Facing facts on gun control
Family members embrace each other outside Sandy Hook Elementary School after Friday's shootings
December 14th, 2012
04:24 PM ET

Facing facts on gun control

This article was originally published in July, following the mass shooting at a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado. In light of Friday's school shooting in Connecticut, we have republished an edited version.

From Global Public Square

Most of the pundits were quick to conclude that the main cause of the mass shooting in Aurora, Colorado, was the dark, strange behavior of the gunman. Talking about anything else, they said, is silly. The New York Times’ usually extremely wise columnist, David Brooks, explained that this it was a problem of psychology, not sociology.

At one level, this makes sense, of course, as the proximate cause. But really, it’s questionable analysis. Think about this: are there more lonely people in America compared with other countries? Are there, say, fewer depressed people in Asia and Europe? So why do they all have so much less gun violence than we do?

The United States stands out from the rest of the world not because it has more nutcases – I think we can assume that those people are sprinkled throughout every society equally – but because it has more guns.

Look at the map below. It shows the average number of firearms per 100 people. Most of the world is shaded light green – those are the countries where there are between zero and 10 guns per 100 citizens. In dark brown, you have the countries with more than 70 guns per 100 people. The U.S. is the only country in that category. In fact, the last global Small Arms Survey showed there are 88 guns for every 100 Americans. Yemen is second at 54. Serbia and Iraq are among the other countries in the top 10.

We have 5 percent of the world's population and 50 percent of the guns.

But the sheer number of guns isn’t an isolated statistic. The data shows we compare badly on fatalities, too.  The U.S has three gun homicides per 100,000 people. That’s four times as many as Switzerland, ten times as many as India, 20 times as many as Australia and England.

Whatever you think of gun rights and gun control, the numbers don’t flatter America.

I saw an interesting graph in The Atlantic magazine recently. A spectrum shows the number of gun-related deaths by state. Now if you add one more piece of data – gun control restrictions – you see that the states with at least one firearm law (such as an assault weapons ban or trigger locks) tend to be the states with fewer gun-related deaths.

Conclusion? Well, there are lots of factors involved, but there is at least a correlation between tighter laws and fewer gun-related deaths.

I've shown you data comparing countries, and comparing states. Now consider the U.S. over time. Americans tend to think the U.S. is getting more violent. In a recent Gallup survey, 68 percent said there’s more crime in the U.S. than there was a year ago. Well, here’s what I found surprising: the U.S. is actually getting safer. In the decade since the year 2000, violent crime rates fell by 20 percent; aggravated assault by 22 percent; motor vehicle theft by 42 percent; murder – by all weapons – by 13 percent.

But guns are the exception. Gun homicide rates haven’t improved at all. They were at roughly the same levels in 2009 as they were in 2000. Meanwhile, serious but non-fatal gun injuries caused during assault have actually increased in the last decade by 20 percent, as guns laws have gotten looser and getting automatic weapons has become easier.

We are the world’s most heavily-armed civilian population. One out of every three Americans knows someone who has been shot.

Everyone is entitled to his or her own opinion, but not to his or her own facts. Saying that this is all a matter of psychology is a recipe for doing nothing. We cannot change the tortured psychology of madmen like James Holmes. What we can do is change our gun laws.

Should U.S. gun laws be tougher? What would you change?

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Topics: United States

soundoff (74 Responses)
  1. JAL

    I don't own a gun, as I believe in my fellow man. I don't abuse steroids, as I believe in myself.

    December 14, 2012 at 4:36 pm | Reply
    • JAL

      That being said, we should will not be intimidated by these sort of heinous people, as their cancer is pinches.

      December 15, 2012 at 8:36 am | Reply
      • j. von hettlingen

        The Second Amendment has to be reviewed. How many more lives have to be wasted, to protect this right? It's ridiculous to have schools turned into fortresses, just because of it.

