The Goal of the Democrat "Conversation" About Gun Violence Will Result in More Violence, Not Less - Granite Grok

The Goal of the Democrat “Conversation” About Gun Violence Will Result in More Violence, Not Less

russia- Fewer guns, more homicides
Fewer guns, more homicides

The Democrat “conversation” about gun violence is dangerous.  It is dangerous because in its obsessive tunnel-vision group-think it purposefully ignores all acts of violence and their escalation in the absence of armed, law abiding citizens.

From NPR

There are fewer than 13 million firearms in circulation in Russia, compared with an estimated 300 million in the United States. That works out to about 9 guns per 100 people in Russia and closed to 100 guns per 100 people in America.

The most recent for Russia show that there were 21,603 killings in 2009.

According to the FBI, the United States had 13,636 homicides in 2009 with a population that is more than twice as large. More than 80 percent of those killings were gun-related.

It’s difficult to make a direct comparison of gun homicides in the two countries because Russia doesn’t break down its murder statistics.

Three observations.

First, the FBI data for 2009 that I looked at show 13,752 homicides, only 67% of which were firearm related.

Second, who cares if Russia can’t break down its murder statistics, isn’t a homicide a homicide?  If you are honestly concerned about violence and violent death it should be more important to look at what prevents or reduces homicides (robberies, rapes, murders, theft) instead of just parroting an anti-gun agenda that ignores facts in favor of rhetoric.

Third, and to NPR’s credit this is the point of the entire article, Russia has very strict–we’ll call them–anti-gun violence laws (to borrow the phrase from their leftist American friends), just like Chicago, Illinois USA.  And just like Chicago, they have significantly fewer private gun owners, and significantly more violent crime including murder.  That is not a coincidence.

Russia has tough gun laws on the books. It’s illegal for Russian citizens to own automatic and semi-automatic guns. It’s possible to apply for a handgun or shotgun license, though citizens are required to provide reasons such as hunting or target shooting.

Applicants face strict background checks, including criminal history, a full psychological evaluation and a medical exam. They must pass a test on firearm laws and safety.

Each weapon is then registered by the police during a home visit. Police take bullet patterns, test bullets and cartridges so bullets can be matched if the gun is used in a crime. A license lasts five years, after which applicants must go through the whole process again.

In spite of these laws, the country does have periodic mass shootings by people thought to be mentally ill.

Russia seems to be well ahead of the curve on converting their gun violence narrative into the disarming of the populace, but as we’ve seen in big American cities, these so-called gun-violence laws actually result in significantly more violence.

If the goal, in all honesty, is to reduce violence, to save lives and families, then the data both here and abroad tells us that any conversation which results in regulatory acts that reduce or limit the ability of law abiding citizens to lawfully carry a firearm is contrary to that purpose.

Fewer armed citizens equals more violence and more homicide.

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