The best available evidence suggests NRA-backed gun policies are making crime worse

[Arkansas Granny]

The best available evidence suggests two major National Rifle Association gun policy prescriptions — what are known as “stand your ground” self-defense laws and permissive concealed carry laws — increase homicides and violent crime.

That is according to a massive new study by the RAND Corporation, an independent think tank. The group's experts scoured thousands of academic papers on gun violence in an effort to make definitive statements about how gun policies affect crime and safety. They winnowed that list down to only the highest-quality studies — just 62 in total — containing evidence capable of establishing a causal link between a gun policy change and a specific outcome.

Because the RAND researchers' criteria for including studies in their final analysis were rigorous, for the majority of policies and outcomes, there was not enough good research to make any definitive statements — a clear indication of how little we know about how to prevent gun violence. But there were notable exceptions.

There is moderate evidence, for instance, that “stand your ground” laws, which remove the requirement for gun owners to attempt to retreat from a situation before using lethal force, increase total rates of homicide. A 2013 study, for instance, found that states passing such laws saw 6 percent to 11 percent increases in their total homicide rate. Another study found that Florida experienced a significant 24 percent increase in total homicides and 32 percent increase in firearm homicides following enactment of the stand-your-ground law in 2005.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/amphtml/news/wonk/wp/2018/03/02/the-best-available-evidence-suggests-nra-backed-gun-policies-are-making-crime-worse/?__twitter_impression=true

[dchill]

1. How can I not say "DUH!" ?

[malaise]

2. Off to the greatest page

Needs visibility

[Turbineguy]

3. Killing people is the lowest common denominator

of the human experience.

And the NRA is there to facilitate that.

[duforsure]

4. They don't care

About murder rates, or crime rates. All they care about is keeping their power and control to sell more guns with, and money to pay off the GOP President and Congress with. Every shooting incident all they do is try to promote more weapons are the answer , when the facts show the opposite. Any politician promoting policies where more people will be murdered should make voting them out of office a huge priority this election. Good Post

[Bernardo de La Paz]

5. RepubliCON members block studies of gun violence because they know the answer; want public ignorant.

[sl8]

6. Chart:

Last edited Sat Mar 3, 2018, 10:19 AM - Edit history (2)

Interactive version of chart and more at https://www.rand.org/research/gun-policy.html .

[SWBTATTReg]

11. thanks for chart...nt

[TheSmarterDog]

7. No shit.

[bronxiteforever]

8. Kick and recommend for visibility

[Roy Rolling]

9. Of Course

This is why the NRA and the GOP have a pact to never allow research into gun violence. If you want an issue, support lifting the NRA/GOP ban on federal research into gun violence.

We can win that issue, and then it will unlock the door to the ammunition store needed to defeat the NRA and weapons-makers. The two entities who have destroyed the American brand.

[SWBTATTReg]

10. There was a recent post too on when NRA is holding a convention, that crime rates go...

down (I couldn't remember 100% of the post, but I'm assuming that the crimes involved guns too).

Funny isn't it? Is this because the crime committers are out of pocket at the NRA conventions?

Or, the crime committers are also members of the NRA?

Wow...maybe we do really need to look at this more closely...

Here's link (I found):

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100210313221

[sl8]

12. Lower injuries, not crime. Study:

http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMc1712773

From PDF, http://www.nejm.org/doi/suppl/10.1056/NEJMc1712773/suppl_file/nejmc1712773_appendix.pdf

...

Summary

We found lower rates of firearm injuries in a commercially insured population during
calendar dates of NRA annual meetings compared to identical days of the week in the 3
weeks before and after these meetings. Reductions in firearm injuries during NRA annual
meeting dates were present only among males and were largest in areas with higher rates
of gun ownership. The reduction in firearm injury rates during NRA annual meeting dates
was larger when individuals resided in the same state where the annual meeting was held
in a given year. No changes were observed during NRA meeting dates in the proportion
of crimes involving a firearm. These findings are consistent with a reduction in firearm
injuries due to lower overall firearm use during the brief period when many gun owners
may be attending the annual convention itself.

...

More at link.

[Arkansas Granny]

15. And we've been told that NRA members are "responsible gun owners".

Now we see what they are apparently l responsible for more gun injuries.

[yallerdawg]

13. More guns equals more gun violence.

Common sense is backed by studies and factual evidence.

Oh, well.

https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/hicrc/firearms-research/guns-and-death/

[Wounded Bear]

14. I always like to ask a logical question...

Is it easier to obtain an illegal firearm in a country with 300 million guns, or one with 10 million guns?

[DanTex]

16. It's important to note that the NRA and GOP actively fight funding for research on gun violence.

When studies started showing up indicating the gun ownership increases risk of death and increases homicide rates, the GOP sprang into action similarly to what Trump is doing with climate research now, cutting off funding so prevent further studies. This is, in effect, an admission that the GOP/NRA secretly understand that the loose gun policies they are pushing are costing lives, after all, if they actually believed that more guns made people safer, the logical thing to do would be to increase funding for research to make their case scientifically.

[rock]

17. You merely have to be stupid

To accept any NRA suggestion.