Crime

Will Banning Guns Stop Homicides? Stats from England and Australia Show…

The debate on gun control is only gaining momentum. On Thursday, Senator Diane Feinstein outlined her plans to introduce sweeping legislation that includes fingerprinting and registration of all those who currently own so-called semi-automatic “assault” weapons.

Those in favor of a total ban on firearms often point to countries like England and Australia where firearms are banned or virtually impossible to possess. A look into the statistics might offer some clarity, though, about how safe such a move actually makes a country.

Let’s start at home. From 2009 to 2011, homicides overall declined slightly according to a 2011 Centers for Disease Control (CDC) report, with a corresponding drop in homicides by firearms.

In fact, the report says homicide is not among the top 15 leading causes of death in America. (As recently as 2009, the CDC reported that homicide was in the top 15 at #15.) Instead:

  • Accidents (unintentional deaths) were #5 and Suicide (intentional harm) has held solid as the 10th leading cause of death for several years.
  • The stats from 2009 show that homicides totaled 16,799, with 11,493 of those attributed to guns.
  • During that same year, motor vehicle deaths were nearly triple that of gun-related deaths — 34,485 vs. 11,493.
  • Death from accidental falls totaled 24,792, almost double the firearms homicide total.

The stats for gun deaths have actually shown some significant declines in the past two decades.

Homicide and Gun Statistics from England and Australia Show Banning Guns Doesnt Work

Image: National Institute of Justice

Looking at the above graph, it is worth noting that deaths caused by “other guns” has been relatively flat since 1985. The assault weapons ban was in place from 1994-2004.

And what about the argument most often made by the Left quoting the success of oppressive gun laws in countries like Australia and England? A recent opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal by Joyce Lee Malcolm shows that argument to be hollow: “After a school massacre, the U.K. banned handguns in 1998. A decade later, handgun crime has doubled.”

Malcom’s article details what happened after Australia banned many guns following a 1996 mass murder of 35 people by a madman with assault rifles. The country tightened registration laws, banned assault rifles, pump-action shotguns, and also forced a buy back of more than 600,000 guns. What effect did this have on crime?

“A 2003 study published by the Brookings Institution, found homicides “continued a modest decline” since 1997. They concluded that the impact of the National Firearms Agreement was “relatively small,” with the daily rate of firearms homicides declining 3.2%.”

During the same period in America, deaths attributed to firearms dropped by nearly ten times the decline seen in Australia. Restricting or confiscating handguns seems to have had almost no effect on homicides in Australia and the stats also show that the law had no real effect on suicides.

“Suicides with firearms went down but suicides by other means went up,” Malcom notes.

And what about the oft-cited British gun laws? Have they done the job?

Restrictive gun laws have been around for almost 100 years in England, and Malcolm reports that getting a permit requires proving to police that you have a “good reason” for needing a gun. Self defense is not considered to be a good reason in England. Following a 1987 shooting in the British town of Hungerford, the Brits enacted stricter controls. And in 1998, a near-total ban on gun ownership followed another mass shooting. Were these moves a success?

Within a decade of the handgun ban and the confiscation of handguns from registered owners, crime with handguns had doubled according to British government crime reports. Gun crime, not a serious problem in the past, now is. Armed street gangs have some British police carrying guns for the first time.

There is little doubt that the Senate will soon put forth new legislation regarding gun ownership, especially as it relates to so-called assault weapons. However, those making the argument that banning guns has worked in places like Australia and England might be advised to check the statistics or risk looking foolish if they encounter someone armed with the facts.

(H/T: Weasel Zippers)

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Comments (270)

  • IMCHRISTIAN
    Posted on December 28, 2012 at 10:50am

    How about stopping all illegal drugs which has not been done. How much damage has done to the souls and bodies of the people who took or are taking illegal drugs. How about illegal entry into the country, So many things that should be stopped but so far has been impossible and more laws don’t seem to help. How about instead lets start with kids as soon as possible and raise and tell them the difference between good and evil morals and ethics.

    Report this comment

    IMCHRISTIAN  
    • Tigress1
      Posted on December 28, 2012 at 11:09am

      Good point. Another factor that is not even being mentioned is the fact that our population has grown. The more people there are the more crime there will be, the more cases of mental illness, etc.
      We either need to get used to the crime, or start raising a more moral and ethical population and get better treatment for the mentally ill. We are an utter failure in this aspect. All the laws in the world won’t stop people who have no respect for the law or are too ill to care about it.

      Report this comment

      Tigress1  
    • DadRocked
      Posted on December 28, 2012 at 11:19am

      http://gunowners.org/fs0404.htm
      Myth: Recent gun control laws have reduced the U.S. murder rate.
      1. Murder rate was already decreasing before Brady and semi-auto gun ban passed. Those who claim that the two gun control laws enacted in 1994 have reduced the murder rate ignore the fact that the U.S. murder rate has been decreasing from the high it reached in 1991.(172) Thus, the murder rate had already begun decreasing two to three years before the Brady law and the semi-auto gun ban became law.

      2. Murder rate decrease results from fewer violent youths. The Democratic Judiciary Committee noted in 1991 that, “An analysis of the murder tolls since 1960 offers compelling evidence of the link—the significant rise of murder in the late 1960′s, and the slight decrease in murder in the early 1980′s follows from an unusually large number of 18-24 year-olds in the general population. This age group is the most violent one, as well as the group most likely to be victimized—and the murder figures ebb and flow with their ranks.”(173) (Emphasis added.)

      3. According to the Clinton Justice Department, crime has decreased even while the number of guns increased. The Bureau of Justice Statistics, the research arm of the Justice Department, reported in 2000 that while the number of firearms in circulation rose nearly 10% during a recent five-year period, gun-related deaths and woundings dropped(174) 33%.

      4. Concealed carry laws have dropped murder and crime rates in the states

      Report this comment

      DadRocked  
    • DadRocked
      Posted on December 28, 2012 at 11:36am

      -cont’d-
      4. Concealed carry laws have dropped murder and crime rates in the states that have enacted them. According to a comprehensive study which studied crime statistics in all of the counties in the United States from 1977 to 1992, states which passed concealed carry laws reduced their murder rate by 8.5%, rapes by 5%, aggravated assaults by 7% and robbery by 3%.(175)

      Report this comment

      DadRocked  
    • naughtycal
      Posted on December 28, 2012 at 11:47am

      http://colorofcrime.com/colorofcrime2005.pdf

      Report this comment

      naughtycal  
    • MarineCorpsVet
      Posted on December 28, 2012 at 11:53am

      What is even more pertinent is that in ALL the mass shootings the shooters have been on some type of PRESCRIPTION drug. Most often an anti-depressant. Don’t worry that much about the illegal drugs. it’s the legal ones we need to watch out for..

      Report this comment

      MarineCorpsVet  
    • MONICNE
      Posted on December 28, 2012 at 12:10pm

      Who are we to understand the Australians? They are decades behind US civilization, and have an actual penchant for the Ugly American myth, which somehow makes them a bit less miserable and a little less jealous of American success. Size does matter to them.

      Shake the hand of the next Uniformed-services member you meet.

      Report this comment

      MONICNE  
    • Female
      Posted on December 28, 2012 at 12:33pm

      Send the anti-gun people to spend the night unarmed w/no security to certain neighborhoods where shootings occur or to camp out on the drug and human traffic routes from Mexico. And see how safe they feel.

      As they sign these restrictions, they and all their security personnel must turn in their weapons.

