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The biggest problem with the gun control stratagy ... wrong targets.

blaxshep

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Three children—ages 5, 7 and 11—were among the 64 shooting victims in Chicago over Independence Day weekend. That’s a handful fewer than the 69 people shot there over Memorial Day weekend but it is well above the 55 people shot over Fourth of July weekend in 2015.

Through June, there had already been 315 homicides in Chicago this year, which is a 49% increase over the first half of last year. Though violent crime isn’t at these levels in most other places, it has worsened in recent years. Homicides in the nation’s largest cities were up 9% through March of this year. They increased by 17% between 2014 and 2015.

The political left’s response to gun violence is typically more gun control, even though the places with the biggest problems tend to sport harsher firearms restrictions, and criminals by definition ignore laws. Another fundamental problem with the left’s approach to gun violence is that legislation proposed by Democrats tends to target weapons that aren’t used in most shootings. Only occasionally do liberals admit this, which is why it’s news when it happens.

Democrats have used the terror attacks in Orlando, Fla., and San Bernardino, Calif., along with the mass shooting in Newtown, Conn., to argue for measures like enhanced background checks and bans on so-called assault rifles.

“Background checks, though important, won’t reduce black-market gun sales, the source of the majority of illegal firearms in Oakland, New York and Chicago,” wrote Mr. Cobb, adding that “mass shootings constitute just two per cent of gun homicides in the United States, and assault weapons are not the weapons most commonly used by Americans to kill one another.”

The author went on to cite Justice Department data showing that “in 2014 rifles were used in only three per cent of all homicides committed with firearms in the United States. The larger problem, quite simply, is the superabundance of handguns.”

Actually, it isn’t that simple. Linking higher rates of gun ownership to higher rates of gun violence is quite problematic. According to the Pew Research Center, 51% of rural residents own a firearm, versus only a quarter of city dwellers, but urban areas have much more gun violence. Similarly, only 19% of blacks and 20% of Hispanics report owning guns, versus 41% of whites, yet gun violence among blacks and Hispanics is much more common.

Gun Control Won?t Fix Chicago - WSJ
 
Three children—ages 5, 7 and 11—were among the 64 shooting victims in Chicago over Independence Day weekend. That’s a handful fewer than the 69 people shot there over Memorial Day weekend but it is well above the 55 people shot over Fourth of July weekend in 2015.

Through June, there had already been 315 homicides in Chicago this year, which is a 49% increase over the first half of last year. Though violent crime isn’t at these levels in most other places, it has worsened in recent years. Homicides in the nation’s largest cities were up 9% through March of this year. They increased by 17% between 2014 and 2015.

The political left’s response to gun violence is typically more gun control, even though the places with the biggest problems tend to sport harsher firearms restrictions, and criminals by definition ignore laws. Another fundamental problem with the left’s approach to gun violence is that legislation proposed by Democrats tends to target weapons that aren’t used in most shootings. Only occasionally do liberals admit this, which is why it’s news when it happens.

Democrats have used the terror attacks in Orlando, Fla., and San Bernardino, Calif., along with the mass shooting in Newtown, Conn., to argue for measures like enhanced background checks and bans on so-called assault rifles.

“Background checks, though important, won’t reduce black-market gun sales, the source of the majority of illegal firearms in Oakland, New York and Chicago,” wrote Mr. Cobb, adding that “mass shootings constitute just two per cent of gun homicides in the United States, and assault weapons are not the weapons most commonly used by Americans to kill one another.”

The author went on to cite Justice Department data showing that “in 2014 rifles were used in only three per cent of all homicides committed with firearms in the United States. The larger problem, quite simply, is the superabundance of handguns.”

Actually, it isn’t that simple. Linking higher rates of gun ownership to higher rates of gun violence is quite problematic. According to the Pew Research Center, 51% of rural residents own a firearm, versus only a quarter of city dwellers, but urban areas have much more gun violence. Similarly, only 19% of blacks and 20% of Hispanics report owning guns, versus 41% of whites, yet gun violence among blacks and Hispanics is much more common.

Gun Control Won?t Fix Chicago - WSJ

It's easier to demand gun control than address the actual problem. This is especially important to the left, as some of their core policies are most probably related and likely causal to the violence. It would be much too dangerous to take that track, however.
 
Gun control is not intended to fix the problem of criminals causing crime with guns. Its to placate the slow witted who want something done without upsetting major Democrat party constituents. Its also to weaken the NRA and show disapproval of the pro gun rights culture
 
Gun control is not intended to fix the problem of criminals causing crime with guns. Its to placate the slow witted who want something done without upsetting major Democrat party constituents. Its also to weaken the NRA and show disapproval of the pro gun rights culture

Its not just the 2nd the liberals are going after. Ideally this is because the FBI is doing their job very well .... but somehow I doubt it.

The report from the Federal Judiciary shows that the number of court-approved wiretaps has risen steadily over the past decade from 1,774 in 2005 to 4,148 in 2015. Wiretap requests from law enforcement officials can include anything from the desire to place a listening device in a suspect’s home to listening in on telephone calls and monitoring internet activity.

The most common request, however, is for court permission to track cell phone activity. In fact, 96 percent of all wiretap requests in 2015 involved cell phones.

And if law enforcement wants to wiretap you, chances are they’ll get permission.

“No wiretap applications were reported as denied in 2015,” according to the report.

https://personalliberty.com/study-courts-denied-8-wiretap-requests-decade/
 
Its not just the 2nd the liberals are going after. Ideally this is because the FBI is doing their job very well .... but somehow I doubt it.

The report from the Federal Judiciary shows that the number of court-approved wiretaps has risen steadily over the past decade from 1,774 in 2005 to 4,148 in 2015. Wiretap requests from law enforcement officials can include anything from the desire to place a listening device in a suspect’s home to listening in on telephone calls and monitoring internet activity.

The most common request, however, is for court permission to track cell phone activity. In fact, 96 percent of all wiretap requests in 2015 involved cell phones.

And if law enforcement wants to wiretap you, chances are they’ll get permission.

“No wiretap applications were reported as denied in 2015,” according to the report.

https://personalliberty.com/study-courts-denied-8-wiretap-requests-decade/

too many people-their lean is varied-are ok with the government violating the constitutional rights of groups they don't like
 
too many people-their lean is varied-are ok with the government violating the constitutional rights of groups they don't like

These people that think only the government should have guns and that our rights should be permissions doled out by the benevolence of government .... I just don't get it :notlook:
 
These people that think only the government should have guns and that our rights should be permissions doled out by the benevolence of government .... I just don't get it :notlook:

I might have to start a poll but its funny seeing people explain why citizens should not be able to own the same defensive weapons that civilian police officers have. especially when they claim they are OK with citizens having other guns.

Do they believe that because they think government agents are more important than us taxpayers?

or that they don't really trust us but are afraid to endorse complete gun bans

or because they want criminals to have an advantage?
 
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