        December 16, 2012 at 6:55 am |
  2. bill d

    As stated – the saturation of guns in the USA is huge. However, those that believe they wish to "further" restrict their existence here don't seem to care that – well – let's put it this way.
    If the US were to completely ban all small firearms in this country, would those in the hands of criminals and miscreants be the first ones turned in – we already know the answer.
    Stop attempting to tie the hands of your citizenry – schools, churches, mass entertainment venues (like movie theaters) have been "off limits" to licensed carriers for a long time – and yet where are the worst situations?.. Detroit, Chicago, NYC and Washington DC are also unbelievably strict in their gun control laws – yet have some of the highest incidents of gun crime
    it's fairly simple – if you are a predator, you don't like even odds – and there's nothing like a government or society that keeps trying to take away the citizens ability to fight back that makes them more bold and more aggressive. When allowed to fight back we, the law abiding citizen, that's packing heat, has always made those predators and whack jobs, at least re-think they're intentions. It may still not always stop them, but it's a far cry from being a herd of sheep, when they do show up hungry. Stop chaining up your sheepdogs, not everyone has to step up to take that role, but those that do, make those that wish to wreak havoc, re-consider their plans – any convict or ex-convict will tell you that!.

    December 14, 2012 at 5:45 pm | Reply
    • mary

      Bill, read the article!!!!! If there are no guns, people cannot be shot. That's more than fairly simple.

      December 14, 2012 at 6:06 pm | Reply
      • Steve

        To Mary – I see your solution is to ban all guns, so that would remove all tunes from society. Uh huh...how's thatbwar on drugs working out? Drugs have been outlawed for a long time and yet those determined to get them always find a way. Banning guns is the stupidest idea floating around out there

        December 15, 2012 at 4:27 pm |
      • Joe

        What a load of BS. Cops will still have them, soldiers will still have, drug lords will still have them, tyrants will still have them, and if you think that these people can be trusted read this: http://praag.co.uk/news/southern-africa/225-over-8000-saps-firearms-missing.html

        These are the people you trust to protect you. And BTW there is supicion that these guns were actually sold to criminals, NOT lost. Many were taken from law abiding citzens who used them to protect their herds and their families. You want to get rid of guns, then get rid of EVERY gun on earth. And good luck with that. I am sure that the drug lords, tyrants and armies in places like Burma and around the world will be happy to just hand ALL of them over to you. Until then law abiding citizens must never be denied the right to own them. FOR THIS REASON: We can't even trust those who are put into the position of protecting us. Give your head a shake.

        December 16, 2012 at 9:47 am |
      • J. David Auner

        The US is so saturated with guns, the commonsense measures of regulating assault rifles and high capacity magazines need to be enacted but are unlikely to affect this kind of violence. One issue not discussed so far is the regulation of new designs of very lethal ammunition – these new bullets turn every gun into a very lethal weapon likely to kill with each bullet.

        December 16, 2012 at 11:14 am |
      • Clark

        So what is wrong with a society where only cops and soliders/govt have guns...you think what is holding our govt in check is that you have bunch of bushmaster's in your rec room ? Idiot....what do you think the govt would use to attack you ? probably one of those weapons that you have ZERO access to now...

        December 16, 2012 at 3:46 pm |
      • necronn99

        again one more P^&* to the list.

        December 17, 2012 at 6:31 pm |
      • necronn99

        AND WITH THAT GO BACK TO WHERE YOU CAME FROM WE DO NOT WANT YOU HERE NO MORE.

        December 17, 2012 at 6:33 pm |
      • GARY

        Pot is outlawed, alcohol was also in the early 1900's. How did that work out? What ever you ban or outlaw only the law obedient are without it. Those who wish to break the law will find a way to get what they are not suppose to have. Gun control is a joke just like drug laws are. One last thought, Don't have a gun? Just use something else to get the job done. Think about it.

        December 17, 2012 at 8:56 pm |
    • Frank P

      dude.....did you even read the article? Our problem is there are too many guns, not too few.

