Gun debate audio

[willbrink]

NPR has an excellent series of audio debates on a program called Intelligence Squared. One of those is the "do guns reduce crime?" debate. The debating panel, instead of being made up of brain dead Brady Bunch supporters, actually has real experts in the field. On the pro side of the debate is Gary Kleck, John R. Lott, and Stephen Halbrook, gents to really know their sh$t and rip the anti side into small pieces as one would expect (me, biased?! No...). Any way, there other other topics of interest to listen to, but the gun debate is a must hear:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=96409853

General topics page:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6263392

 

[feedthehogs]

Its really not that hard to do.

The trick is to know your stuff and not allow the anti side to lead you off into another area.

A favorite ploy of debaters when they don't have facts but emotion as their basis.

After the 94 ban expired I did a debate with John Shanks from the Brady Center on NPR. It was about what the ban accomplished. It was very easy given the fact Shanks had nothing but emotional responses to the hosts questions since the facts didn't back up the Brady center policy.

A police chief and state law enforcement officer who were to be on the anti side, cancelled at the last minute. At least they were smart enough to know that hadn't a leg to stand on.

 

[willbrink]

You will find the anti debaters doing essentially the same thing. Making statements already disproved by the data, and or making statements for others like "the cop on the beat thinks X" and other nonsense. The opening statement from R. Gil Kerlikowske, Seattle chief of police, is nothing but falsehoods (proven falsehoods no less) and emotional BS which he finishes with the usual n= 1 emotional story about an old man who shoots through his door and kills some drunk kid

The level of intellectual dishonesty of Donohue,Helmke, Kerlikowske, is stunning. Did I expect otherwise? I guess not, but it's still amazing to hear.