Gun Nuts Are Safer

When you look at mass shootings, one thing is clear: the people who are shooting people are folks that buy guns to shoot people.

Statistics show that people who might be described as "Gun Nuts" are less likely to be involved in Mass Shootings than people who only want to be executioners.

In fact, almost ALL "Mass Shootings" are caused by people who have (relatively) NEVER used a firearm for hunting, or for competition, or for any other "Legitimate Gun Use",

Most frequently, they (a) just bought the gun, or (b) they just stole the gun, or (c) they just murdered a family member so they could steal the gun out of their gun safe.  Which doesn't say much for the "Safe Gun Retention" laws we're seeing a lot of, recently.





STATISTICS:

I took a course in Statistics in my Senior year (Part II) in College for no better reason than that I was trying to cram my academic schedule to avoid the draft.  I knew I was going to Viet Nam sooner or later, but 'later' was better.

I passed the course with a "C" average, despite the fact that I never turned in my homework assignments, and declined to take the mid-term examination.  My grade was solely based on my final exam, which I had crammed for in the 12 hours before the scheduled test.   Which totally reaffirmed my life-long opinion that "Statistics say whatever you want them to say".

Having said this, I'm amazed to discover that John Lott's latest survey of published Economists seems to agree with my personal view (very much based on 'feelings', rather than research) on the questions concerning the relationship between firearms possession and crime.

For North American researchers: 88% believe that guns are more frequently “used in self-defense than they are used in the commission of crime;” 91% believe that gun-free zones are “more likely to attract criminals than they are to deter them;” 72% do not believe that “a gun in the home causes an increase in the risk of suicide;” 91% say that “concealed handgun permit holders are much more law-abiding than the typical American;” and 81% say that permitted concealed handguns lower the murder rate. Including the researchers from Australia and Sweden lowers these percentages by between 3 and 8 percentage points, but the numbers are still quite high.  

You should go to the link to see the details)

Lot emailed a bunch of questions to published economists who deal with statistics as part of their daily "ho hum, what should I do today?  I know, I should look at numbers!" routine.

The survey was conducted via email.  Both North American (including Canadian) and International (including European) economists were included.  The details are available in the link.

Essentially, the majority of economists opined that firearms stopped more crime than they started, and that defensive uses of guns was a positive influence on the relationships between criminals and law-abiding citizens.

Sometimes, polled economists replied that they "didn't know" whether (for example) privately owned guns were a deterrent to crime.  When pressed to make a yes-or-no "judgement-call", the majority of the people who admit "I Don't Know" the answer to pointed questions came down on the side of "YES, guns in the hands of private citizens probably do stop more crimes than they abet".

And "NO, guns in the home do not cause more harm than good to the residents".  (Paraphrasing all questions, of course.)

Again, I'm dubious of:

• Economists
• Surveys
• Statistics
• People who register opinions even when they SAY they don't freaking know!

My personal survey is much less ... rigid.  I just look at the people I spend most of my time with, who are firearms owners.  They keep guns in their homes.  They don't shoot people.  They are not fearful; they're just dubious about the 'good intentions' of their neighbors, so they adhere to the philosophy: "Trust Everyone, and Always Count Your Change".

So none of my personal friends are murdering people, although they all have guns.  None of them have committed suicide.  They may have marital issues, but again ... firearms possession is not an issue in their interpersonal affairs.   In short, they're just normal, screwed up folks with no desire to go out in a furious blaze of gunfire.   (As a side-note: some of my friends and co-workers have expressed an interested in the shooting sports.  I've taken them to the range, let they shoot a bunch of guns, and they all enjoyed the outing.  Most have asked for a second "trip to the range")

Now, compare these profiles with the descriptions of all the Mall-Shootings and the idiot in California who couldn't decide whether to shoot people or run over them with his car .. so he did both.

As it happens, the people who do a LOT of shooting (competition, hunting, or just plinking) seem to be more sane and less dangerous than the IDIOTS who buy a gun or two or three for the sole purpose of separating total strangers from This Mortal Coil.

What's the common denominator?

There is none.  Gun Nuts are safer.