Costs and Benefits of Guns

[_Abyssinia]

US department of Justice, Law Enforcement Assistance Administration, ‘Rape Victimization in 26 American Cities, 1979’ said of the 2500000 yearly self defense cases using guns, more than 7.7% were by women against sex abuse defending themselves

Professor of criminology at Florida State University, Gary Kleck’s study found guns prevent estimated 6849 crimes per day, 2.5 million crimes annually and that every day 1100 murders, 5200 other violent and 550 rapes per day are prevented by showing a handgun, less than 0.9% of that time a gun is fired

Kleck is a liberal politically and was a gun control advocate

 

[TimeEntrance]

Criminals will use ANYTHING handy to commit their crime…

Why does it always strike me that people speak of “criminals” as though it was some phenotypic behavioral trait genetically heritable?

It is HUGELY illogical to think that gun laws or restrictions will decrease gun crimes. The key reason being that criminals don’t obey the laws! States & countries with less restrictive gun laws have statistically lower crime rates.

With all due respect:

#1. That would make the colonial rebels of 1775 criminals, it also would suggest the United States of America was in part formed by criminals through criminality.

#2. It’s not illogical, what is illogical is the logical fallacy of card stacking, furthermore, as a scientist you are already aware of the maxim: correlation does not equal causation.

The causation behind most gun violence in cities like Chicago (with more restrictive gun laws) are arguably more complex, with many sociological factors to take into account, than what gun advocates like to acknowledge. Currently, I believe, the rise in gun violence and homicides in Chicago is due mainly to a resurgence in gang violence. Most those shot and/or killed have criminal records - not “law-abiding” citizens - and most of the are black males.

Chicago also has a particular history of gang culture and gangs that extends decades back far longer than many cities of the United States. Los Angeles would be one of the few exceptions. (ergo: many gangs around the U.S. and even exported into Latin America and Europe are L.A. and Chicago based gangs like the Crips, MS-13, and Latin Kings)

Opponents of the Catholic Church often employ the logical fallacy, and propaganda tool, of card stacking. They also fail to take into account a broader range of variables when an issue within the Catholicism might be more complex than they present it as. And I see people on both sides of the gun debate issue often doing the same thing.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Card_stacking

Card stacking is a propaganda technique that seeks to manipulate audience perception of an issue by emphasizing one side and repressing another.[1] Such emphasis may be achieved through media bias or the use of one-sided testimonials, or by simply censoring the voices of critics. The technique is commonly used in persuasive speeches by political candidates to discredit their opponents and to make themselves seem more worthy.[2]

The term originates from the magician’s gimmick of “stacking the deck”, which involves presenting a deck of cards that appears to have been randomly shuffled but which is, in fact, ‘stacked’ in a specific order. The magician knows the order and is able to control the outcome of the trick. In poker, a deck can be stacked so that certain hands are dealt to certain players.[3]

The phenomenon can be applied to any subject and has wide applications. Whenever a broad spectrum of information exists, appearances can be rigged by highlighting some facts and ignoring others. Card stacking can be a tool of advocacy groups or of those groups with specific agendas.[4] For example, an enlistment poster might focus upon an impressive picture, with words such as “travel” and “adventure”, while placing the words, “enlist for two to four years” at the bottom in a smaller and less noticeable point size.[5]

 

[TheRealJuliane]

Why does it always strike me that people speak of “criminals” as though it was some phenotypic behavioral trait genetically heritable?

No, a criminal is someone who violates the law, repeatedly. They are people who break the law, which is why they frequently end up in jail or prison. They don’t pay attention to the laws we pass - they just want to take what they want, or hurt people, and get away with it.

Couldn’t be simpler. Passing more laws does not stop criminals from breaking those laws.

“Oh! Gosh! Finally, a law I can believe in!! I’m cured!”

 

[TimeEntrance]

No, a criminal is someone who violates the law, repeatedly. They are people who break the law, which is why they frequently end up in jail or prison. They don’t pay attention to the laws we pass - they just want to take what they want, or hurt people, and get away with it.

Couldn’t be simpler. Passing more laws does not stop criminals from breaking those laws.

“Oh! Gosh! Finally, a law I can believe in!! I’m cured!”

Is that qualification “repeatedly” a way to save your views of what constitutes criminals and criminality not being extended to the colonials that fought on the winning side of the Revolutionary War and the Founding Fathers of the United States.

Was not the First President of the United States a treasonous law breaker?

Supposedly, the United States Government broke a number of treaties with Amerindian nations.

But more importantly anyone that does not follow the laws passed by the U.S. Federal Government if the Constitution is amended, if guns are banned, are criminals. I’ll be honest with you. I would be likely to be counted among those that would not follow the law and arm myself with a gun. And I’ll hazard a guess a many “law-abiding” citizens would do the same, even if they live where they have about one out of a billion chances of being a victim of home invasion or violent assault.

But I do hope you’ll show the same amount of respect to gay marriages when legalized and recognized by the state as you self righteously do about all manners of man-made laws today.

I don’t much like people that steal or rape or abduct others. But that is not quite the same as smoking a joint or illegally carrying .38 revolver on you while traveling through post-Katrina New Orleans with it’s once 80 or 100 per 100,000 homicide rates.

And if you feel certain you would never murder anyone. That does not necessarily make you “good.” If it is due to saintly qualities in you then you are good. If it is due to fear of punishment and the fear a slave has to his or her master but your heart and character are still dark with evil desires, then it’s a lack of character, not goodness, that stops you.