      Yes, take away all security personnel from their buildings, homes, public appearances, etc., as soon as they ban guns for innocent American citizens.

      Report this comment

      Female  
    • KKC003
      Posted on December 28, 2012 at 12:33pm

      You are right on.
      Illegal drugs outlawed did not stop them from being made, distributed, used and imported as well as profiting (tell that to ows, they should picket the profit of illegal drugs and the harm they do!)
      Prohibition did not stop alcohol, the reason why alcohol became legal again is so govt could tax it!
      and Ignorance, if we outlawed ignorance/hate and evil, people would still run for office from local to white house and we would still have bad laws.
      banning, does not work, never did. If people knew history and followed the laws of honesty, common sense and faith, our world would be much better. Again, this starts at home with parenting.

      Report this comment

      KKC003  
    • tankyjo
      Posted on December 28, 2012 at 1:38pm

      Yeah, and assault weapons like assault lamp cords, assault bats, assault tuna sandwiches. What the h3ll about assault public education too?

      Report this comment

      tankyjo  
    • Jim S
      Posted on December 28, 2012 at 1:40pm

      Ok quick..who didn’t kill anyone today ?..rob a bank?…shoot heroin?…ok, now did you NOT do them because of a law or because it would be wrong…not because God might punish you, but it’s wrong ?…that’s is why there is a problem…

      Report this comment

      Jim S  
    • PR-WY
      Posted on December 28, 2012 at 1:42pm

      Getting people back to a moral code that is easy to understand and based upon personal responsibility (religious based) will not likely happen. This is because people think that ‘religion’ is ‘oppressive’. We are seeing government being pressed into legislating ‘morality’ as a consequence. Well, if you thought ‘religion’ was oppressive, you haven’t seen anything like the oppression the moral legislation is toward people. The legislated ‘morality’ will be so extremely oppressive and hideous to most people that it will ruin entire societies. Look at California, they have more rules to abide by and more attempts at legislating common sense and morality that you can be violating some law just walking down the street. It is and will be impossible to know every law made by every state, federal and municipality such that anyone can be hauled in for breaking some law or another at any time in the course of their day. This is oppression that we do not need, nor will help us at all. Thank the ‘progressives’ for the ‘progress’, progress toward more oppression.

      Report this comment

      PR-WY  
    • 83plus
      Posted on December 28, 2012 at 1:54pm

      Strict gun control didn’t work very well in Norway, a person got a hold of a firearm there and shot over 80 people with it. If just one of the victims had a gun the shooter would’ve been stopped a lot sooner.

      Criminals and people who want to pull off mass shootings could still find a way to get a firearm, it’s already happened.

      Report this comment

      83plus  
    • mlgunner
      Posted on December 28, 2012 at 1:57pm

      Probably the best way to stop the illegal drug trade is to legalize it. All that the laws against drug use and possession have done is to create a gold mine for criminals and increase drug use to epic proportions. I know and I agree with the MORAL argument, but there is a reason that the 18th amendment had to exist in order to make alcohol illegal. Its because there is no constitutional argument for making the possession of a substance or the use of a drug illegal, and all federal laws regarding drugs, alcohol, and guns are unconstitutional. The nannie argument for making drugs illegal is the same as the one for making drugs illegal.

      Report this comment

      mlgunner  
    • Pickles327
      Posted on December 28, 2012 at 2:05pm

      @MarineCorpsVet Amen !

      Eric Harris age 17 (first on Zoloft then Luvox) and Dylan Klebold aged
      18 (Colombine school shooting in Littleton, Colorado), killed 12
      students and 1 teacher, and wounded 23 others, before killing
      themselves. Klebold’s medical records have never been made available
      to the public.

      Jeff Weise, age 16, had been prescribed 60 mg/day of Prozac (three
      times the average starting dose for adults!) when he shot his
      grandfather, his grandfather’s girlfriend and many fellow students at
      Red Lake, Minnesota. He then shot himself. 10 dead, 12 wounded.

      Cory Baadsgaard, age 16, Wahluke (Washington state) High School, was
      on Paxil (which caused him to have hallucinations) when he took a
      rifle to his high school and held 23 classmates hostage. He has no
      memory of the event.

      Chris Fetters, age 13, killed his favorite aunt while taking Prozac.

      Christopher Pittman, age 12, murdered both his grandparents while taking Zoloft.

      Mathew Miller, age 13, hung himself in his bedroom closet after taking
      Zoloft for 6 days.

      Jarred Viktor, age 15, stabbed his grandmother 61 times after 5 days on Paxil.

      Kip Kinkel, age 15, (on Prozac and Ritalin) shot his parents while
      they slept then went to school and opened fire killing 2 classmates
      and injuring 22 shortly after beginning Prozac treatment.

      Luke Woodham, age 16 (Prozac) killed his mother and then killed two
      students, wounding six others.

      A boy in Pocatello, ID (Zoloft) in 1998 had a Zolo

      Report this comment

      Pickles327  
    • Walkabout
      Posted on December 28, 2012 at 2:26pm

      MONICNE
      Who are we to understand the Australians?
      ***
      Gosh Monicne. Judging from your posts not even sociologists can understand Australians. They are so alien.

      Report this comment

      Walkabout  
    • WarMunger_Al
      Posted on December 28, 2012 at 2:33pm

      Problem is, liberals don’t care about the facts. They don’t think, they only care how they feel. Liberals are all traitors.

      Report this comment

      WarMunger_Al  
    • rawmilker
      Posted on December 28, 2012 at 3:20pm

      Diane Feinsteen is an evil authoritarian ghoul. Her and the other 534 are drunk on power. TERM LIMITS, TERM LIMITS, TERM LIMITS!

      Report this comment

      rawmilker  
    • rangerskippy
      Posted on December 28, 2012 at 3:35pm

      the progressives ignore the facts in England, just as they do here, all in an effort to push their agenda.

      In London, 12% of the population is black (just like here). In London, blacks commit half of the violent crimes, to include knife and gun crimes.

      Folks keep it hush hush, because they are afraid of violating the rules of political correctness.

      Until we ID the problem, we will not solve it.

      Report this comment

      rangerskippy  
    • Walkabout
      Posted on December 28, 2012 at 3:54pm

      83plus

      He also set up a dummy corporation to obtain fertilizer for a fertilizer car bomb. He killed 8 that way. If he had not been able to obtain a gun I think we would have made more bombs killed more people that way. He would have looked for a large crowd for at least one of the bombs.

      Report this comment

      Walkabout  
    • Keatonc33
      Posted on December 28, 2012 at 5:21pm

      Hey drugs don’t kill people! people on drugs are the ones who suffer! don’t blame the tool blame the person! come on conservatives keep to your principles! don’t be total hypocrites!

      Report this comment

      Keatonc33  
    • mikem1969
      Posted on December 28, 2012 at 5:35pm

      Let’s ban all CRIMINALS. Oh, wait, they don’t listen to ANY LAW ANY WAY.

      Report this comment

      mikem1969  
    • ENCIINOM
      Posted on December 28, 2012 at 5:47pm

      Rager Dan

      Open a book pleese. Your stats on England are propaganda. Why don’t you look in this country for examples. Two decades ago texas banned all firearms and crime dropped over 200%. Since undoing that ban they now lead the nation in gun related injuries/death.

      Report this comment

      ENCIINOM  
    • 83plus
      Posted on December 28, 2012 at 5:57pm

      @walkabout

      I only heard about the one shooting I never heard about the bombing. That’s the other thing, if these people don’t use guns they’ll use something else, they can’t get guns in China so they use knives instead.