      December 16, 2012 at 8:00 am | Reply
      • J. David Auner

        the high capacity gun magazines are a place to start. I don't know what to do about handguns which have frequently 15 round clips but we should debate registration.
        More importantly is the culture of violence, from the president with a kill list, to the abusive police officers, to the murders on the video games. I shudder thinking of a young man going to Iraq looking forward to killing – torn apart after killing a child.
        Dozens or hundreds of children have been killed and injured by drones and American weapons just in the last 3 years. Millions of children are now terrorized in the third world by America. I weep for them too -

        December 16, 2012 at 11:06 am |
  3. bill d

    Mary, in a perfect world, you could erase them all – now how do you propose to get rid of all of them without leaving us innocents vulnerable?. 1 – they already exist 2 – you will never ever get rid of ALL of them 3 – those last holdouts, will, ESPECIALLY remain in the hands that seem to enjoy creating bloodshed. – that strategy is pure madness..
    So, why would you just want to be one of the fish in the barrel and, worse, force me swim beside you, just as defenseless...... I'm not asking you to stand and defend with me, but I am telling you that I do not wish to offer my other cheek. (which might just be the ones I love!). By the way, I have already had my own family attacked at home once. We did not look for, nor provoke the trouble, it came knocking on our door and when we didn't respond, they took it a few steps further! – So Mary, if there were no guns – how do you intend, much less expect, to survive unscathed to that day?.

    December 14, 2012 at 6:29 pm | Reply
    • Lee

      Why not a permit to use your gun that says you've had proper training to use it? Why would you need a semi automatic or a zillion rounds of ammo? If you know how to use your gun five bullets should suffice. If your confronted with a bombardment of bullets and you use the same everyone will die anyway. Common sense gun laws can only help.Just as common sense people should be the only ones with guns. How are you to know if you or yours with access to a gun will not crack and use the guns on each other? There are many trade offs in a society packed to the teeth. Will you trust the guy next to you not to shot you because of some minor provocation?Too many ifs if everyones armed.

      December 16, 2012 at 7:47 am | Reply
    • Clark

      how are you defending anyone while your at work – the guns in your gun safe at home – and the monster shows up at your kids school holding the very same gun that you have sitting in your safe...you know he got one...because you needed for your hobby...notice he didn't show up with an RPG...cannot buy those.

      December 16, 2012 at 3:48 pm | Reply
  4. Joseph McCarthy

    There was no way the what happened today in Connecticut could have been prevented. These trgedies will continue no matter what in spite of the best efforts to forsee them. The bottom line here is that we're all living in a sick society in spite of Ronald Reagan's 1981 boast to the contrary. Tighten up gun control laws will do little to aliviate the situation.

    December 14, 2012 at 7:53 pm | Reply
    • Brandon

      I disagree. There's no way of knowing if this particular incident would have been stopped, but it's safe to say we wouldn't have so many, like most other countries.

      December 14, 2012 at 11:29 pm | Reply
    • D-man

      Perhaps tragedies will not be stopped, but they can be limited without guns. What's ironic about this situation is that about 12 hours before this tragedy – a similar one occured in China. A man went into a preschool with a knife and tried to kill a lot of people. However, no one died, because he did not have guns. I have listened to all the argument made by the pro-gun crowd and none of them seem to be rational or logical. The more I think about it, as much as I don't want to admit it, I have come to one conclusion. Unfortunately, the real motivation is that we don't want to give up our toys – we have a fascination with guns, they're toys for adults – and we want to keep playing with our toys. Sad but true!!!

      December 16, 2012 at 8:38 am | Reply
    • Clark

      Seems like the gun controls worked here – Mom – very law biding went and bought about 7 guns – then son picked the most lethal of the weapons and used to kill everyone...notice he left the rifles at home..now lets imagine there are no guns in the house because you cannot buy them...how many people would have died in that school ?

