What science says about gun control and violent crime

[DainBramaged]

Does gun control mean fewer guns on the street and less violence? Does encouraging gun ownership mean better protected people and less violence?

I don't think it's too early to be asking questions like this. When you're faced with a tragedy like what happened today at Sandy Hook Elementary School, it's reasonable to start asking questions about violence prevention. It's part of the bargaining stage of grief — wondering if there's something we could have done that would have prevented all those needless deaths. And let's get one thing straight: Everybody wants to prevent what happened today.

So what can be done about it? And what does the science say?

I've been trying to get a handle on that for the last hour or so and here are three things it seems we can definitively say:

• It would be completely accurate for someone to tell you that studies in places like Australia and Austria found that implementing more stringent gun control laws reduced deaths from gun-related suicides and violent crime.

http://boingboing.net/2012/12/14/what-science-says-about-gun-co.html#more-200655

http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=192946

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1745-9133.2003.tb00002.x/abstract

http://www.kieranhealy.org/blog/archives/2012/07/21/assault-deaths-within-the-united-states/



Both sides ned to give to end the violence. BOTH.

[DainBramaged]

1. Wow you'd think the gun rights proponents would appreciate science

except they are usually the ones who deny climate change science as well.


Stupid is as stupid does.


Sorry this is too hard for you folks to comprehend....