November 29, 2006
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Gun Control Part 4
A survey was recently conducted of prison inmates. In the survey, 80% of the inmates said they got their gun from a “family friend, a street buy or other illegal source.” Only 12 % got their guns from a store or pawn shop. Only 2% got their gun from a flea market.
In other words, 80% would not have been impacted by any gun control law. Here is the link:
Do gun control laws just take the guns out of the hands of law abiding citizens?
Comments (94)
no, but if you read Freakonomics, it doesn’t even matter anyway.
Sure, lol.
-KrIsTiN-
Absolutely, yes. I think.
hmmm… its likely. but do gun control laws really control guns at all?
Woah…….second. I’ve never ever been that close to being first before, lol. But to expand on that, I don’t think that gun control laws really do much of anything. If someone really wants to use a gun to do something illegal, he/she is going to do it, whether it’s against the law or not. If I really wanted to shoot someone that bad, it wouldn’t matter to me whether it was against the law or not.
-KrIsTiN-
Do the guns need to be in the hands of them in the first place?
I have no official opinion on gun control yet. I’m not that against it, however.
i see gun cntrol mainly for like…children.
like a depressed child who knows the family gun is, and just sees that as a way out.
as opposed to a family who doesnt have a gun, the child who just run away or sumthin.
yes. a gun is a privledge.
It takes them out of the ones who got in prison with one and get out wanting to buy one. but if they just wanted to borrow it like they did in the first place, then no no effect. Its best if your population is not armed. Look at Europe.
YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This is really a no brainer but you can’t convince the elite liberals who know nothing about guns and cannot get it through their pointy heads that criminals do not get their guns from legitimate sources. Criminals will always get guns!
I still believe that all citizens should strap a gun to their hip. You will see a drastic fall in crime when everyone is required to carry a gun. Case in point….the criminals that robbed those people standing in line to buy the latest Playstation. They even shot one of the guys standing in line. If every person in that line had a loaded gun, those guys would not have even thought about holding up those people.
Classicaznkid
If this kid wants a way out, and is willing to use a gun, he’s going to find an alternate way to have the same impact.
And, while I’m not against gun control nor really opinionated on this subject, a responsible person in ownership of the gun wouldn’t have the child aware of the whereabouts of the firearm, how to use it, or how to unlock it from a closed encasement (if there is one present).
yep i believe it does
gun control is useless
we need it in our lives to protect us
no matter what, people will use good things to do evil..
it just happens..
but i think we need less of gun control
Gun laws are just overrated and stupid. In Australua you’re hard pressed to buy a gun anywhere, and were doing fine.
’nuff said…
Yes, it takes it right out of my law abiding hands. [twitches]
Actually I’ve always watned to know how to shoot (as sport, not for evil purposes!). I have no idea what the process would be to get a gun, but I imagine I can get one easy enough since I have no criminal record.
Yep.
Sadly, yes.
yes
Yes.
Whoa. I didn’t know that. I s’pose it does, then..:(
According to this information, it appears so…
I really don’t know why the average guy needs a gun in the first place…
To answer your question, yes of course it does
They say that an armed society is a polite society.
I agree with adriene, for I have also read Freakonomics.
Criminals will get guns regardless of the law
I agree with adriene too since I’ve read Freakonomics too.
I’ve easily had access to guns since the age of 13. You can get a hot .380 in Los Angeles for 40.00! Sometimes even cheaper. So what’s the point?
wow, dan, it’s cool hearing your voice! nice comment box!
They will probably get guns either way, but who knows. I don’t think that gun control laws are a bad thing though.
I dunno, Dan. Tell us what *you* think
Yes.
pretty much.
Absolutely. GIVE ME MY 2ND AMENDMENT RIGHTS!!!!!
No.
An interesting question to which I have no flip answer. I bought my first handgun from a cop, who had confiscated it from a “criminal”.
We all know how government control works so well…like prohibition,whole country dry as a bone!
Guns don’t kill people………bullets do. – forgot where that was a quote from.
I agree with several here: Criminals will get guns regardless of the laws. I think it’s the enforcement of current laws that need to be addressed….rather than just passing new laws.