      December 16, 2012 at 3:27 pm | Reply
  5. lvh

    you people say that it couldnt have been avoided yet these things happen once every 20 years in other countries and multiple times a year in the states. violent crime rates with guns are 8 times higher in the states than any other 1st world country. 3/100000 people die of gun shot in america compared to 0.07/100000 in the UK where there are gun laws. face the facts people. less guns = less violent crimes. also most guns in chicago are from the neighbouring states where gun laws are non-existant. if there were gun laws in all states then there would be less guns in those places with high violent crimes like detroit and chicago

    December 14, 2012 at 10:04 pm | Reply
    • Joe

      It's deceptive how you mention first world countries, and you do this because when you include third world countries your BS theory falls apart. in 2007 the US had 89 guns per person and Brazil had 8 guns per person. Yet Brazil had 32,000 homicides with GUNS vs 10,000 for the U.S. Three times the gun homicide rate with one tenth the guns!!! I love how the anti gun lobby hand picks their stats. There were also about 15 other countries that had FAR fewer guns than the US yet a much higher homicide rate WITH guns. The fact that many were poorer nations is relevant but not in the way the anti gun crowd believes. It proves that poverty, unemployment and mental illness are the main causes of crime. Take away the poverty, bring in health care and provide decent paying jobs for people in America and the crime rate will fall. Anyone that even tries to deny this is a fool. Gun control is treating the symptom NOT the disease.

      December 16, 2012 at 9:57 am | Reply
  6. lmbaldwin

    I live in Australia where there is a strict gun ban. So the home invasions and robberies have increased because the criminals, those bent on doing evil, know that a law abiding citizen will not have defences,,,,because it's against the law. So they are more brazen than befrore the gun ban went into effect. The NO GUNS ALLOWED signs at the school and at the movie theater in Colorado where there was a killer, only enourage those bent on doing evil, because, again, they know, no one will be able to stop them, because law abiding citizens have left thier guns at home. It's ridiculous arguement to say we need gun control. We have gun laws already and guess what? Bad guys don't follow those rules either.

    December 14, 2012 at 10:05 pm | Reply
    • deep blue

      It is a lot easier to find an assault weapon in the US than in Australia. It isn't a matter of "choosing to follow the law;" it is a matter of ease of access to deadly weapons.

      December 15, 2012 at 5:09 pm | Reply
      • Joe

        Wrong. Every time this happens it happens where people are unarmed and defenseless. Do you know what they tell teachers? If a gunman comes into your class THROW A BOOK AT HIM!!!!! And you think this is ok? It's the anti gun lobby that is insane. What chance does a book give you against ANY dangerous weapon? Gun control advocates simply refuse to face the fact that an armed and well trained teacher or guard at this school WOULD have either prevented this or reduced the damage. Regardless of weather he was armed with a gun or as in China a knife.

        December 16, 2012 at 10:01 am |
      • Clark

        Now what would I feel better about ? Knowing my 1st grade teacher has a gun in the class and everything will turn out okay in a shootout...or that there are no guns and the guy cannot get into the building because he cannot break the glass next to the door with his knife. What an idiot.

        December 16, 2012 at 3:30 pm |
  7. Bob

    What about banning cars instead? WAY more dangerous than gun...

    Number of deaths for leading causes of death:

    Heart disease: 599,413
    Cancer: 567,628
    Chronic lower respiratory diseases: 137,353
    Stroke (cerebro-vascular diseases): 128,842
    Accidents (unintentional injuries): 118,021
    Alzheimer's disease: 79,003
    Diabetes: 68,705
    Influenza and Pneumonia: 53,692
    Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome, and nephrosis: 48,935
    Intentional self-harm (suicide): 36,909

    Motor vehicle deaths within 1 yr 2009: 35,900

    [...]
    Gun homicides in 2009: 9,146”

    December 15, 2012 at 12:07 am | Reply
    • Frank P

      What a moronic statement. I am certain that the parents of one of the 6 year old murdered this week will find comfort in knowing that more people die of heart disease than guns. You idiot.

