Hello again,
I posted back on page 3 and don't really have the time at the moment to read every post since then, but from the last few pages it doesn't look like anyone has thrown out some real numbers yet. So here are some numbers:
(All of these numbers come from
http://www.justfacts.com/gun_control.htm or
http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/glance/tables/guncrimetab.htm. The second site is a government site, and the first happens to actually cite its sources. As with any numbers that are results from statistical surveys or analysis, take the results for what you will.)
My comments are in bold.
* In the United States during 1997, there were 15,289 murders. Of these, 10,369 were committed with firearms. (2)
* In the United States during 1997, there were approximately 7,927,000 violent crimes. Of these, 691,000 were committed with firearms. (12)
* Americans use firearms to defend themselves from criminals at least 764,000 times a year. This figure is the lowest among a group of 9 nationwide surveys done by organizations including Gallup and the Los Angeles Times. (16b)
So, 764000/10369= 73.7... guns were used 73.7 times to defend against a criminal for every gun murder in 1997. The DoJ page has a different murder figure of 12,346 (presumably these are results of different statistical studies). Even with this number, it is 61.9 defenses per murder. The total number of gun crimes for 1997 from the DoJ page is 414,530... which again, is less than the number of gun defense uses. Also note that if you look at the DoJ page, you'll see that gun violence is down since 1997, but gun ownership is up.
* In 1982, a survey of imprisoned criminals found that 34% of them had been "scared off, shot at, wounded or captured by an armed victim." (16c)
* Washington D.C. enacted a virtual ban on handguns in 1976. Between 1976 and 1991, Washington D.C.'s homicide rate rose 200%, while the U.S. rate rose 12%. (1)
* Florida adopted a right-to-carry law in 1987. Between 1987 and 1996, these changes occurred:
Homicide rate: Florida -36%, United States -0.4%
Firearm homicide rate: Florida -37%, United States +15%
Handgun homicide rate: Florida -41%, United States +24% (3)
1995 Fatal Accident Totals
Motor Vehicles 43,900
Falls 12,600
Poisonings 10,600
Drownings 4,500
Fires 4,100
Choking 2,800
Firearm 1,400 (1.5% of fatal accidents)
If you haven't been able to tell yet, yes... I'm a responsible gun owner. I really think that most public fears surrounding guns are due to a simple lack of good information about them. I own several firearms and I shoot weekly. I've introduced many friends to shooting sports, several of which were afraid, but now come to shoot with me on a regular basis. I also like Batman, Transformers, flying stunt kites, and The Office. I thought 300 was great and Daredevil sucked. Guns are something I enjoy as part of my pretty much normal lifestyle.
There's a lot of incorrect gun terminology in this thread and a lot of misconceptions, but I don't really have time to point them all out. If you're saying things about guns and all you have is a second-hand, third-hand, or internet blog knowledge, please take the time to do some real research.
Yes, it is very sad when guns are used to commit crimes. It's equally sad when inanimate objects are blamed for the actions of people. May as well blame Budweiser for every drunk driving death and the water company for drownings.