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What concerns me most about studies like these, which correlate guns vs deaths, is that there are a number of other VERY important variables which affects the d
by myth2018 6y ago
What concerns me most about studies like these, which correlate guns vs deaths, is that there are a number of other VERY important variables which affects the death by firearms rate.
The banning in Brazil has definitely decreased the death rate. However, after the banishment (but NOT because of it), one of the largest brazilian crime organizations (PCC) began to expand its operations, that used to be mostly restricted to Sao Paulo, to the rest of the country. Then, a huge death rate increase followed, as they started an actual war against those smaller organizations used to control other drug routes/selling points. Such war is still ongoing.
All the debate is now being appropriated by industries, shooting ranges and other "stakeholders" which cynically affirm that the firearms banishment led to an increase of the death rates and now regular people are allegedly being hunted by criminals.
There are so many flaws to this argument that it's hard to know where to begin from. But the point is that the big picture, the context which Brazil is inserted in (income inequalities, geographic positioned between the biggest drug suppliers and consumers etc), makes a HUGE difference on what effect firearms-banishment will do.
- ASalazarMX 6y agoDecreasing guns does little when impunity is high. My country, Mexico, has very strict gun laws, yet lots of guns are smuggled from USA, specially Texas. Civilians rarely have guns, but serious criminals have too many. Low life criminals still make do without guns, they will stab you with a Philips screwdriver if you resist being mugged. Impunity is the real problem, guns are the second.
- myth2018 6y agoI would put poverty and income disparities on the first positions. Countries like USA have a huge prison population and they still face high crime rates on some regions. I suspect that historic criminality may play an important role too, since it influences more and more groups of people and make them to consider crime as a feasible or even natural alternative. I have some really good-hearted, hard worker friends, who already had some involvement with crime when younger, just because they were influenced by friends on the slums they lived on. In their circumstances, that simply felt to them the natural choice to make. Maybe I'm being too naïve, but I believe a big revolution would happen if the government started to make itself present not only with law enforcement, but also with quality public services and, very importantly, good schools. I think that that could break the endless cycle of bad influences the poorer youth are currently under.
- ASalazarMX 6y agoAgreed, the solutions are complex and multigenerational, and require a significant change from our traditional governing to get started.