Yes.
Yes.
Its an old and very settled argument. Gun control does nothing to prevent crime and it might even encourage it.
“a gun is a privledge.”
Not in the USA, here it is every bit as much a right as the right to vote
I wish I had some figures.
Here is some out of my ass musings without them.
Guns are illegal in Britain.
They have almost no gun violence.
They have violence, the bigg market in Newcastle can be a romp after 10pm, but people walk away without bullet wounds, sometimes people die or end up in the hospital.
A lot less guns, a tad less lethal violence, a lot less violence in general is my guess.
What can guns do?
Kill.
A law abiding citizen is 1000s of times more likely to kill someone with a gun if they OWN a gun.
Angry husband, jealous boyfreind, I wish I had figures.
I think gun control is a joke. Give me a large rock attached to a rope to swing around.
I have no clue. My opinion is flaccid.
yes, and it takes away the protection from he people who live in bad areas that they need it (thank goodness I don’t need one)
yes, i think so. i think everyone should be allowed to have a gun. actually i think everyone shouldbe required to have a gun. that way anyone that tries to hurt someone else knows they have a way to protect themselves.
Hey this may sound weird, but I’m doing a project for CIS 101 class (a computer course) and my group is doing a project on online journaling/blogging and I was wondering if you would like to answer a few questions about it:
How old are you?
When did you start using an online journal?
How did you hear about it?
Why did you start?
What do you write your posts about?
How do you feel about strangers visiting your page?
Did you ever met someone through an online journal?
thank you and sorry if its weird. You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to but it will be appreciated.
And I don’t think gun control laws will do anything. As others have said, criminals will find a way to get guns.
yup.
I can’t decide on this one.
Ideally, there would be no reason for guns.
Maybe i should read Freakonomics.
Yes.
What about the would be criminals that didn’t have access to those alternative forms of gun obtainment. Maybe the laws are working, perhaps there would be more criminals with guns from ‘legit’ sources without them.
I liked Chris Rock’s idea on bullet control. Though the world would be so much better off if guns were never invented, it’s just a tad late for that…
YES!
Absolutely – Yes!
Oh I definitely think so. Obviously, the criminals get their weapons off of the black market. There is no reason why this wouldn’t continue to be so. Therefore, taking guns out of the hands of law-abiding citizens causes the citizens to have no way of protecting themselves from the crazy criminals who have the guns. I personally have been trained in how to use a gun, and I plan to buy one when I am 21 and able to get my conceal and carry license. I never, ever want to have to use it, but it makes me feel safer knowing that I can, and properly. I also am trained in Kung Fu, which is the art of self-defense, and self-defense would be the only way I would ever use a gun. Sadly, there are a lot of crazy people out there, but the law-abiding citizens who are willing to go about getting a gun the right way, with all the right documentation and training, etc., are definitely the people who I think should have guns. Also, the taking away of guns from citizens always has precipitated communism or some form of socialism. Evil things.
“the world would be so much better off if guns were never invented”
Its been done it was called the dark ages, were big men did what they damn well pleased
YES! Statistics show that more crimes are detered by allowing citizens to have guns. Check the NRA for statistics….
yeah pretty much. people who want guns will find a way to get them in the end.
YES!
Duh.
Where did their illegal source get the gun from? Directly or inderectly, they are impacted by the controls.
If you have a handgun in your home you are FAR more likely to mistakenly shoot a member of your own family than you are an intruder. Gun control should be about decreasing the number in circulation by determining the need for the weapon in the first place, not jut a ban.
Yes, yes it would. I am in favor of no ban on guns in the first place.
I know several people who would not be here today if they had not had
a gun in their house.
There are several guns in my house, owned by my father, and it has never
occured to me, (nor to my brothers or sister) to go in and mess with
these guns. Why? Because of proper education and a respect of guns. That
is what is lacking in most gun owners, proper edudcation of what it is
they are holding.