      Report this comment

      83plus  
    • mycomet123
      Posted on December 28, 2012 at 5:59pm

      How about stopping illegal drugs? Only problem with that is alot of drug addicts are using prescription narcotics, which are being prescribed by any Tom,Dick or Harry M.D. Prescription narcotic addiction has skyrocketted in this country. It also seems like more than half this country is on antidepressants or antianxiety medications. Several years ago I was informed of the “pharm” parties that teenagers were having where they would each bring some prescription meds ( didn’t matter what kind of meds like– painkillers, hypertension meds, etc.) throw all the meds into a bowl & everyone at the “pharm party” would take a handful & see why kind of “feeling” they would get. Also was informed of alcohol soaked tampoons girls were using. No End of Stupidity!

      Report this comment

      mycomet123  
    • Wolfgang the Gray
      Posted on December 28, 2012 at 6:46pm

      The biggest problem which unfortunately is insurmountable is that the left doesn’t care what the facts show, they will not accept a rational debate that doesn’t match their beliefs. You can take every report in the world that proves banning guns doesn’t fix the problem & they will throw that in the garbage & say we are wrong.

      Feinstein is trying to take us down a very dark road & the only thing we currently have to stop it peacefully is the GOP in the House. If the left had a supermajority like they had in 2009-2010, her bill would go through like a rocket. I now fear that BHO will try some executive order run-around-the-Constitution tactic & try to get this regulated as a health issue or something.

      It seems that many people are too lazy to think or don’t want to think about their freedoms they are giving up with this. This pattern has been followed before & if we do the same, the results will also copy history. Regulation, Registration, Confiscation, Re-education, Extermination. Is this the way we want the United States of America to end?

      OH, be sure to check out the article today where Obama just signed an executive order giving Biden, Congress, & federal workers all a pay raise. Louis the 16th alive & well in the White House.

      Report this comment

      Wolfgang the Gray  
    • Al J Zira
      Posted on December 28, 2012 at 6:49pm

      Encinom: Of course an increase in gun deaths in Texas could have nothing to do with drug cartels crossing the border and killing innocent Americans. Right?

      Report this comment

      Al J Zira  
    • rangerskippy
      Posted on December 28, 2012 at 7:46pm

      ENCINOM

      Haa Haaaa. You had to get a new screen name, after the blaze booted you for your stupid and hateful comments.

      Texas never outlawed guns., Were do you come up with these lies.

      Go check the FBI crime stats and the Uniform Crime Reports. Black Americans do half of this nation’s murders, and they are just over 10% of the population/

      For us that actually went to college and took research methods or statistics, we would calll this statistically significant.

      It is what is throwing out murder stats all out of whack. If blacks killed at the same rate as whites, our murder per capita rate would drop by just about 40%

      That is a huge drop.

      You might also be interested in knowing that our murder and violent crime is intrinsically tied to our welfare population. Democrat programs not only do not work, they breed violence.

      Keep it real, and if you start flapping your jaws too much, I will see to it that you have to get even another screen name, like I did this last time.

      Report this comment

      rangerskippy  
    • ChiefGeorge
      Posted on December 28, 2012 at 8:35pm

      The real reason that the murder rate started dropping in the early 90s was due in case to the abortions in the poorer communities beginning in the 60s. Those children would have been teens and 20 somethings by the early 90s thus a significant drop in violence.

      Report this comment

      ChiefGeorge  
    • Kregneva
      Posted on December 28, 2012 at 9:35pm

      Seems like Walkabout might understand a “little too much” about life in the land down under. Hey, cobba, where do you reside, mate? Are you a tried & true American Voter from Wilkes-Barre? Can you even pronounce Wilkes-Barre? Or, are you a platy-Poser from Sydney’s naked topless beaches trying to avoid facing off a Lebs Muslim invader team, but too pussified to actually do anything meaningful? LOL

      Report this comment

      Kregneva  
    • Walkabout
      Posted on December 28, 2012 at 9:45pm

      83plus

      Exactly what you said. If they do not have something because it is banned they will find something else.

      Report this comment

      Walkabout  
    • TheCalmOne
      Posted on December 28, 2012 at 10:57pm

      @MONICNE – Australians are decades behind US civilisation? What a bizarre assertion. In what way?

      Report this comment

      TheCalmOne  
    • ashestoashes
      Posted on December 28, 2012 at 11:55pm

      Just so you know..they are most likely taking these stats from our government which is highly deceptive..I checked them out recently in Austrailia..and the stats for Austrailia were a lot higher crime rate since the gun ban..Seems like home invasions were up something like 44% and homicides were up also..just like it would be here..Gotta wonder why our government would choose to render us helpless..while allowing the crooks to have a hayday with robbery and murder..knowing that there would be no threat to their own lives..I like knowing that there are good people in this country able to come to our aide if need be..Of course.you have to look at it from their point of view…it’s a lot easier to do massive depopulation if no one is armed but them..like sheep to the slaughter..and make no bones about it..that is the intent. If you need a little refresher..remember they fronted arms to Hammas drug cartels in Mexico..sued Arizona for trying to keep them out..and also Bengazi..

      Report this comment

      ashestoashes  
    • bumpkin
      Posted on December 29, 2012 at 2:00am

      The pollies will NOT ban illegal drugs- drugs make the pollies a TON of monies. Why do you think the border is being torn OPEN??? Why do you think that Obama’s thugs are running guns to criminals throughout the world? There is a TON of money in drugs. There is NOT a ton of money for pollies in having the people armed against tyranny.

      Report this comment

      bumpkin  
    • WATER-THE-TREE
      Posted on December 29, 2012 at 6:40am

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVmGWLsn0iM

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khQtkGonhZM

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TP3mXVRd89Y&list=PL541A1E859955A6A6&index=2

      Report this comment

      WATER-THE-TREE  
    • WATER-THE-TREE
      Posted on December 29, 2012 at 7:10am

      You all have wonderful arguments. But when will you realize it is not about facts, what is right, or the constitution. It is about world domination by the ( what I call bankster elites ), Illuminati, etc. what ever you want to call them. And where ever they have control, which is scary, there are always NO GUNS. An Armed populace they cannot allow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
      So you can make all of your logical arguments that would make Spock proud, It has nothing to do with what THEY SAY IT HAS TO DO. Have you not learned that what they say is BS.
      I bet everyone on here is on either the red or blue list. watch this video, it can be a little slow at times especially at first, and they may not be professional, it is worth watching. This guy does have credentials.

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khQtkGonhZM

      Report this comment

      WATER-THE-TREE  
    • Freelyn
      Posted on December 29, 2012 at 7:16pm

      Do homicide rates include justifiable homicides? You know self-defense? If so, how many actual homicides actually occur in this Country by guns? Also, where are the detailed statistics on the number of times guns are used to stop a violent act in this Country? The appalling use of statistics to push an policy agenda that has been proven to be a failed policy over and over again is sickening. You cannot take away my God Given Right to bear arms. That is why it is in the Bill of Rights, what leftists are arguing for is taking away our RIGHTS! What more anti-Freedom thing do they need to do before the sheep’s clothing comes off to the American public?

      I assume they’ll be taking away FREE SPEECH NEXT because that is so pesky it can cause people to be hurt who speak out against something after all. Someone might yell “FIRE!” in a crowded theater and think of the people who might get trampled. We surely can’t trust the average law-abiding citizen with that dangerous right now can we. Once the 2nd Amendment goes, we have no teeth to defend the rest. Then the Socialists will have a field day controlling us.