      December 16, 2012 at 8:12 am | Reply
      • Joe

        You're the idiot. Would the parents take comfort in knowing that someone at the school was armed and capable of protecting their children and could have prevented this? Or would they take comfort in knowing that EVERY SINGLE PERSON in a school is vulnerable to anyone wishing to do harm to children with ANY WEAPON, be it a gun, knife, car or blunt object?

        December 16, 2012 at 10:04 am |
    • William

      Oh, so what are you going to say next? We should ban Alzheimer's disease, strokes or diabetes? Because they kill more people than guns? Please use some common sense here and be realistic.

      February 27, 2013 at 7:30 am | Reply
    • Sssnewbie

      How stupid. First of all, a flat statistic is not a rate so it tells us little. If you really want to compare guns to cars, look at rates and variables. And while you're at it, why don't you calculate all of the times cars are used to transport sick people to hospitals where their lives are saved or the instances where cars are used to transport people away from danger. I am not anti gun and not necessarily pro gun control but I don't use this moronic analogy b/c I want to be taken seriously.

      March 10, 2013 at 10:51 am | Reply
  8. cody m

    Guns don't kill people someone has to point and physically pull the trigger there's no point of talking them away . Come on you think a psychotic person who wants to kill really thinks "O this a no gun zone I won't kill here". You have to stop the person not the gun.

    December 15, 2012 at 12:57 am | Reply
    • Clark

      Well if guns don't kill people..then why not allow people to own RPG launchers ? I don't they kill people either. And I bet it would be way more fun to fire them then the bushmaster...i even bet most RPG owners would use it lawfully...but then someone with bad thoughts would either steal, borrow or most likely just buy one and kill people....but that would leave the poor RPG collectors without their hobby....poor poor RPG collectors....I KNOW ...what if everyone had an RPG !! Yeaaa !! Problem solved.

      December 16, 2012 at 3:16 pm | Reply
    • Christopher Brown

      It's easier to get rid of the guns than the people who shoot them, more's the pity. Those who cling to their toys ought to take a walk through that blood-soaked school. No gun is worth the lives of our children, and all the lame-ass propaganda from the NRA and others can't make the ugly facts go away. The Land of the Free and the Home of the Frightened. I expect all these loonies were considered law-abiding citizens until they started blowing people away. There's no test. Get ride of the guns.

      December 16, 2012 at 8:17 pm | Reply
  9. zaeed

    great news dead usa children the champagne bottles in my house open. next time go into a irish american kindergarten and kill 200 children it would be so cool a bullet through the flate face of a child boom boom boom.

    December 15, 2012 at 7:13 am | Reply
    • Towel Head Detection System

      Warning!!!!!!!!............Warning!!!!!!!!!!!..............Warning!!!!!!!!!!!.............Towel Head detected!!!!!!!!!!!!!

      December 15, 2012 at 8:35 pm | Reply
    • Clark

      So how does it feel to be born in a country that just sucks ?

      December 16, 2012 at 3:07 pm | Reply
  10. Sally

    The news about another massaker with 20 dead children are terrible. If guns are not awailable, a person totally upset can't make use of his gun. The idea in mind or even spoken words: 'you should take a gun and shoot ..' is expressed, but isn't becoming true. So there is a time-span in the planning and the acutall phase of comitting a crime, that makes a difference. If we look at the mind of a person, there are sometimes obstacles to do certain things, doubts, lazyness, fears, problems and obstacles that postpone or delay certain wishes and ideas, let's take them seriously.
    Gun controll could start with a much stronger awareness about the safety of the storage of guns and the functioning of this weapons and even the meaning of death caused by such weapons. You needn't moralize it, but there are parents giving their kids pistols of plastic, which exactly look like real and they even have the weight of a revolver. Why shouldn't people be able talk to the police first, instead of having a gun at home for self-defense and use it? Killing a human being is never a 'good job.' Probably there is something else: if the community is convinced that something like 'evil' exists and this is used as an absolute term, then it is driven by much more fear than other communities, for which there are only bad and ugly things, used as adjectives and nobody is Mr. or Mrs Evil personally!