As for Britian; it is not safer in Britian because they banned guns, all
it did was raise the crime rate in other areas. Almost immediately after
the ban, the rate in knife rellated killings rose drammatically. So
drammatically that it is now illegal to carry a knife with a blade
longer than 4 in., and they are calling for a volluntary hand over of all
knives with a 4 in. blade or longer. So gun control didn’t fix the crime,
it just shifted it.
I don’t think this would be the case in America though, only becuase, unlike
Britian, America is bordered by two countries, and the gun smuggling business
would rise because of a ban.
A ban would take the guns out of the petty criminal (maybe), but anyone really
wanting a gun would get it, and they are the ones most likey to use it.
“In the survey, 80% of the inmates said they got their gun from a ‘family friend’….”
That right there calls for reformation- if thats whats happening.
Of course gun laws don’t keep guns out of the hands of criminals. They’re CRIMINALS, which means they BREAK THE LAW. Non-criminals should have the right to have guns, seeing as the criminals have them.
Yes, that’s why the law is so stupid. They punish those who are good because they are too stupid to punish those who are bad but who are smarter then they are at finding loopholes in the systems. So dumb.
I like how your links are always short to read. . .
I think gun control is like drugs.
Heck, drug offendors are the number one people in prison (isn’t it 2 out of 3 prioners are there for drugs?), and yet while the law is definitely coming down on them. It’s quite easy to get it on the street. I mean I’ve been asked by a neighbor before (that I only ever saw when walking the dog and passing by the house) while walking my dog with my younger brother if we wanted to buy drugs!
Said no thank you. And moved on. . .my brother didn’t even know at the time that they had tried to sell us drugs. Not till I told him. But they most certainly did!
Most definitely.
yes. yes it does.
Yes
Absolutely. Give us the ability to protect ourselves, and you go get criminals. Stop worrying about the responsible gun owners.
yes
For the most part (80%), yes.
yup
Yes. So really, I don’t think the laws will ever help us at all. People should still be allowed to purchase guns because chances are they will just be trying to protect themselves and their families since obviously others will get guns anyway. Can’t let just the criminals have them. That would be pretty damn stupid of lawmakers.
Of course. It’s obvious.
No?
yes. theres no point for that many! criminals will get guns illegally anyway, so why punish the people who use them lawfully?
if the survey’s right, then yeah
but then, if one of these guys gets caught before the crime, there’s a charge for illegal possession of a firearm…so there’s a good side too
America is bordered by two countries, and the gun smuggling business
would rise because of a ban.
A ban would take the guns out of the petty criminal (maybe), but anyone really
wanting a gun would get it, and they are the ones most likey to use it.
Posted 11/30/2006 at 8:50 AM by The_Graph_Vinda_Kay
Are you kidding? The U.S. smuggles the guns OUT. We’re the leading world gun supplier. According to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms’ most recent statistics, we manufactured nearly 300,000 revolvers in 2004. We LEGALLY exported over 138,000 firearms. We obviously exported more firearms illegally. Note that this is from 74% of manufacturers, the other 26% didn’t file reports.
http://www.atf.treas.gov/firearms/stats/afmer/afmer2004.pdf
More evidence: according to the report we sent the UN on firearms in 1997, we were one of three countries that reported frequent illegal exports of firearms. [We reported few illegal imported firearms]. South Africa, Brazil, and Jamaica had higher homicide rates involving firearms then the United States. Estonia had a similar figure. Estonia reported comprehensive firearm legislation reform in the last 5 years. Major legislative reforms were under discussion or pending in South Africa, Brazil and Jamaica. Nothing about the United States. The U.S. had the highest rate of suicide involving firearms in all 28 countries that reported statistics for that field.
Check it out, the summary of the study is at the end of the document.
http://www.uncjin.org/Documents/6comm/4e.pdf
According to Mexican authorities, 80% of the guns in Mexico originate in the US. In 2002, the Toronto
police’s gun taskforce estimated that 50% of handguns recovered in crime were smuggled from the US.
30% of guns recovered in Japan originate from the US, while 21% originate from China.
http://www.iansa.org/documents/2006/Gun-violence-a-global-epidemic.pdf
YES! Statistics show that more crimes are detered by allowing citizens to have guns. Check the NRA for statistics….