      Report this comment

      Freelyn  
  • ColoradoMaverick
    Posted on December 28, 2012 at 10:47am

    Well, when liberal leaders condone and even promote infanticide for everyone who wishes to engage in unprotected sex, what do you expect from society? Our own Supreme Court has decided to ignore the US Constitution with Roe V. wade and even worse, decided to ignore the 10 commandments that hang on their walls. If we refuse to protect the most innocent of innocent loves, we are doomed. Obama – go to hell you baby killer!

    Report this comment

    ColoradoMaverick  
    • DadRocked
      Posted on December 28, 2012 at 11:38am

      http://gunowners.org/fs0404.htm

      MYTH: GUN CONTROL HAS REDUCED THE CRIME RATES IN OTHER COUNTRIES.
      1. The murder rates in many nations (such as England) were ALREADY LOW BEFORE enacting gun control. Thus, their restrictive laws cannot be credited with lowering their crime rates.(153)
      2. Gun control has done nothing to keep crime rates from rising in many of the nations that have imposed severe firearms restrictions.
      * Australia: Readers of the USA Today newspaper discovered in 2002 that, “Since Australia’s 1996 laws banning most guns and making it a crime to use a gun defensively, armed robberies rose by 51%, unarmed robberies by 37%, assaults by 24% and kidnappings by 43%. While murders fell by 3%, manslaughter rose by 16%.”(154)
      * Canada: After enacting stringent gun control laws in 1991 and 1995, Canada has not made its citizens any safer. “The contrast between the criminal violence rates in the United States and in Canada is dramatic,” says Canadian criminologist Gary Mauser in 2003. “Over the past decade, the rate of violent crime in Canada has increased while in the United States the violent crime rate has plummeted.”(155)
      * England: According to the BBC News, handgun crime in the United Kingdom rose by 40% in the two years after it passed its draconian gun ban in 1997.(156)
      3. British citizens are now more likely to become a victim of crime than are people in the United States.”

      Report this comment

      DadRocked  
    • WarMunger_Al
      Posted on December 28, 2012 at 2:38pm

      We should start a petition to remove all armed personal protection from all lawmakers including the president. End the secret service. If they want guards, they should pay for them themselves and they should not be allowed to carry anything that the ordinary citizen can’t. That means no handguns in Chicago, NYC and all of California. Any representative that signs Feinstein’s bill should be remove from office for violations of their oath of Office.

      Report this comment

      WarMunger_Al  
    • romsquiz
      Posted on December 29, 2012 at 1:53am

      Who are you to speak on behalf of women…..the problem is your too selfish to withdraw and save that egg from being fertilized. Oh I forget your prob a catholic.

      Report this comment

      romsquiz  
  • El Jefe
    Posted on December 28, 2012 at 10:47am

    Here is the simple way to look at it, at least for me…

    Lets say there are 10 million people living on planet Earth and there are also 10 million firearms.

    Take all of the guns off the planet, will people still kill other people? Yes

    Now, leave the guns on the planet and take the people off, will guns kill other guns? No they won’t…

    Like Larry the Cable Guy said…”If guns kill people, then I’m going to blame misspelled words on my pencil.”

    Report this comment

    El Jefe  
    • LatvianinUS
      Posted on December 28, 2012 at 11:41am

      Nice.

      Report this comment

      LatvianinUS  
    • LatvianinUS
      Posted on December 28, 2012 at 11:42am

      You know you could ad banks for not putting money in you empty bank account.

      Report this comment

      LatvianinUS  
    • WhiteFang
      Posted on December 28, 2012 at 1:15pm

      El Jefe,
      Yes, the problem is not with weapons per say, it is with the propensity of mankind to be willing to murder each other. It started with Cain murdering his brother Abel.

      If you ban guns you will also have to ban everything from stick and stones, from baseball bats to scissors, from vases to fireplace pokers. If a person wants to murder someone, he will find a weapon to do the job and it need not be a gun.

      Murder lies in the heart of man. Change the heart, and then there will be peace among brothers.

      Report this comment

      WhiteFang  
  • nocalifornia
    Posted on December 28, 2012 at 10:46am

    Folks this isn’t Australia, they gave up their guns because they never had to fight England for their freedom. We fought for our freedom from England with guns and swore we would never be ruled by a king/dictator again. The guns we own are our guarantee that our government will behave itself and not try and take our God given freedoms away. So I say to all you brilliant liberal socialist, come try and get our guns and see what you get I guarantee you will not like the outcome.

    Report this comment

    nocalifornia  
    • scrapadapolis
      Posted on December 28, 2012 at 11:37am

      Don’t forgte to mention It’s also written to protect against a tyrnical government.And blame by key board for that misspelling..

      Report this comment

      scrapadapolis  
    • chicago76
      Posted on December 28, 2012 at 11:49am

      In Britain people are still subjects of the King. They like that idea. They like being ruled. I think many of us in the US gave up on the idea of being “ruled” a long time ago. Whereas the democrats seem to think the only way to get things done is by ruling. It seems the progressives are really the ones who do not believe in a democratic-republic anymore and would prefer a King. Those people were called Tories during the Revolutionary War.

      Report this comment

      chicago76  
    • smv803
      Posted on December 28, 2012 at 12:32pm

      @chicago …….and those same people should be shipped back to England. Let them get their rocks off there.!

      Report this comment

      smv803  
    • burnteye86
      Posted on December 28, 2012 at 12:42pm

      And we know what happened to Torries…pass the tar and feathers

      Report this comment

      burnteye86  
    • banjarmon
      Posted on December 28, 2012 at 1:18pm

      Well said!!!

      Report this comment

      banjarmon  
    • varptr
      Posted on December 28, 2012 at 1:41pm

      if you think Europe can’t invade America, remember we did it twice to them with half the troops.

      Report this comment

      varptr  
    • romsquiz
      Posted on December 29, 2012 at 3:11am

      You’ve never been bombed to near destruction or had fascists on your doorstep, yet the UK and most of Europe rose to be give better equality and democracy that the US has only just achieved…and that is debatable. I thought the Irish were hung up on the past but you guys are paranoid rednecks that never got over the fact you lost the civil war. Frankly you’d be a better country if you had a royal family, at lest that would be worth fighting for….not some idealized piece of paper that you can’t agree what it’s about.

      Report this comment

      romsquiz  
    • kt2526
      Posted on March 17, 2013 at 4:46pm

      I still have yet to understand how owning a gun is a God given right. Can you explain the rationale behind that? I am genuinely curious.

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      kt2526  
  • jakartaman
    Posted on December 28, 2012 at 10:42am

    The 2nd amendment was put in place just for a period in history like this. We have an every over reaching central government that want to subjugate it citizenry to bend to their every whim – Just give them all your $$ and tey will provide for you because they are smarter than you subjects.

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    jakartaman  
    • 1TrueOne55
      Posted on December 28, 2012 at 3:39pm

      Yeah that is what Obama’s Kenyan father believed, that if the citizens used an Gov’t money the Gov’t had the right to take the rest since you were now beholden to the Gov’t. Obama spelled that out in his bio “Dreams FROM My Father”, note: the Title uses FROM not OF which most writers that talk of their father’s Dreams. Obama is trying to do in the US what his father could not do in Kenya because of his personal life got in his way. Obama Sr. was kicked out of the Kenyan Gov’t for pushing the Communist Ideology against the will of the people at the time. Which sent him into the bottle of Jack Daniels and wrapped his car around a tree ending his life.
      And Obama is wanting to take the US to the Communist side of politics for his shadow boss Soros, the Hedge Fund Billionaire that goes around the world tanking economies for his own profit and pleasure.

