this age group was 642. More children die each year in accidents involving bikes, space heaters or drownings. The often repeated claim that 12 children per day die from gun violence includes "children" up to 20 years of age, the great majority of whom are young adult males who die in gang-related violence.

2. Gun shows are responsible for a large number of firearms falling into the hands of criminals.

False. Contrary to President Clinton's claims, there is no "gun show loophole." All commercial arms dealers at gun shows must run background checks, and the only people exempt from them are the small number of non-commercial sellers. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, at most 2 percent of guns used by criminals are purchased at gun shows, and most of those were purchased legally by people who passed background checks.

3. The tragedy at Columbine High School a year ago illustrates the deficiencies of current gun control laws.

False. Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold violated close to 20 firearms laws in amassing their cache of weapons (not to mention the law against murder), so it seems rather dubious to argue that additional laws might have prevented this tragedy. The two shotguns and rifle used by Harris and Klebold were purchased by a girlfriend who would have passed a background check, and the TEC-9 handgun used by them was already illegal.

4. States that allow registered citizens to carry concealed weapons have lower crime rates than those that don't.

True. The 31 states that have "shall issue" laws allowing private citizens to carry concealed weapons have, on average, a 24 percent lower violent crime rate, a 19 percent lower murder rate and a 39 percent lower robbery rate than states that forbid concealed weapons. In fact, the nine states with the lowest violent crime rates are all right-to-carry states. Remarkably, guns are used for self-defense more than 2 million times a year, three to five times the estimated number of violent crimes committed with guns.

5. Waiting periods lower crime rates.

False. Numerous studies have been conducted on the effects of waiting periods, both before and after the federal Brady bill was passed in 1993. Those studies consistently show that there is no correlation between waiting periods and murder or robbery rates. Florida State University professor Gary Kleck analyzed data from every U.S. city with a population over 100,000 and found that waiting periods had no statistically significant effect. Even University of Maryland anti-gun researcher David McDowell found that "waiting periods have no influence on either gun homicides or gun suicides."

6. Lower murder rates in foreign countries prove that gun control works.

False. This is one of the favorite arguments of gun control proponents, and yet the facts show that there is simply no correlation between gun control laws and murder or suicide rates across a wide spectrum of nations and cultures. In Israel and Switzerland, for example, a license to possess guns is available on demand to every law-abiding adult, and guns are easily obtainable in both nations. Both countries also allow widespread carrying of concealed firearms, and yet, admits Dr. Arthur Kellerman, one of the foremost medical advocates of gun control, Switzerland and Israel "have rates of homicide that are low despite rates of home firearm ownership that are at least as high as those in the United States." A comparison of crime rates within Europe reveals no correlation between access to guns and crime.

The basic premise of the gun control movement, that easy access to guns causes higher crime, is contradicted by the facts, by history and by reason. Let's hope more people are catching on.

© 2000 The Cato Institute

typin' with paws...

The Dog

-- The Dog (dogdesert@hotmail.com), January 26, 2001

Answers

"only 142 children under 15 years of age died in gun accidents, and the total number of gun-related deaths for this age group was 642."

That is 642 devastated families. I am not on this thread to argue gun control, but I do not like to see things like this minimized. Have you faced the preventable death of a child? The pain of these deaths lasts forever, and the suffering is real.

I did not want this to be glossed over and posited as some kind of "good thing" as a counterargument to things like chil safety locks.

-- FutureShock (gray@matter.think), January 26, 2001.

For me? I have owned guns, and will when I feel the need. I almost bought one for Y2K, but the 6 months before the rollover made me realize there would be no need for one. I don't think there is any logical reason for anyone in the United States to won an assault weapon, and selling guns without background checks at gun shows is wrong because your friendly neighborhood rapist and disfunctional teenager are the ones who gets their hands on them that way.

People around here assume a lot about me and my beliefs.

-- Cherri (jessam5@home.com), January 27, 2001.

Cherri, really. How many rapists even use guns, let alone "assault weapons"? And how many of the evil "assault weapons" are ever even used in crimes? I don't have the numbers handy but they are astonishingly small.

-- Shootist (the.Second.Amendment@was.put.there.for.a.reason), January 27, 2001.

Cherri,

Most states have laws preventing teenagers owning guns. Some allow them to use them either supervised or otherwise with a parent's permission. The parent would be responsible in this case for the child's action. Have you ever been to a gun show? It's unlikely that any teenager would be able to purchase a weapon at one. Most sellers are responsible adults in spite of what Feinstein, Schumer, and their dupes think.

-- Gun Show Sho-gun (GS@laws.don't.stop.bad.guys), January 27, 2001.

what about cross bows------silent death! is they ok. huh huh?

-- al-d (dogs@zianet.com), January 27, 2001.

Cherri, you didn't read the above post on the results of the survey. All commercial retailers at All gun shows run background checks before a sale. And why would you only buy a gun for an occasion like Y2K? I can think of at least 11 more reasons to own a firearm for defense purposes that occurr far more often than a Y2K like circumstance. And as far as an assault weapon, are you going to try to deny me or anyone else the chance to purchase and own weapons such as the Garand M1 rifle, M1 carbine, SKS, mini 14 and others just because they are semi-automatic? Many of us around this country use these weapons year round for hunting. We don't have full automatic capability weapons or machine guns, we don't need them, and we don't want them, and they are NOT LEGAL ANYWAY. I think every school should have at least two responsible teachers that are armed and know how to handle themselves. Give that a little thought! And I also believe the more citizens that are licensed to legally carry the better. If I'm in Mc'Donalds and some crazy fucker pulls an Uzi out and starts blastin away at the innocent customers you can damn well betch ya I'm not going to wait tell he comes to my table and tells me to kiss my ass goodbye!

-- Boswell (fundown@thefarm.net), January 27, 2001.

American pop culture depicts the gun as a murder weapon of choice, but I have my doubts....loud, messy, traceable, easily turned against you etc. Guns; however, can be convenient and the Excited States really does value convenience... perhaps to the point of sloth.

-- Will (righthere@home.now), January 27, 2001.