Posted 11/30/2006 at 1:16 AM by faithful_and_steadfast
Uhhuh. The NRA gives you your statistics. The NATIONAL RIFLE ASSOCIATION is obviously unbiased, right?
A gun in the home is 4 times more likely to be involved in an unintentional shooting, 7 times more likely to be used to commit a criminal assault or homicide, and 11 times more likely to be used to attempt or commit suicide than to be used in self-defense.
-A Kellerman, et al. Journal of Trauma, August 1998; Kellerman AL, Lee RK, Mercy JA, et al. “The Epidemiological Basis for the Prevention of Firearm Injuries.” Annu.Rev Public Health. 1991; 12:17-40.)
Can be found along with other facts from studies and gov’t departments at: http://www.ichv.org/Statistics.htm.
As someone else pointed out, the article your question was based off of only includes people who DID get guns. NOT people who would have committed crimes but didn’t get access to a gun.
If people are really law abiding, then it won’t take the guns out of their hands. They might just have to wait a little bit. Geez.
But with those statistics, maybe it wouldn’t stop crime.
I really think this needs to be restated, since no one gets it..
What about the would be criminals that didn’t have access to those alternative forms of gun obtainment. Maybe the laws are working, perhaps there would be more criminals with guns from ‘legit’ sources without them.
Posted 11/29/2006 at 11:23 PM by haplessllama
And..
Where did their illegal source get the gun from? Directly or inderectly, they are impacted by the controls.
Posted 11/30/2006 at 6:54 AM by somewittyhandle
That 80% up there is only from people who DID get guns and use them, and wouldn’t have been DIRECTLY impacted by gun control laws. But whoever GETS them those guns might have a harder time doing that if we had stricter gun control laws.
Comprehensive background checks on people who want to buy guns and gun registration for most, if not all guns, isn’t such a bad idea. You can have them, just so long as we know who has them and what kind of a person they are. If someone’s killed with a particular type of rifle, and the government knows everybody in the state who legally has that kind of rifle, that’s an easy point to start an investigation at. If someone says “Oh, I lent that to my friend..” we can go check out that friend. Alot of black market guns in the U.S. are stolen from people who legally purchased them. So.. if the gun is registered they can try to trace it easier and find out who commited the crime, etc. If it’s easier for law enforcement to find people committing homicides with guns, they’ll be fewer people stupid enough to do it. And if it’s harder to get guns, they’ll be fewer unbalanced or dangerous people getting them. And fewer guns on the black market, making those harder to obtain as well.
My family has two guns, the shotgun provided venison for several years.
YES GUN CONTROL IS NUTS! It wouldn’t prevent any crime. *Mumbles under breathe about democrats*
I’m pro gun-control. I use both hands.
They would, if the gun control laws help limit the number of guns available illegally on the street.
(oops… meaning they would actually help keep guns out of criminal hands).
Gun control laws, as I understand them, don’t take guns out of law-abiding citizens’ hands. It just takes a few days longer to get them.
Maybe the reason that 80% would not be affected by a gun control law, is that the law only controls guns purchased at a flea market or gun shop. Maybe if it were illegal to own a hand gun (as opposed to a shot gun or hunting rifle), then those 80% would not have had family or friends who had a gun for them to borrow. If the law is toothless, don’t blame it for not taking a bite out of the problem.
No. At the same time I don’t think those laws help. Those intent on using them for bad will find a way to get them. Go NRA!
>Gun laws are originated by grown-up children who are afraid of the boogey man, then enacted by syncophatic fools looking for favors on later legislation…. Many of the legislators on all levels are afraid of what any of us might decide about their dealings on important issues involving our freedoms…. Now an uprising revolution to overthrow a corrupt government is a remote possibility, at this time, but there are those out there that would not mind disarming everyone possible thru legislation, also a remote possibility…. As long as the 2nd amendment stands unmodified by those nefarious minds, as they understand the power of the established laws that they cannot backdoor….Viva la Constitution
Peace….
yes, but i am scard sh**less of them and wouldnt own one anyway lol
“a responsible person in ownership of the gun wouldn’t have the child aware of the whereabouts of the firearm, how to use it, or how to unlock it from a closed encasement (if there is one present).”