    December 15, 2012 at 8:23 am | Reply
    • Joe

      Sally asked: Why shouldn't people be able talk to the police first, instead of having a gun at home for self-defense and use it?

      Although the question boggles my mind (can anyone be this deluded? REALL?) I will answer.

      The simple answer is this: You are at home sleeping and an intruder enters your house with a knife and a club. He's coming up the stairs with intent to kill you. Do you A) call the police and wait the 2-3 minutes for them to get there and find your dead body. Run out of your house which may not even be possible if you are cornered and cut off from an exit. Or grab your gun and rely on your training to save your life shooting first and asking questions later? If you say anything but the last option you are a fool.

      December 16, 2012 at 10:17 am | Reply
  11. allthingsgeography1

    Reblogged this on All Things Geography.

    December 15, 2012 at 9:11 am | Reply
  12. Joe

    Stupid article, the guy in Conneticut had mental problems. The guy in Colorado had mental problems. The guy from Virginia had mental problems, and the author of the brilliant article above had mental problems. They wanted to kill people, they were going to kill people, and guns were only a means. They would have done it with bombs or knives (like the the man in china the same day) Can you imagine how many less children would have died if say even 5 of the teachers had concealed weapons permits?

    December 15, 2012 at 11:12 am | Reply
    • Gary Dee, Portland, Oregon

      In the China attack, 22 kids were slashed with the knife but nobody died.

      December 15, 2012 at 7:54 pm | Reply
      • Gary Dee, Portland, Oregon

        Meanwhile, in the Real World: why a legally armed law enforcement aspirant did NOT shoot at Clackamas Town Center ...

        http://www.kgw.com/news/Clackamas-man-armed-confronts-mall-shooter-183593571.html

        This man has some law enforcement training (my guess: likely at PCC, Sylvania Campus) and is more akin to police and military who train for battle ... a real life J. Walter Mitty would see their arms and legs turn to jelly rather than turn into James Bond or Dirty Harry like in the movies.

        December 15, 2012 at 7:58 pm |
    • Clark

      Can you imagine how many people would have died if this guy showed up at the school with a knife because all guns were banned in the United States ?

      December 16, 2012 at 3:04 pm | Reply
    • Christopher Brown

      How do you know they didn't?

      December 16, 2012 at 8:19 pm | Reply
  13. Rich

    Common sense dictates that more gun control will reduce incidents like Sandy Hook Elementary School. The goals of proposed "gun control" legislation in the US should be clearly defined to garner more widespread support. "Gun control" should not equal "eliminate all private gun ownership". Intelligent approaches would be to allow private gun ownership for personal protection at home, target shooting or hunting, but ban guns with auto-loading capability, ban concealed carry permits, require safe storage of guns when not in use (trigger locks, etc) and ban high capacity ammunition magazines. These steps would dramatically reduce dangerous situations but still allow gun sports to continue, as well as personal protection at home. Attempts to ban "all handguns" or "assault rifles" (whatever that means) will never go anywhere.

    December 15, 2012 at 11:40 am | Reply
  14. Kamil Zawadzki

    Reblogged this on Outspoken.

    December 15, 2012 at 8:00 pm | Reply
  15. I'm A Peaceful Gun

    I'm a peaceful gun. But you humans want to own me and use me to kill people. Why can't you humans leave us guns to live in peace???

    December 15, 2012 at 8:37 pm | Reply
  16. Gus

    Australia: In the 18 years before the passing of 1996 gun control laws there were 13 mass shootings. There have been none in the 16 years since.

