Random Gun Control/Crime Rate info

Massive social-science research shows the ineffectiveness of gun control in reducing crime. It is a source of continuous amazement for me that gun control advocates ignore the results of criminological, historical and econometric studies by reputed scholars like (among others) John Lott, Bill Landes, Gary Kleck, James Wright, Peter Rossi, Taylor Buckner, David Kopel, Don Kates, Gary Mauser, Colin Greenwood, and Joyce Malcolm – all of which show increase in gun-related crime that is directly proportional to the effectiveness of measures to relieve law-abiding citizens of their guns (the more guns that are taken from law-abiding citizens, the more gun related crime increases). This backs up the old sayings, “If guns are outlawed then only outlaws will have guns," and, “Criminals prefer unarmed victims".

A couple of people here have asked in another thread for starting point to do research along these lines. Over many years I've collected statistics and points from a multitude of sources. The information and documentation overwhelmingly shows that the more effective gun control measures are in a given area, the more gun-related and violent crime rises. At present all of the information I've collected is scattered about a remote server among a massive pile of other documents. I wanted to post more here, but I need to do some serious organization of documents. Here is some seed info to get you guys started. I'll post more (in chunks) as I find and organize my information. I'm having to search through almost two terrabytes of remote data, collected over a period of many years. This thread will give me a good excuse to stop procrastinating on organizing my material, at least the gun-related part of it. :-)


Assault-Type Gun Info:

Ninety-eight percent of serious crimes do not involve firearms. Thus, a complete weapons ban could at best address only 2 percent of the problem. Statistically, more kids get killed playing little league baseball than from assault weapons.


Florida State University criminology professor Gary Kleck estimates that less than 0.5 percent of all violent crimes involve assault weapons.


In 1993, there were over 940 homicides in Chicago. More than 30 percent were police shootings, another 30 percent were suicides, and not one homicide involved the use of a semiautomatic rifle. Further, over one hundred homicides were committed with the use of duct tape and hose, i.e. strangulation.


Of all weapons confiscated by law enforcement in this Nation, only 4 percent were assault weapons. Of that 4 percent, 87 percent were confiscated in searches, not used in the commission of any crime.


New Jersey: 1967-1989--violent crime has increased 223 percent. The Attorney General's office reports, “There is not a really high percentage of crimes committed with assault weapons." Only 1 percent of any kind of rifle was used in homicides from 1987-1992, compared to knives (28 percent), and feet (11 percent). This tells us that it is not the configuration of the weapon which makes it an assault weapon, but the intent of the assailant wielding it.


Massachusetts: 1967-89--violent crime has increased 429%. From 1986-91, only 0.5% of homicides involved are “assault" rifles.


Connecticut: 1967-89--violent crime has increased 434 percent. Connecticut law enforcement reports no assault weapons homicides through 1991. And of the 11,000 weapons seized by police between 1988 and 1992, only 1.8 percent were assault weapons.


In April 1982, Kennesaw, Georgia, enacted a law requiring every household to own a firearm, with the exception of criminals and those with religious objections. In only 10 months, residential burglary dropped an astounding 89 percent. In 1991, not one murder occurred in this suburb of Atlanta. In contrast, the District of Columbia had one of the most restrictive gun bans, making it virtually impossible for law-abiding citizens to own guns. From 1975 to 1991, Washington, DC's murder rate rose 314 percent while the rest of the Nation experienced a 2-percent decline.


Statistically, gun-related murder is mostly one criminal killing another. 85% of those who commit murders with guns have past arrest records and 61% of the victims have past arrest records as well.


National Disarmament in History:

China established gun control in 1935.

- From 1948 to 1952, 20 million political dissidents, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated.


Germany established gun control in 1938.

- From 1939 to 1945, 13 million Jews, gypsies, homosexuals, the mentally ill, and others, who were unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated.


Guatemala established gun control in 1964.

- From 1964 to 1981, 100,000 Mayan Indians, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated.


Uganda established gun control in 1970.

- From 1971 to 1979, 300,000 Christians, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated.


Cambodia established gun control in 1956.

- From 1975 to 1977, one million "educated" people, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated.


National Gun Control Notations

Since Canada's C-68 gun control measure took effect in 1998, gun-related homicide has dropped 38% in the U.S. while rising 3% in Canada.


In the U. K., after the introduction of tougher gun control and a prohibition of handguns in 1997, as well as the general repression of self-defense (victims who defend themselves against violent criminals often get more severe sentences than their aggressors), violent crimes have shot up. To control exploding crime, the British government is resorting to police-state surveillance and control measures


In a thorough econometric study, John Lott and Bill Landes estimate that, from 1977 to 1999 in the U.S., deaths and injuries from multiple-victim public shootings fell on average by 78 percent when state governments decriminalized concealed carry of handguns.


The International Crime Victims Survey, conducted by Leiden University in Holland, found that England and Wales ranked second overall in violent crime among industrialized nations after their establishment of gun control. Another related study cites that twenty-six percent of English citizens -- roughly one-quarter of the population -- have been victimized by violent crime, compared to 9% before gun control measures took effect. Australia led the list with more than 30 percent of its population victimized by violent crime, compared to 11% before their gun ban. The United States didn't even make the "top 10" list of industrialized nations whose citizens were victimized by violent crime.


In March 2000, WorldNetDaily reported that since Australia's widespread gun ban, violent crime had increased in the country. WND reported that, although lawmakers responsible for passing the ban promised a safer country, the nation's crime statistics tell a different story. Countrywide, homicides are up 3.2 percent. Assaults are up 8.6 percent. Armed robberies have climbed nearly 45 percent. In the Australian state of Victoria, gun homicides have climbed 300 percent. In the 25 years before the gun bans, crime in Australia had been dropping steadily. There has been a reported "dramatic increase" in home burglaries and assaults on the elderly.


More to come... I'll expand the points in the above sections and also create new sections as time permits (but will be scarce over the next week or so).