Au contrere! Children SHOULD be taught about the proper uses, dangers, necessary respect for, and understanding of the impact of a guns’ possible use. Otherwise, curiosity runs rampant…often tragically.
“I really don’t know why the average guy needs a gun in the first place…”
It’s the Bill Of Rights, not the Bill Of Needs.
“What can guns do?
Kill.”
They can and do also thwart crime and defend lives, limbs, and property.
“A law abiding citizen is 1000s of times more likely to kill someone with a gun if they OWN a gun.”
Where do you have support for that number?
“Angry husband, jealous boyfreind, I wish I had figures”
Angry spouses and jealous friends (boy AND girl) also use chains, knives, blunt instruments, bare hands, etc. Or don’t those matter?
“If you have a handgun in your home you are FAR more likely to mistakenly shoot a member of your own family than you are an intruder. “
Funny, you didn’t post any cites to support your assertion.
“Gun control should be about decreasing the number in circulation by determining the need for the weapon in the first place, not jut a ban.”
Again..it’s the Bill Of Rights, not the Bill of Needs. Where there is a right, need is not relevant.
“According to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms’ most recent statistics, we manufactured nearly 300,000 revolvers in 2004. We LEGALLY exported over 138,000 firearms. We obviously exported more firearms illegally”
Based on what??? If we manufactured 300,000 guns and exported 138,000…that means 162,000 are unaccounted for. That does NOT mean that they were illegally exported. How many of those are STILL in the US in the hands of law-abiding citizens? If you don’t know the answer to that, you can’t just assume that all 162,000 were also exported.
“A gun in the home is 4 times more likely to be involved in an unintentional shooting, 7 times more likely to be used to commit a criminal assault or homicide, and 11 times more likely to be used to attempt or commit suicide than to be used in self-defense.
-A Kellerman, et al. Journal of Trauma, August 1998″
BWAHAHAHAHA!! First you blast someone for using the NRA for statististics then you site Arthur Kellerman!! He originall said the chances were 47 times higher. Then, when his studies were largely shown to be largely hypothesis and not grounded with true causal relationships, he had to scurry back the “reassess the data.”
“If people are really law abiding, then it won’t take the guns out of their hands. They might just have to wait a little bit. Geez. “
What’s the use of the law then?
“But whoever GETS them those guns might have a harder time doing that if we had stricter gun control laws.”
Gee. We have over 20,000 gun laws currently on the books. We need stricter ones? So criminals can ignore those too?
“Comprehensive background checks on people who want to buy guns and gun registration for most, if not all guns, isn’t such a bad idea. “
Registration begets confiscation. Just ask Californians. Who is “we”?? Whos business is it what kind of guns a law abiding citizen owns?
” If someone’s killed with a particular type of rifle, and the government knows everybody in the state who legally has that kind of rifle, that’s an easy point to start an investigation at.”
Yup, the same government that on a whim can decide that those rifles are illegal to own…ala California.
“Alot of black market guns in the U.S. are stolen from people who legally purchased them.”
So.
“So.. if the gun is registered they can try to trace it easier and find out who commited the crime, etc.”
Say what? Are we going to require the criminal to give his name to the person he’s stealing the gun from?
“If it’s easier for law enforcement to find people committing homicides with guns, they’ll be fewer people stupid enough to do it.”
Hmm, guns already have serial numbers and that doesn’t seem to work and my LEO friends say registration wouldn’t matter either…but it WOULD open up lawsuits on the original owner no matter the path to the criminal who used it.
“And if it’s harder to get guns, they’ll be fewer unbalanced or dangerous people getting them. “
Not when there’s still a thriving black market. Backround checks are fine for those who are legally purchasing…and thos that won’t or don’t?
“Gun control laws, as I understand them, don’t take guns out of law-abiding citizens’ hands. It just takes a few days longer to get them.”
And that benefits who? How?
Uhm, duh
Would they be criminals if they obeyed the laws?