    December 16, 2012 at 12:03 am | Reply
    • Joe

      Home invasions and other crimes increased. In fact in Britain when strict gun controls came into effect, knife assaults and stabbing (and home invasions) increased so drastically that parliament actually began to consider KNIFE REGISTRATION. That's how loony the anti gun crowd is. Treat the symptoms instead of the disease.

      December 16, 2012 at 10:08 am | Reply
    • Ulric

      You're more likely to be a victim of violent crime in the Uk or Australia than the US... and check australias violent crimes, as 'gun' incidents went down, attacks with knives increased correspondingly.
      Back home in the states... States such as california and the district of columbia show a disturbing trend of gun related violence despite very strict gun control.

      One person asked for stats on how 'guns' reduced or prevented violence.. first off you need to get everyone report the differences. Both the FBI and CDC report that many shootings in self defense are differentiated from attacks in the data collection.

      January 8, 2013 at 8:11 am | Reply
  17. Guy Cothran

    Well written and researched article. I agree entirely with the author. As for the argument that criminals will always be able to get guns, that is obviously true. But I'm not really worried about professional criminals going on a shooting rampage in a mall, school, or movie theater. The criminal class will use their weapons in their world, not in a public massacre. I would also think very few criminals would be willing to sell a weapon to someone they perceive might carry out a massacre; to them it's a business and that, not to be too crass about it, "would be bad for business."

    December 16, 2012 at 10:10 am | Reply
    • Joe

      What the?!?!?! Did you seriously just try to say that mobsters and professional criminals would be morally opposed to selling guns to low level criminals (which would then find their way into the hands of sickos)? Where do you think the guns on the street come from? Are you for real? Is this the kind of logic that the anti gun crowd brings to the table? I mean you might be a well intentioned person but if you believe ANYTHING you typed, then you are seriously deluded and are looking at the world through rose tinted lenses.

      December 16, 2012 at 10:22 am | Reply
  18. Sally46

    "Think about this: are there more lonely people in America compared with other countries? Are there, say, fewer depressed people in Asia and Europe?"

    The answers are yes and yes.

    http://www.google.com/imgres?q=percentage+of+depressed+people+throughout+the+world&um=1&hl=en&safe=off&sa=N&tbo=d&biw=1280&bih=593&tbm=isch&tbnid=iaFZqgpcd22sOM:&imgrefurl=http://davesbikeblog.squarespace.com/blog/2010/6/10/analyzing-depression.html&docid=qZrpd10Nt3arlM&imgurl=http://davesbikeblog.squarespace.com/storage/DepressionMap.bmp%253F__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION%253D1276173784926&w=450&h=444&ei=k-PNUOyeK9Gu0AGXzIHQAw&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=121&vpy=107&dur=1594&hovh=223&hovw=226&tx=71&ty=97&sig=103551960161325210733&page=1&tbnh=128&tbnw=130&start=0&ndsp=19&ved=1t:429,r:1,s:0,i:93

    December 16, 2012 at 10:16 am | Reply
  19. Joe

    Oh and one last thing. Anyone calling this article well researched is as ignorant as the article's writer (more likely he's not telling the whole story because it would ruin his point).

    He correctly mentions that the U.S has 88 guns per person. But Brazil has 8 guns per person and their homicide rate WITH GUNS is 3 times the U.S's. There are about 15 countries with FAR fewer guns per person than the U.S but a GREATER homicide rate WITH GUNS!!! But people like the author of this article conveniently leave this detail out to further their view. When you hand pick the stats you want to use from any study you totally destroy your own point. This article was intentionally deceptive.

    December 16, 2012 at 10:29 am | Reply
  20. Steve

    Numbers in this article show real picture with gun control in America and other countries.
    And it is time when reason and facts should prevail emotions: we need amend second amendment,
    which was acceptable more than 200 hundred years ago but the time has change and so
    our society.

