Data Informs Policy: Guns

[PoliticalChic]

1. In actual science, the conclusion of a well formed experiment should be the basis of public policy. Compare this to the post-modern science of global warming, where the conclusions come first, and the search for 'data,' second or third.

2. As John Lott has written, more guns result in less crime. If you haven't read his eponymous, well researched book, you should do so.





3. Now a clever grad student is putting the premise to the test:

4. " Houston Group Giving Away Shotguns In High-Crime Neighborhoods To Test If Crime Is Reduced

5. HOUSTON (CBS HOUSTON) – A University of Houston graduate student says he’s conducting a study to hopefully answer the question being asked across the country, “Do more guns reduce crime or not?”

6. Kyle Coplen, who founded the Armed Citizens Project, is giving away 20-gauge single-shot shotguns to residents in mid- and high-crime neighborhoods to test whether or not the weapon will help reduce crime in the area,...




7. “Gun-control advocates often argue that an increase in guns in an area will lead to an increase in crime, while gun-rights advocates often believe that fewer guns result in more crime. While both sides often argue that their opponents policies will result in more crime, gun-control proponents have largely been the victors when it comes to policy implementation,” the website explains.

8. “Pro-gun activists have largely been content to simply fend off new potential gun control laws. It is my opinion that gun-rights activists must take the offensive, and actively encourage the increased presence of defensive weapons in society. Both sides believe that their policies will result in less crime, and it is about time that our side begins to act with the conviction and courage that it will take to win the debate.”

9. ...the study’s goal is, “to find if there exists a causal link between an increase in the presence of firearms and the level of crime.”





10. ....the group hopes to counter local gun buyback programs and instead educate those who want to give up their weapons with training sessions, or have those weapons traded in for 20-gauge shotguns. “We want to reverse the flow of guns, to where they are flowing into a community, along with the necessary safety training and skills,” the site states."
Houston Group Giving Away Shotguns In High-Crime Neighborhoods To Test If Crime Is Reduced « CBS Houston

 

[Old Rocks]

If present trends continue, 2015 marks the year that gun deaths in the US exceed auto deaths. Think on that a minute or two. Autos are a neccessity in the present society for most of us. For most of us, guns are something we don't need. And the ever increasing amount of guns on the street trends right with the ever increasing toll these guns are taking in our society.

Deny it all you want, but the statistics are plain and simple. More guns out there, more people will be killed by guns.

 

[konradv]

1. In actual science, the conclusion of a well formed experiment should be the basis of public policy. Compare this to the post-modern science of global warming, where the conclusions come first, and the search for 'data,' second or third.

That analysis more closely fits the methodology of ID/creationism, than AGW. The idea that man could effect climate preceded the ability to confirm the hypothesis by nearly a 100 years.

 

[Jroc]

If present trends continue, 2015 marks the year that gun deaths in the US exceed auto deaths. Think on that a minute or two. Autos are a neccessity in the present society for most of us. For most of us, guns are something we don't need. And the ever increasing amount of guns on the street trends right with the ever increasing toll these guns are taking in our society.

Deny it all you want, but the statistics are plain and simple. More guns out there, more people will be killed by guns.

Bull...

 

[PoliticalChic]

If present trends continue, 2015 marks the year that gun deaths in the US exceed auto deaths. Think on that a minute or two. Autos are a neccessity in the present society for most of us. For most of us, guns are something we don't need. And the ever increasing amount of guns on the street trends right with the ever increasing toll these guns are taking in our society.

Deny it all you want, but the statistics are plain and simple. More guns out there, more people will be killed by guns.

"... but the statistics are plain and simple."
Simple is the operative term here.

There are lies, damn lies, and statistics.
Disraeli,


Now...let's see if we can shed some well-overdue light on your claim.

"You are referring to the often-cited statistic that 58 percent of murder victims are killed by either relatives or acquaintances. However, what most people don’t understand is that this “acquaintance murder” number also includes gang members killing other gang members, drug buyers killing drug pushers, cabdrivers killed by customers they picked up for the first time, prostitutes and their clients, and so on. “Acquaintance” covers a wide range of relationships. The vast majority of murders are not committed by previously law-abiding citizens. Ninety percent of adult murderers have had criminal records as adults."
http://www.press.uchicago.edu/Misc/Chicago/493636.html



So, which were stop killing based on more laws: gang members killing other gang members, drug buyers killing drug pushers, cabdrivers killed by customers they picked up for the first time, prostitutes and their clients, and so on.


Wise up.

 

[Mr. H.]

Let us know how this experiment turns out, PC.

 

[PoliticalChic]

Let us know how this experiment turns out, PC.

Sadly, Mr. H....the predictably good news is available before said experiment is completed...and I'll bet the media buries this result as it has other similar 'experiments.'

You see, the question has been answered over and over, and is documented in John Lott's book, "More Guns, Less Crime."


"More Guns, Less Crime is a book by John Lott that says violent crime rates go down when states pass "shall issue" concealed carry laws. He presents the results of his statistical analysis of crime data for every county in the United States during 29 years from 1977 to 2005. The book examines city, county and state level data from the entire United States and measures the impact of 11 different types of gun control laws on crime rates. The book expands on an earlier study published in 1997 by Lott and his co-author David Mustard in The Journal of Legal Studies.[1]"
More Guns, Less Crime - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


The book is short, but worth reading.

As a wise wag has noted:

'Not facts, nor data, nor experience, nor rational debate will convince Liberals.'