An aside ... According to the FBI website, in 2011, there were 12,999 homicides in the United States of America. That is a higher death toll than inflicted on our troops in the Afghanistan War since it's start!
And still, the rabid right will not even consider laws to make it difficult for crazies and criminals to get guns.
“Gun Control” Doesn’t Work
Studies by or for Congress, the Department of Justice, the Congressional Research Service, the Library of Congress, the National Academy of Sciences, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have found no evidence that “gun control” reduces crime, suicides or accidents in the U.S. or abroad.
More Guns, Less “Gun Control,” and Less Crime
There are more guns and gun owners in the U.S. than ever. During the last decade, “gun control” has been significantly reduced. The federal waiting period on handguns ended in 1998, in favor of the NRA-supported national instant check. Congress refused to renew the federal “assault weapon” and “large” magazine ban, allowing it to expire in 2004. Congress and 33 states have prohibited frivolous lawsuits against the firearms industry. Forty-two states have Right-to-Carry, and 48 states prohibit cities from imposing gun laws more restrictive than state law. From 1991 to 2010, the total violent crime rate declined more than 47% to a 37-year low, and the murder rate declined by 51% to a 47-year low. Both declined more than seven percent more in the first half of 2011.
Firearm Safety
NRA’s 73,000 Certified Instructors and 12,000 Law Enforcement Instructors reach over 800,000 people annually. NRA’s Eddie Eagle GunSafe® Program has been used by more than 26,000 schools, law enforcement agencies, and civic groups to reach more than 24 million children since 1988. The accidental gun death rate has declined 94% since 1904.
General Information
Privately owned firearms in the U.S.: Approaching 300 million, including nearly 100 million handguns. The number of firearms rises over 4 million annually.
Gun owners in the U.S.: 70-80 million; 40-45 million own handguns
American households that have firearms: 40-45%
Hunting licenses sold annually: 14.5 million
NRA State Associations and Local Clubs: 12,000
NRA Target Shooting Tournaments annually: 11,000
NRA Certified Instructors: 73,000
Number of Individuals Attending an NRA Firearm Course Annually: Over 800,000
NRA Law Enforcement Firearm Instructors: 12,000
NRA-ILA | NRA-ILA Firearms Fact Card 2012