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      1TrueOne55  
    • rawmilker
      Posted on December 28, 2012 at 4:07pm

      Yes JAKARTAMAN, they are using our own money to build this police state empire against us. Time to go on the offensive & totally commit to pushing back. DO NOT comply with anything unconstitutional. They can try to make up these unconstitutional regs all they wish, but the americans I know and deal with on a daily basis WILL NOT COMPLY and our op here deals with americans on a national level. As a matter of fact, we had some clients stop by this morn and I took them to the range and will be taking them on a hog hunt in the morning. YES with semi auto AR’s

      Word out today has been reiterated that the school maniac in CT had his stolen AR “IN THE CAR” and there are reports of 4 handguns found at the scene.

      Expose these corrupt media, the politicians like Fiensteen, Reid, Pelosi, Obumbles, Biteme, Hillary, Rice, Jarrett, Sunsteen, Mr Janet Napolitano errrrr…. Ms Nappy, et al, get in their face, speak out, they work for us, not the other way around. Our dollars are their paycheck and this is what we get in return full blown tyranny? This is totally out of control, they are trying to drop the hammer on us now.

      Continue to purchase the means to protect ourselves, continue to practice/support our 1st & 2nd amendment and the rest of our Constitution and Bill of Rights which BTW is non- negotiable. Stay alert, they are going to stage more shootings to continue to scare americans into submission. they are lying conniving, authoritarians….

      If the guns go, it ALL goe

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      rawmilker  
    • retiredguy1952
      Posted on December 29, 2012 at 11:19am

      And the disconcerting thing is that when you try to wake people up to this fact, they look at you as if you are a “conspiracy nut”. They are too busy watching sports, “reality” TV, etc. to pay any attention to the unfolding history right in front of them, I have met people who actually said “I don’t want to know what’s going on in the world.” These people deserve the fate which awaits them.

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      retiredguy1952  
  • moreteaplease
    Posted on December 28, 2012 at 10:36am

    The U.K. and Australia just aren’t doing it right. Just wait, the liberal politicians in America will show you the correct way to enact gun control legislation so you too can live in a violence free, Utopian society.

    Report this comment

    moreteaplease  
    • KURT1010
      Posted on December 28, 2012 at 11:02am

      Don’t forget Mexico, its illegal to own guns !

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      KURT1010  
    • TheTruthPrevails
      Posted on December 28, 2012 at 11:19am

      Also don’t forget it will be a society where rainbows and unicorns fly out Obama’s mouth and energy out his ass…..

      Report this comment

      TheTruthPrevails  
    • Stoic one
      Posted on December 28, 2012 at 1:36pm

      THETRUTHPREVAILS

      I thought that was a black hole that sucks all of the energy up!

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      Stoic one  
    • TheCalmOne
      Posted on December 28, 2012 at 11:03pm

      Australia has a total firearm related death rate per 100,000 of around 10% of the USA’s.

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      TheCalmOne  
  • Warphead
    Posted on December 28, 2012 at 10:34am

    Any statistics proving that gun control, not only doesn’t do any good and actually makes things worse, will be ignored. Any good that comes from firearms purposefully does not not get media attention. Only in instances where a crazed person uses a gun to do harm is reported. This is due to the main stream media’s bias and leftist agenda. The “News” is no longer a presentation of events and the facts that surround each but has rather turned into a 6th grade equivalent of a classroom oral report designed in such a way as to promote a biased idealism. Facts have been replaced with speculation, distortion and outright lying. The leftist agenda for many years is to disarm the citizens and these latest mass murders is just the right fuel for the fire at precisely the right time. It isn’t a matter of if, but a matter of when the notices start going out to gun owners that they have “X” amount of days to surrender their guns. I fear that because we as a people have become so lethargic and disconnected the confiscation will occur with barely a whimper. We are in so much more trouble than most of you realize. It is going to get really bad for a long time

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    Warphead  
  • csense
    Posted on December 28, 2012 at 10:28am

    The liberals, progressives, and Obama are in the process of “fundmentally” (Obama’s words) changing America .

    They have been working at it for decades. Now that they have their “man” is in the White House a full court press is on!

    The question is: Will patriotic Americans lie down and allow the “destruction” of our freedoms as outlined in the Constitution and the Bill of Rights?

    The cultural war is on!

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    csense  
    • gperky
      Posted on December 28, 2012 at 10:39am

      The Libs don’t care if it makes sense or what the statistics say. It’s because they are afraid of guns and have never been around guns that they fight so hard to ban guns. It is true that America has a love of guns, but it is also how America became the Superpower we were before today. Not so much that guns took us to that level but the fact that we are not afraid and live in fear like other countries. Until the WORLD is banned from guns, there will always be guns in America. Find another way to solve the killing by mentally unstable people! Maybe health care for those unstable souls.!

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      gperky  
    • Bum thrower
      Posted on December 28, 2012 at 10:43am

      The leftist and “Lib-Tards” don’t let facts get in the way of their emotional arguments……

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      Bum thrower  
    • old white guy
      Posted on December 28, 2012 at 10:44am

      csense, americans have already both laid down and rolled over.

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      old white guy  
    • turkey13
      Posted on December 28, 2012 at 10:47am

      Here in S. Oklahoma we just had an East Central University student arrested for killing a fellow student because he wanted to know how it felt to take another life. We have 2 or 3 generations out there that have never been to church, heard a prayer or was taught the difference between right & wrong. You never heard about school shootings when the schools started the day with a prayer. You can also blame it on parents that just have kids and never spank them for when they do something wrong. I was in a restraunt once and heard a mother threaten her little boy with a spanking and he just gave her the finger. Kids just tell parents to bug off.

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      turkey13  
    • TRILO
      Posted on December 28, 2012 at 11:22am

      And far too many republicans are right by their side wanting to make the same fundemental changes. I have not heard one republican congressman or senator standing firm on our 2nd amendment rights or how restricting law abiding citizens reduce gun crimes. They capitulate and agree that the “laws” need to be tightened.

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      TRILO  
  • Dorkville
    Posted on December 28, 2012 at 10:08am

    These stats are bs. This article is so biased it’s not funny. I’m not a bleeding heart liberal either, just saying – don’t bend the facts to suit your beliefs. I”m Australian and it’s pretty dumb to compare. Australia has a gun related homicide rate of 1.8 per 100,000 population compared to America’s 9.1 according to one stat I just looked at. Not even close. Since the gun ban in 1996, the decline is certainly more than the quoted 3.2%. A peak of 344 in 1997 to 253 in 2007 is more than 3.2%. There were 310 homicides in Detroit alone in 2009, more than all of Australia.

    There are some things built into cultures over centuries. We Australians were dropped on our island for flogging stuff so petty crime has always been high. Per 100,000 people, we rank 43% higher than the USA but that may have something to do with the fact that the US has 89% more prisoners than us. Rape, robbery r higher in Australia but gun related homicides are nowhere near the ballpark. Maybe if we all owned guns, those rates would be lower but the homicide rate higher. I do know that as a reformed road rager, I moved to Atlanta and ceased road rage the first time a guy reached for his gun for a honk.

