“The evidence implies that concealed handguns are the most cost-effective method of reducing crime that has been analyzed by economists; they provide a higher return than increased law enforcement or incarceration, other private security devices, or social programs like early educational intervention.” – More Guns Less Crime
The coronavirus and the ensuing toilet paper tug-of-war in the aisles of many Walmart stores have had an unusual effect. Gun shops are seeing an explosion in the purchase of guns and ammunition. Whatever the reason, it’s a good time to review some gun facts and statistics*.
There are already over 20,000 gun laws on the books. In a recent gallop poll, 43 percent of Americans acknowledged living in a home with a gun. From the early nineties to the mid-2000s, we saw a 56 percent increase in the number of legal guns owned in the US, while at the same time, gun crimes were reduced by half. Murder isn’t a nationwide problem. In fact, over fifty percent of all gun deaths in an average year occur in just 2 percent of the nation’s counties or a handful of urban areas. Fewer than 1 percent of firearms sold are used in the commission of a crime; while eighty-five percent of gun dealers have never had a single gun crime traced back to their shops. And in 8 of every 10 gun incidents, the perpetrator was not the legal gun owner. These are just a few statistics to remember the next time you hear gun owners blamed for crimes they didn’t commit.
We have, however, seen an uptick in the troubling phenomenon of mass shootings. Historically, the biggest mass killings in the US used bombs, fire, and airliners. Now, incidences of mass shootings are making their way to schools and businesses. They are particularly troubling as they are random, and the perpetrators usually don’t know their victims. Even so, mass shootings represent less than 1/10th of a percent of shooting victims in a given year. Further, when the police stop a mass shooter, there is an average of 14 dead, due to the four to twenty-minute response time. When accomplished by an armed citizen, there is an average death rate of 2.5 since they are already on site.
Yet, despite what you’ve heard, the United States is not the top country in the world for mass gun murders. In fact, from 2009 to 2015 the US was number 12 in the world in the frequency of mass shootings, and number 11 in the world in the number killed in a mass shooting, both based on substantiated and published data from the Crime Prevention Research Center (CPRC).
Since the 1950s, the overwhelming majority of mass shootings in the US have been committed in gun-free zones. Gun-free zone laws were enacted in 1990 and expanded in 1994. Unfortunately, simply posting a gun-free sign can also be seen as an invitation for criminals to safely commit their crimes, knowing there is no one on-site to stop them.
Regarding school safety, there are currently more than 20 states that allow teachers and support staff to carry guns. And despite claims that this would create a Wild West scenario, there have been no accidents and no mass shootings.
Background checks have been on the books since 1993. This federal law requires background checks on the purchase of all handguns through dealers and in 1998, was expanded to include long guns. Restrictions on private gun sales vary as they are regulated by the states, and not the federal government. Yet, background checks are pointless when pertinent information is not included. The Virginia Tech shooter was deemed mentally ill by a court in 2005, less than two years before successfully purchasing two guns to carry out his massacre. Astonishingly, the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) did not have that critical information in its system. Since 2013, however, the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), a gun industry trade organization, has been working to include domestic violence and mental health records in the NICS system.
With the increasing use of so-called assault rifles, aka AR-15s, in mass shootings, they continue to be the primary boogieman for anti-2nd Amendment activists. These semi-automatic guns are not military guns, they are civilian guns with military-style features. Incidentally, almost all handguns are now semi-automatic as well. And despite the anti-gun lobby’s ongoing focus on AR-15s, a federal ban on assault weapons from 1994 to 2004 showed no impact in eliminating gun crimes. New York implemented an assault weapon ban in 2013, with only a 5 percent compliance, while New Jersey’s ban on magazines larger than 10, which required the surrender of illegal magazines, has seen little compliance. And these are both blue states! Laws are meaningless when citizens refuse to obey.
The benefits of gun ownership are reflected in defensive gun use (DGU) statistics. Study after study, whether from Harvard, the CDC, the CPRC, or the Brady Center, all show significant evidence of positive gun ownership. The number of DGUs per year ranges from a low of 108,000 up to a significant 3 million, with 95 percent of DGUs occurring without a gunshot. Simply brandishing a weapon is enough to scare most criminals away.
Yet, negative perceptions of gun ownership continue, due largely to misinformation and bias by media outlets. In 2017, mass shootings represented a mere 0.7 percent of annual gun deaths yet continue to get the majority of media attention. Not one mass shooting would have been stopped by enhanced background checks, yet they are continually touted as the end-all solution. Do you ever wonder why we lower our flag for victims of mass shootings, but never for the dozens of people shot dead in Chicago on a typical weekend? It’s because the media exploits one and ignores the other.
In John Lott’s 1998 book, “More Guns, Less Crime”, the economist and founder of the Crime Prevention Research Center, presents the most rigorous study on crime and guns. His conclusions reveal that the increase in guns is directly correlated with a reduction in crime, all crime. Lott provides a detailed and statistical analysis of gun laws, crime rates, and their effects on the American public.
Yet much has changed since the 1900s when the Sears catalog listed dozens of pages of guns, ammunition, and other accessories to be ordered without licenses, training, or histrionics. Instead, it’s the culture that has changed. Guns don’t kill people, people kill people. And when guns are scarce or limited, other weapons are simply substituted.
Gun owners are the most law-abiding citizens in the US. The 2nd Amendment must be protected and defended at all costs.
*These and other statistics can be found at CPRC, the FBI, the DOJ, the National Institute of Justice, the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the National Research Council, gunfacts.info, and justfact.org.
Comments