    December 16, 2012 at 1:17 pm | Reply
  21. lanza is a jew

    to bad this white american 20 years old is a jew...he will give a bad name to our jewsih community

    December 16, 2012 at 4:29 pm | Reply
  22. Justin

    If you look at the graph attached to this article apparently the continent of Africa is one of the most gun free areas of the world. We all know how there are "never" any atrocities in Africa since they don't have those "nasty evil guns" right, oh wait they do on both counts. One does not need a gun to perform a horrible and violent act. Beyond that all statisics depend on someone actually reporting them and how they are reported. I'll bet that periods where police shoot criminals are included in the gun deaths just to help pad the stats since a gun killed someone. In addition what is another term for a police officer, a first responder. Note that, that means he is the first person to react to the crime, they are not called first preventers. They react to and investigate the crime that occurred hoping to deter future crime by that criminal by catching him after the fact. The citizens first line of defense has always been the citizen. But we don't want to take that responsibility and would rather continually cede our freedoms to the gov't. to protect us which has historically led to eventual tyranny.

    December 17, 2012 at 11:58 am | Reply
  23. Nana Bowman

    The problem is neither gun nor second amendment. We're abusing all kinds of good initiatives. The bigger picture here is who provides us with guns
    or massive destructive weapons, and where are those weapons made in. Made
    in China?

    December 17, 2012 at 12:56 pm | Reply
  24. Hate Wins

    The sick young man did not own any guns according to several posts. They were owned by his mother. Also I if want a gun all I needed in Dallas or New York a few years back was $400 of the old food stamp bills.
    As bad as this shooting was and always will be we must ask one final question.
    Which one of our rights as will follow the banning private ownership of fire arms? Freedom of Speech, Freedom of the Press, One Person One Vote and the list goes on. Take one away and ready to lose the rest.
    Not a good choice is it?
    Just remember.
    If you want a fully automatic rife today you just need to call the U.S. Attorney Generals Office and say I am a Mexican Drug Lord looking for more fire power.

    December 17, 2012 at 1:56 pm | Reply
  25. Just For Fun

    Muggings and assaults are on the rise in the U.K. and there are reports the Unarmed Bobbie will soon be a thing of the past.
    Could someone respond please?

    December 17, 2012 at 2:03 pm | Reply
  26. Just Think

    The ACLU made us take GOD and displain out of the schools and homes.
    WHAT DO YOU EXPECT.

    December 17, 2012 at 2:05 pm | Reply
    • Hahahahahahaah

      Yeah. And spelling and grammar too!!!!!!!! Were you beaten as a child? Hahahahahahahahaa

      December 17, 2012 at 3:47 pm | Reply
  27. necronn99

    UK HAS NO GUNS GO THERE FOOOLS

    December 17, 2012 at 6:34 pm | Reply
  28. Muin

    Since fox news exclusively target republican conservative audience, one can get the pulse of that specific audience. There just isn't enough votes for gun control or any kind of revenue increase.

    December 18, 2012 at 1:26 pm | Reply
  29. WorldNeedsPeace

    Could anyone please site me how many gun violence or gun mass murder were prevented by other civilians who own guns? if not then we could not say we need more guns to protect ourselves, because in fact, we are not. Things need to be reconsider when guns are doing the society more as a disservice rather than actually protecting us. Do pro-gunners really want guns to protect themselves? or are they just mad because they don't want to give up their hobby and toys?

    December 19, 2012 at 2:14 pm | Reply
  30. HerbB52

    9 Must see gun control statistics. http://www.ijreview.com/2012/12/26022-9-must-see-gun-control-statistics/

    December 19, 2012 at 11:25 pm | Reply
  31. HerbB52

    Switzerland is hardly a country to prove you should have gun control. http://www.snopes.com/politics/guns/switzerland.asp

    December 19, 2012 at 11:29 pm | Reply
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  33. brandon

    i believe in the right that mostly anyone can own a gun. except a convicted crinimal. also keep the gun(s) out of the reach of little kids.

    May 22, 2013 at 11:06 am | Reply

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