    You can’t compare 11,493 gun related homicides a year to 253 even when you take the population into consideration.

    America has always had a gun culture and the horse has already bolted in the US. You can’t EVER get the guns out of the system…I know of no Americans that would gladly hand their

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    Dorkville  
    • Holger Danske
      Posted on December 28, 2012 at 10:37am

      Whether or not we can compare the lessons from Britain and Australia to the U.S. remains to be seen. However, the stats presented in the article are certainly better than the usual misinformation presented by activists, members of Congress, and your average journalist. As you note, there are a myriad factors that make cross-national comparisons bogus. Which is why it is helpful to examine “natural experiments” holding as many things constant as possible (for example by focusing on just within a country) and varying only one thing — in this case passage of gun laws. On this account, examining outcomes in Britain and Australia is very relevant. It is, however, completely flawed to point to gun crimes between countries (so comparing gun violence in Australia and the U.S., Denmark and the U.S., etc.) as there are way too many intervening variables. One major factor that is invariably ignored is cultural homogeneity. By definition, this is impossible to achieve in a nation of immigrants. While this will result in conflict, it also breeds genius and innovation, making the U.S. the great country that it is.

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      Holger Danske  
    • BSdetector
      Posted on December 28, 2012 at 10:47am

      How about overall homicides? A gun is a tool, nothing more. If someone is going to commit murder, they don’t need this tool or that to do it.

      Maybe you should just outlaw homicide, since laws are so effective at stopping criminals…

      Report this comment

      BSdetector  
    • nonwinger
      Posted on December 28, 2012 at 10:47am

      Considering you spoke with such confidence about your stats, why not give us a link or cite them to see if they are more reliable than those of the CDC or the Brookings Institute.

      Report this comment

      nonwinger  
    • Centralsville
      Posted on December 28, 2012 at 10:50am

      Bring up our state by state murder rates. Many of our states compare favorably with any country. The states with the worst murder rates are the very states with the most anti gun laws. Our cities with the highest murder rates are our cities with the most gun restrictions. What we have are some cultural issues in our big cities with high minority populations (our most liberal cities), Chicago (Obama’s home) being the worst. Murder rates are just the opposite of home gun ownership rates in America. Rural areas with the highest gun ownership rates, have the lowest murder rates. Large urban areas, with the lowest gun ownership rates have the highest murder rates. It is a cultural issue.

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      Centralsville  
    • Tarantulas
      Posted on December 28, 2012 at 11:22am

      Dorkville, thanks for posting. You’re showing us the problem with stories like these. There are no references given, just assertions. “After a school massacre, the U.K. banned handguns in 1998. A decade later, handgun crime has doubled.” Has it really? It doubled exactly? In precisely ten years? All an opponent needs to do is wander by and say “No it hasn’t” and we’re back to square one because we can’t cite any numbers.

      You’re right that it’s really not useful to compare crime and gun ownership in the US and Australia, or any two countries. Different countries have many other factors that figure into the equation. If someone from the UK says “You have too much gun crime in the US,” we can turn around and say “You should figure out how to stop all those home invasions.” We’re trying to compare things that have so many variables that there’s no way to make sense of the comparison.

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      Tarantulas  
    • Sol Invictus
      Posted on December 28, 2012 at 11:38am

      @nonwinger
      OK, try this one http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-19641398

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      Sol Invictus  
    • Raphiki
      Posted on December 28, 2012 at 12:03pm

      You also need to examine population density. In Australia there are about 3 people per square KM. In the US it’s about 34. In Australia even if you wanted to shoot someone you’d first have to find them! In the US I may not know my neighbor but at least I can see him.

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      Raphiki  
    • Raphiki
      Posted on December 28, 2012 at 12:13pm

      @ Sol
      I wonder how the poll about disarming the police would pan out among US police officers. Are you saying we should disarm the cops here? Yeah, that’ll work! Here in Chicago we have had 500 murders this year, 2/3 of them gang related. We have 60,000 gang members in the city. They have guns. They probably won’t be at the head of line to exchange them for gift cards.

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      Raphiki  
    • GoodStuff
      Posted on December 28, 2012 at 12:25pm

      “Australia has a gun related homicide rate of 1.8 per 100,000 population compared to America’s 9.1 according to one stat I just looked at. Not even close.”

      Those numbers don’t add up. If America has a population of 310 million, with 11,493 gun-related homicides per year, that comes to a homicide rate of 3.7 per 100,000…not 9.1.

      Do you have a ghetto culture in Australia? If not…there’s your answer to America’s higher murder rate. Inner-city gangbangers killing inner-city gangbangers. Doesn’t really effect me in the ‘burbs, where it’s safe and nothing even remotely interesting ever happens.

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      GoodStuff  
    • Sol Invictus
      Posted on December 28, 2012 at 12:39pm

      @raphiki
      I’m not saying the US should disarm its cops – I was supplying the stats nonwinger asked for. If you had 500 murders in Chicago I’m sure you have the situation under control.

      Report this comment

      Sol Invictus  
    • Raphiki
      Posted on December 28, 2012 at 1:23pm

      @ Sol
      That’s the problem – Chicago doesn’t have it under control. We’ve had decades of liberal government and the most strict gun control laws in the country and the body count keeps climbing. Their idea of a solution is more of the same only bigger – tighter gun restrictions and more control of the populous.

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      Raphiki  
    • Dorkville
      Posted on December 28, 2012 at 3:00pm

      1 more thing – when it comes to guns but on a much bigger scale…. In Australia, we rely on you to defend us. While we spend all our money on health care. Yeah, sure, we’ll send our boat, helicopter and paratrooper to help out in a war but without the USA, we’d be speaking Japanese as the poms would be speaking German. There is something to be said about having the balls to defend yourself and America has them.

      So from one thankful Aussie, keep kicking ass and taking names America, someone has to do it and you’ll get crap for it from idiots that don’t understand.

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      Dorkville  
    • Starkadder
      Posted on December 28, 2012 at 3:07pm

      Chicago has a gun ban stupid
      That’s why there is more gun violence there
      You unwittingly made our point.
      When innocent people cannot defend themselves, they become victims.

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      Starkadder  
    • Walkabout
      Posted on December 28, 2012 at 3:43pm

      Sol Invictus
      Answer Goodstuff. does Australia have a ghetto culture?

      There are many variables that sociologist study.
      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Correlates_of_crime

      And yet the anti gun nuts want to seize guns. I read vladtepesblog, Frontpagemagazine & hear back from relatives & all I see is Europe becoming more violent. No they don’t have ghetto culture in Europe per se, they have something much worse.

      They do have the art of not taking police report down to a science now as attested by Naomi Wolf in Rape in Sweden or not reporting unrest in France.

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      Walkabout  
    • bonesiii
      Posted on December 28, 2012 at 4:37pm

      “You can’t compare 11,493 gun related homicides a year to 253 even when you take the population into consideration.”
      Sure you can. I know what you’re trying to say — that there are other factors — but countering what you perceive to be bias with just “opposite bias” won’t help. It is fair to compare the different countries, taking population into account. And there’s a term in science called a “scientific sample” — basically, the wider you aim the scope of your investigation, the more those variances from other factors become irrelevant. When a clear trend still emerges, it’s reliable.

      Also a point from physics is important here — that what matters is NOT just whether something has moved forward, or moved back, but it is really about whether it has accelerated or deaccelerated. In other words, a slight improvement in Australia, in the context of dramatic worsening in Britain, still gives us an acceleration result overall of gun bans leading to murder. There may be less now in Australia, but this is a clear indicator that it is that stat that is likely being affected by other factors, so it doesn’t really argue against the basic conclusion that gun bans are bad.

