MYTH: Gun Control Reduces Crime

[wisco]

I think we all know this, but I was amazed to see it coming from ABC.

[fatboyjim154]

Noooooooooooooooooo, it's not true. Gun control works just fine over here!

[retdetsgt]

Noooooooooooooooooo, it's not true. Gun control works just fine over here!

Probably the same way it does in Washington DC and Chicago.....

Problem is, there is so much hype on both sides of the issue. About 12-13 years ago, I was on another forum that had a firearms section popular with a lot of civilian gun nuts. One guy posted a link to research paper some PhD sociologist (I can't recall his name) presented showing the "direct link between the reduction of crime and the reduction of gun control laws". I couldn't believe this guy was actually a professor at some college because if I'd presented that as my thesis, I would have gotten thrown out of the room. I spent an hour reading it from start to finish and it was incredibly flawed.

In the areas he studied, he ignored other factors that would have contributed to the decrease in crime such as new mandatory sentencing laws and employment. Although he didn't use this in his study, an example of that kind of thinking happened in Oregon. They loosened the CCW licensing laws in the late 80's and then a few years later implemented minimum sentencing. Violent crime decreased remarkably, but the gun crowd tried to say it was the CCW that did it and never mentioned the sentencing law. That was BS because I was working in the most populated county in the state with the highest crime rate and I could count on one hand the number of "armed citizen" events in a period of several years. The reality was, we were taking the bad guys off the street and keeping them off.

I bring that up because I think that kind of misinformation presented as truth always undermines the credibility of any movement. What needs to be shouted from the rooftops is that only law abiding people obey the damn gun control laws. With the exception of a few domestic violence incidents, I don't recall hardly any cases I worked involving guns where the crook bought it from a legitimate source and did the paper work. That's the whole fallacy because there are plenty of armed criminals in cities with major gun control laws.

[Reconciler]

Of course gun control reduces crime. As long as someone has enough control to hit the perp committing the crime that is

[marinepilot]

Gun Control = Sight Alignment, Sight Picture, and Trigger Control

Period!

[krool1969]

Considering that the vast majority of gun crimes are committed by people who are in position of the gun illegally under current laws I'm not sure what more laws will do.

[whatevers]

Guns are convenient, but like the convict said he'd carry one anyways and everyone knows people will carry them anyways. Should everyone walking down the street be randomly searched by cops on a daily basis? no. too many cops would have to be hired for that. A big brother society would obviously spoil life (and we continue to get closer and closer to a big brother society every day)

The lack of gun stores, and gun dealers could prompt people to just make their own potent weapons as well.