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Another attempt to blame guns for what people do. I don't own any guns of any type. I've fired quite a few of them, of all kinds. I don't feel the need to own

Another attempt to blame guns for what people do. I don't own any guns of any type. I've fired quite a few of them, of all kinds. I don't feel the need to own one for personal protection or as a hobby. I know plenty of people who do. Without fault, these guns spend more time locked-away in a safe than being fired for any reason. Yes, even the "assault rifles" (do rifles assault without a person holding them?). Every time something happens liberal-leaning media rushes to blame guns. It's never people, is it? A gun doesn't kill any more than a car. It's the people using them that sometimes, intentionally or not, harm others. None of these articles are backed by any data. Yet they are quick to blame "assault rifles" and proclaim all manner of remedies. I wanted data. A quick Google search for "homicides by weapon type" produced a bunch of links. The top link comes right out of the US Department of Justice: http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/content/homicide/weapons.cfm http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/content/homicide/weapons.cfm The very first chart shows very clearly that the vast majority --by a factor of 3 to 5 or more-- of homicides are committed with handguns. Not "assault rifles". I'm assuming that "assault rifles" falls under the "other gun" category in the chart. What's even more interesting is that homicides using a Knives exceeded "other gun" by a good margin from 1976 to about 1994 and then run about even. That's interesting data. It seems that knives are just as dangerous today as "other gun". Far more detailed data is available here: http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr I really didn't have the time to dive into it, but I suspect I would learn exactly the same thing: "assault rifles" represent less than about 3% of total homicides. Put another way, more people --like TEN TIMES MORE-- are killed with knives every year than with "assault rifles". This is data from the DOJ and FBI so one can hardly put any kind of spin on it. All of this anti-gun talk after some crazy nutcase goes and does something stupid is absolute nonsense. The claims are not backed by data and those making the claims, for some reason, never choose to present any data (or confuse people by lumping "guns" with "other guns"). I am more of a libertarian who leans left on some issues and right on others. I'd like to believe that I think things through rather than follow like sheep. I happen to find the way the left constantly bitches about and vilifies guns to be disgusting pandering. They never discuss what the actual data shows: That young blacks are killing each other en-masse for drugs and other bullshit. And that our first black president has done virtually nothing to materially change the reality of millions of black kids who I am sure would be wonderful assets to our society given the right ecosystem. It's far easier to sling distorted statistics, vilify the NRA and rally idiot voters to try to take away gun rights. In the meantime the real victims of violent crimes, which --by far-- statistics show are hispanic and black youngsters, don't see anything of real value change in their environment. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ushomicidesbyweapon.svg http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ushomicidesbyweapon.svg http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun_violence_in_the_United_States http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun_violence_in_the_United_Stat... And, of course, let's not forget that the 9/11 attacks where carried out using knives. They killed thousands. The penalties for using guns criminally should be brutally severe. Automatic life in prison or some such thing. Criminals need to know that choosing a gun is the worst possible idea. I'm all for that. As far as your average Joe, leave him alone.

scott_w 14y ago
Did you even read the article? Schneier is talking about human reactions to tragic events e.g. Aurora, 9/11; and stating that we should use these events to discuss the wider issues surrounding such events, instead of focusing on the detail.
- robomartin 14y ago
  I did read it. And I even read the other articles he linked to. You know the one titled "Average Americans don't need assault weapons". He takes the classic approach of sounding very reasonable while on this other side gently guiding people into where the ideological articles are. Of course jumping at conclusions is dumb. We do that all the time. It's human nature. Those down-voting my post are probably jumping at conclusions without even stopping to think for a moment. All I am saying is that the media is too quick to place blame without looking at or presenting any supporting data. Once you look at the real data --not made-up or massaged data-- it is very obvious where the problems lie. Civilian-grade "assault rifles" are far from being the issue. Knives are responsible for far more homicides. The data also shows the tragedy that the media (both liberal and right wing) choose not to focus on: Hispanic and black young males are killing each other en-masse. Nobody focuses on this. The left doesn't want to offend potential voters and the right doesn't want to risk being labeled as racists. Everyone wants to take Joe Blow's guns away when they spend most of their lives locked away in a safe. I have yet to see a politician take on the real problem we have in inner cities with thousands-upon-thousands of kids killing each other. Want to focus on a problem, that's the problem. The theater massacre was a horrific event. Very sad. Twelve people died. According to FBI data ONE THOUSAND TIMES MORE PEOPLE where murdered in 2010. Nearly 13,000 people. Where is the righteous indignation there? Where is the "thinking about the broader issues"? The broader issues are political and societal. Guns have very little to do with it.
  - EvilTerran 14y ago
    I have some ideas about why your post is being downmodded. You say that, for instance, those who disagree with you... "[talk] absolute nonsense" "[don't] think things through rather than follow like sheep" "constantly bitch" "sling distorted statistics [...] and rally idiot voters" "jump at conclusions without even stopping to think for a moment" etc etc. You're not "[only] saying is that the media is too quick to place blame". You're also insulting and pre-emptively dismissing anyone who might disagree with you. That makes it pretty apparent that you're not interested in reasonable debate on this issue, you just want to soapbox. That might have something to do with the downmods.

scott_w 14y ago

Did you even read the article? Schneier is talking about human reactions to tragic events e.g. Aurora, 9/11; and stating that we should use these events to discuss the wider issues surrounding such events, instead of focusing on the detail.

robomartin 14y ago
I did read it. And I even read the other articles he linked to. You know the one titled "Average Americans don't need assault weapons". He takes the classic approach of sounding very reasonable while on this other side gently guiding people into where the ideological articles are. Of course jumping at conclusions is dumb. We do that all the time. It's human nature. Those down-voting my post are probably jumping at conclusions without even stopping to think for a moment. All I am saying is that the media is too quick to place blame without looking at or presenting any supporting data. Once you look at the real data --not made-up or massaged data-- it is very obvious where the problems lie. Civilian-grade "assault rifles" are far from being the issue. Knives are responsible for far more homicides. The data also shows the tragedy that the media (both liberal and right wing) choose not to focus on: Hispanic and black young males are killing each other en-masse. Nobody focuses on this. The left doesn't want to offend potential voters and the right doesn't want to risk being labeled as racists. Everyone wants to take Joe Blow's guns away when they spend most of their lives locked away in a safe. I have yet to see a politician take on the real problem we have in inner cities with thousands-upon-thousands of kids killing each other. Want to focus on a problem, that's the problem. The theater massacre was a horrific event. Very sad. Twelve people died. According to FBI data ONE THOUSAND TIMES MORE PEOPLE where murdered in 2010. Nearly 13,000 people. Where is the righteous indignation there? Where is the "thinking about the broader issues"? The broader issues are political and societal. Guns have very little to do with it.
- EvilTerran 14y ago
  I have some ideas about why your post is being downmodded. You say that, for instance, those who disagree with you... "[talk] absolute nonsense" "[don't] think things through rather than follow like sheep" "constantly bitch" "sling distorted statistics [...] and rally idiot voters" "jump at conclusions without even stopping to think for a moment" etc etc. You're not "[only] saying is that the media is too quick to place blame". You're also insulting and pre-emptively dismissing anyone who might disagree with you. That makes it pretty apparent that you're not interested in reasonable debate on this issue, you just want to soapbox. That might have something to do with the downmods.