      Likely without the gun ban, the improvement in Australia would have been even better for unrelated reasons. So there is still no logical recourse for liberals to point to the downward direction as proof that the gun ban actually helped matters.

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      bonesiii  
    • Sol Invictus
      Posted on December 28, 2012 at 4:44pm

      @ Walkabout
      You say “answer goodstuff” – I’ve never been to Australia so I can’t obey your orders – judging by your name you have. Do you know what the aborigines mean when they say someone has “gone walkabout”!
      lmfao

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      Sol Invictus  
    • Walkabout
      Posted on December 28, 2012 at 9:51pm

      Sol Invictus

      I asked you to answer Goodstuff’s argument about “Ghetto Culture” affecting the American crime rate vis-a-vis the Australian Crime Rate. You don’t have to actually visit a country to know something or a great deal about a country.

      So your answer was an ad hominem attack because you have nothing. G’day :)

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      Walkabout  
    • psychokittis
      Posted on December 28, 2012 at 11:04pm

      Your last statement about us always having had a gun culture is spot on.
      But, did you stop to wonder why?
      The answer is simple.
      We maintain our right to keep and bear arms in order to balance out governmentaln power. By keeping our guns, we can stop tyranny in its trachs, should it rear its ugly head here.
      Lokk at 20th century history. Those nations which stripped the people of their guns went on to oppress them. ( Nazi Germany, USSR, etc).
      I can’t speak for anyone else, but in my view, a government which wishes to restrict gun ownership is one which cannot be trusted. It is one which is degenerating into tryanny.
      I’ll keep my guns, thank you. And if some nutjob tries to shoot the place up, I will have the means by which to stop him in his tracks.
      Think about it.
      Remember, criminals won’t turn their guns in if they are banned. Only those who are law-abiding will. That leaves them vulnerable.
      If guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns.

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      psychokittis  
  • dwf1
    Posted on December 28, 2012 at 10:02am

    Facts? Please lets not use facts it could cause a progs head to explode.

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    dwf1  
  • RIGHTHOOK
    Posted on December 28, 2012 at 9:56am

    Banning guns, should it ever become the law of the land and the 2nd Amendment be excised from the Constitution, will only populate the land with illegal guns in the hands of criminals and the law abiding citizen will be rendered unarmed. This is the flawed but very calculated intention of the liberals. Like Code Pink and the other maladjusted, misfit organizations of freaks, they focus on nonsense and protest guns yet abortion is never an issue as related to taking an innocent life.

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    RIGHTHOOK  
    • dosdelgados
      Posted on December 28, 2012 at 10:08am

      A gun ban would turn law-abiding citizens into criminals. There’s NO WAY I’m giving up my guns.

      Report this comment

      dosdelgados  
    • RIGHTHOOK
      Posted on December 28, 2012 at 10:15am

      Yup, that would be their agenda……

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      RIGHTHOOK  
    • @leftfighter
      Posted on December 28, 2012 at 11:11am

      Moreover, the party that wants to do it only populate one house of Congress.

      Stalinstein can propose the ban all she likes, but it’s not likely to get through the House.

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      @leftfighter  
  • iszatright
    Posted on December 28, 2012 at 9:51am

    I love how the left in this country hides behind the 1st amendment as legalization for any BS that comes out of their mouths. What I wonder is how do they expect to keep the 1st if the 2nd is revoked? The 2nd is the INSURANCE POLICY for ALL rights. The 2nd was not put in place so we could go hunting. It was put in place as a remedy for an out of control tyranical federal government. READ YOUR HISTORY you leftists!!

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    iszatright  
    • IndyGuy
      Posted on December 28, 2012 at 10:42am

      Lefties have to have it read to them…There is the problem…They believe anything they are told by an instructor….Time for everybody to start home schooling…

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      IndyGuy  
    • Lordchamp
      Posted on December 28, 2012 at 10:44am

      Herein lies the problem. They don’t care about history. They don’t care about facts. All that matters is what they need for total control of the lives of ALL the peasants.

      What most of these useful idiots don’t realize is that as always happens in socialist and communist countries the ones in power will eventually come for them.

      Many times they are the first to go because they know and understand how the system works and the leaders can’t have they. They need an ignorant populace. We certainly have a lot of that already.

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      Lordchamp  
  • Vigilantwingnut
    Posted on December 28, 2012 at 9:47am

    “There is little doubt that the Senate will soon put forth new legislation regarding gun ownership, especially as it relates to so-called assault weapons. However, those making the argument that banning guns has worked in places like Australia and England might be advised to check the statistics or risk looking foolish if they encounter someone armed with the facts.”

    Mike Opelka, You DO realize that you are talking about liberals right? They won’t let facts, reality or statistics get in the way of their agenda, and they are ALWAYS foolish.

    Careful there Comrade Mikeavich, using the word “armed” (nice pun however) can be construed as “threatening” by the idiot Left, umm, I mean our Benevolent Betters, umm Benefactors…

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    Vigilantwingnut  
  • Gregb
    Posted on December 28, 2012 at 9:47am

    America’s left is carelessly and without any thought trying to force through more gun laws. This article highlights England and Austrailia, but closer to home, all we need to do is look at Chicago. Chicago has very strict gun laws and because of these strict gun laws, only bad guys have guns. Chicago has the highest gun related death rate in the nation! The 2nd amendment gives us the constitutional right to protect ourselves. Please write (e-mail) your congressmen and women and put a stop to this knee-jerk reaction by the left!

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    Gregb  
    • termyt
      Posted on December 28, 2012 at 10:05am

      It is neither careless nor with9out thought. They need us unarmed.

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      termyt  
  • Cavallo
    Posted on December 28, 2012 at 9:46am

    What happened when they banned guns in Russia, or China, or Germany? Or is it not homicide when ones own government kills you, it is just a bureaucratic function of State?

    Report this comment

    Cavallo  
  • EqualForce
    Posted on December 28, 2012 at 9:44am

    I am a legal gun owner who submitted to background checks, completed the appropriate training, and take gun ownership seriously. As law-abiding citizens we are expected to navigate the labyrinth of conflicting state laws regarding firearms and we do successfully everyday. Although many of these laws are conflicting between neighboring states, we still respect them and abide by them everyday. Let’s make it easy for everyone (including David Gregory) and develop a basic framework across the United States.

    With 300 million firearms in private hands (one-third of them pistols), the overwhelming majority of gun owners ARE responsible, law-abiding citizens, which is why these horrific massacres are not commonplace, but rather horrific outliers that can never be legislated away (e.g. DC, Chicago, and “Gun Free Zones”).

    For several examples for the recent use of firearms for defensive purposes not typically reported by the national media please visit: http://www.equalforce.net please forward this address to others to whom this information may be useful. @forceequalizer

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    EqualForce  
  • joeslick
    Posted on December 28, 2012 at 9:43am

    Like Gus McCrea (Lonesome Dove) said…”It ain’t dieing I’m talking about, it’s livin.” We all die and I would never make light of anyone’s death, but I know that without guns in this country, the living here will be miserable. This country and our way of life will be a thing of the past in no time.

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    joeslick  
  • Republic_of_Texas
    Posted on December 28, 2012 at 9:42am

    How do gun control advocates plan on stopping the drug cartels in Mexico from trafficking illegal guns into the United States once it becomes profitable. The same law makers pushing for gun control are the same idiots who refuse to secure our borders. There will be a lucrative gun trade flowing from Mexico to the US criminal element. Only the law abiding citizens will be without guns. Law enforcement ignores illegal immigrants who by definition are law breakers. Anyone want to guess if current gun owners not complying with gun bans or registration laws will be treated the same way?

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    Republic_of_Texas  
  • Uechi
    Posted on December 28, 2012 at 9:38am

    Where’s the outrage at the murder of hundreds of thousands of babies every year in this country? Oh i forgot that murder is sanctioned by the Dems and the Government.

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    Uechi  
    • Cavallo
      Posted on December 28, 2012 at 9:44am

      They don’t consider them lives (unless they want them), otherwise they are superfluous tissue or some cancerous parasite to be done away with. It is a tactic used in the majority of wars, dehumanize the enemy and it is far easier to kill them.

      Report this comment

      Cavallo  
  • mattmo79
    Posted on December 28, 2012 at 9:30am

    If citizens are unarmed and cannot defend themselves, it only makes sense that criminals will run rampant. Look at Chicago as a perfect example! There are not enough police to protect citizens and realistically, the police are unable to get to a crime scene quick enough to help! It’s up to the citizens to defend themselves by what ever means possible and that includes using guns!!

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    mattmo79  
  • RJJinGadsden
    Posted on December 28, 2012 at 9:30am

    Yeah, yeah ENCINOM. We know by now they are just toys to us. Even though I spent the better part of my life strapping on one and often carrying another in my day to day duties taking the responsibility seriously. But, you will still tell me that I own “TOYS” right?

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    RJJinGadsden  
    • TheFonz
      Posted on December 28, 2012 at 9:31am

      I agree. Guns are not a toy, they are a tool. A tool to be used responsibly.

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      TheFonz  
    • Walkabout
      Posted on December 28, 2012 at 11:54am

      Has anyone analyzed Send the Meteors posts in comparison to JZS’s posts? I t just came to me in the last week that Meteors posts late like JZS. I called JZS by the name “late hits” as result.

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      Walkabout  
  • TheFonz
    Posted on December 28, 2012 at 9:30am

    Homicides may have declined in Australia, but what about violent crime? Home invasions, muggings, rapes, aremed robbery, etc.? Criminals will be more brazen in their actions if they know you are not packing. Sydney has a gang problem and the gangs do not seem to have a problem obtaining guns.

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    TheFonz  
    • Cavallo
      Posted on December 28, 2012 at 10:12am

      “Sweden has the highest incidence of reported rapes in Europe and one of the highest in the world.”

      Maybe the left should stop pointing to that country as a Utopia?

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      Cavallo  
  • progressiveslayer
    Posted on December 28, 2012 at 9:28am

    The stats from foreign countries are irrelevant because our constitution is the law of the land here,for now that is. Let’s learn from history what happens when a government confiscates firearms.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwAoISreBGo&list=FLCREqE1DIvW0LqQD2GSWlww&index=1

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDivHkQ2GSg&list=FLCREqE1DIvW0LqQD2GSWlww&index=13

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    progressiveslayer  
    • S-O-B-E-R
      Posted on December 28, 2012 at 9:42am

      Right on.

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      S-O-B-E-R  
    • BODYBAG
      Posted on December 28, 2012 at 9:46am

      Life Is Going To Change Significantly For The Average American
      http://www.canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/52005

      “This guy is a revolutionary. He does not want to transform our country in the traditional sense. He will destroy it. And he’s not working alone. He’s not working for himself, either. He has his handlers. So don’t think this is going to be a walk in the park, with some type of attempt to rescue the country. Cloward-Piven. Alinsky. Marx. All rolled into one. And he won’t need the rest of his four years to do it.”

      More ———-

      DH: I need you to be clear. Let’s go back again, I mean, to those who speak out about what’s happening.

      RB: [Edit note: Obviously irritated] How much clearer do you want it? The Second Amendment will be gone, along with the first, at least practically or operationally. The Constitution will be gone, suspended, at least in an operational sense. Maybe they won’t actually say that they are suspending it, but will do it. Like saying the sky is purple when it’s actually blue. How many people will look at the sky and say yeah, it’s purple? They see what they want to see.

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      BODYBAG  
    • Cavallo
      Posted on December 28, 2012 at 9:51am

      @Body, Will be gone? .. or IS gone? I think we might be too late.

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      Cavallo  
    • BODYBAG
      Posted on December 28, 2012 at 10:06am

      “Like saying the sky is purple when it’s actually blue. How many people will look at the sky and say yeah, it’s purple? They see what they want to see.”

      Does that sound familiar? Think about it.
      How many times already has this Communist/Marxist Regime & the complicit Pravda Media
      announced that the sky is purple in the past 5 years?
      [Ive personally lost count]

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      BODYBAG  
    • mgmphd
      Posted on December 28, 2012 at 10:57am

      Thank you for those links. I watched both and then forwarded them to family and friends. Very well done. Thank you again. We must get the word out. The ignorant in this country are like sheep.

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      mgmphd  
  • SpankDaMonkey
    Posted on December 28, 2012 at 9:26am

    .
    For the last time Guns don’t kill people…..

    Being alive is a death sentence in it’s self, so why don’t we just ban life? Oh wait the Dems already support that…….

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    SpankDaMonkey  
    • oldguy49
      Posted on December 28, 2012 at 9:33am

      according to the stats we should first ban automobiles and second accidential falls………..then we may have a platform for discussion on firearms

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      oldguy49  
    • Cavallo
      Posted on December 28, 2012 at 10:02am

      There are more guns than there are cars in the US, 300+ million firearms, and 250 million cars. Cars still kill more people than guns, and we even license, require training, insurance, and inspections of cars.. they still kill more children. Listen to the radio news every morning. Imagine if every accident was reported with the same hysterical pants wetting fervor that shootings are reported? If those poor children in CT had been in a school bus that got hit by a drunk driver, it would already be out of the national news.

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      Cavallo  
    • andrew36
      Posted on December 28, 2012 at 3:13pm

      You d(*&^%$#@! do realise cars etc serve other purposes other then killing things. Human Beings in theory arnt that hard to injure or kill, most things are capable of doing so but we also have to live and function as a society so we have to weigh up the cons vs the danger of being killed/injured and decide wether the risk is worth it. Do you really think we can function without trains, planes or automobiles. Guns serve 2 purposes, to kill and to stop you from being killed. How about we stop these F^%$#@ strawman arguments about cars etc and have a proper debate about wether they prevent more crime or cause more crime.

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      andrew36  
  • NeverFalterNeverQuit
    Posted on December 28, 2012 at 9:26am

    Twice as many people die from falling as they do from guns? Three times as many people die in car crashes than they do from guns? This is outrageous! It is time we do something about this epidemic! Ban gravity! Ban automobiles!

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    NeverFalterNeverQuit  
    • Cavallo
      Posted on December 28, 2012 at 9:57am

      And we license and test for cars. The cars are required to be inspected, the drivers trained with proof of training. And they still kill more children than firearms.

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      Cavallo  
    • Pontiaku
      Posted on December 28, 2012 at 12:52pm

      Quote “The stats from 2009 show that homicides totaled 16,799, with 11,493 of those attributed to guns.”
      I do not believe the CDC differentiates between Justified Homicide and Murder. So if a cop or civilian shot a criminal, they would be part of those stats.

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      Pontiaku  

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