Would Banning Firearms Reduce Murder and Suicide?

[Sky]

Worth a read on a rainy day; not the usual drivel.

http://www.law.harvard.edu/students/orgs/jlpp/Vol30_No2_KatesMauseronline.pdf

“data on firearms
ownership by constabulary area in England,” like data
from the United States, show “a negative correlation,” that is,
“where firearms are most dense violent crime rates are lowest,
and where guns are least dense violent crime rates are highest.”

Table 1: European Gun Ownership and Murder Rates
(rates given are per 100,000 people and in descending order)

Nation | Murder Rate | Rate of Gun Ownership
Russia | 20.54 [2002] | 4,000
Luxembourg | 9.01 [2002] | c. 0
Hungary | 2.22 | [2003] | 2,000
Finland | 1.98 [2004] | 39,000
Sweden | 1.87 [2001] | 24,000
Poland | 1.79 [2003] | 1,500
France | 1.65 [2003] | 30,000
Denmark | 1.21 [2003] | 19,000
Greece | 1.12 [2003] | 11,000
Switzerland | 0.99 [2003] | 16,000
Germany | 0.93 [2003] | 30,000
Norway | 0.81 [2001] | 36,000
Austria | 0.80 [2002] | 17,000

Notes: This table covers all the Continental European nations for which the two data sets given are both available. In every case, we have given the homicide data for 2003 or the closest year thereto because that is the
year of the publication from which the gun ownership data are taken. Gun ownership data comes from GRADUATE INSTITUTE OF INTERNATIONAL STUDIES, SMALL ARMS SURVEY 64 tbl.2.2, 65 tbl.2.3 (2003).


While American rates stabilized and then
steeply declined, however, Russian murder increased so drastically
that by the early 1990s the Russian rate was three times
higher than that of the United States. Between 1998‐2004 (the latest
figure available for Russia),

 

[SharpsDressedMan]

Kind of goes out of whack if you try to factor in the Mideast or African countries. Oh, and don't forget those countries where guns are banned, but the governments engage in genocide or mass murder..............

 

[Sky]

Kind of goes out of whack if you try to factor in the Mideast or African countries. Oh, and don't forget those countries where guns are banned, but the governments engage in genocide or mass murder..............

Not to mention Mexico~

 

[T Bran]

I'd like to see it seperated into two groups murder vs suicide.
While it is easy to hit someone else in the head with a hammer and kill them it is much more difficult to get a good swing on yourself.
Just a thought.
T

 

[BobTheTomato]

No. That being said a lot of people confuse correlation with causation.

 

[MrDig]

The City of Minneapolis has more Gourmet Coffee Shops per Ca pita than the City of Saint Paul. The City of Minneapolis also has a Higher Murder Rate per Ca Pita than the City of Saint Paul. Closing Coffee shops will not help the Murder rate.
I have no statistics regarding suicide.
I am also reminded of "All in the Family" and a particular episode about gun control. Gloria asks if Archie knows how many people are killed by Guns each year, Archie replies, "And you would feel better if they were pushed out of windows?"
State of mind and propensity for violence do not specifically correlate to gun ownership by legal owners.

 

[pbearperry]

If all guns were banned it would reduce murders and suicides by guns.However,I suspect the numbers would most likely be the same or higher.They would just use other items.

 

[Carl Levitian]

Any brief study of human history will show that people were being killed en-mass long before firearms were invented. How many people were killed by swords, arrows, clubs, whatever. How many were killed during the crusades?

Somehow, man will figure out how to kill even if there were no guns around at all. Heck, how many are shanked each year in prisons?

Carl.

 

[The War Wagon]

No.

 

[bubbacrabb]

I don't think suicide should even come up with guns. If a guy wants to check out and is serious about it not having a gun will just result in another method. I've had a few friends that were selfish enough to do it. Every year I sit thru classes on suicide since my profession is the 2nd highest in suicide next to dentists. Men are statistically more successful because they usually do use a gun, but I think you'll most likely just see guys getting creative if you took guns away.

 

[Owen Sparks]

Why don't they just make murder and suiside illegal?

 

[bigfatdave]

Would Banning Firearms Reduce Murder and Suicide?

HOW exactly would banning any particular object reduce violent crime and voluntary self-elimination?

 

[Ragnar Danneskjold]

 

[Agsalaska]

Why don't they just make murder and suiside illegal?

Absolutely. That will fix it

 

[thump_rrr]

Banning guns will not reduce either murder or suicides.
Stricter storage laws will however reduce accidental deaths in which children are involved.

 

[Manson]

No. But it would cause a big change in tools used.

 

[OARNGESI]

bubbacrab,

dentist have the highest suicide rate?

 

[Sav .250]

Makes you wonder how folks got it done before or where there`s a will. there`s a way.

 

[beatledog7]

I teach argumentative writing, and I can report without reservation that it's difficult for most of my students to recognize what is a cause and what is an effect. They have trouble distinguishing among facts, assumptions, whims, etc. Their critical thinking muscles are there, but they've never been flexed. Fixing this is what I find myself focusing on every term.

Since my students are a pretty good cross-section of the non-degreed, aged 25-45 population, I'd conclude (granted, without empirical study to verify it) that most American adults not specifically trained in logic and argument don't have the vaguest idea how to judge the voracity of they're reading/hearing in the news. However, once given the understanding of how to use their minds, they see the light.

Groups who use various media to forward their agendas are counting on audiences not being able to discern when they're being deceived, and they're usually going to get their way.

 

[CDW4ME]

Suicide: if someone is obviously at the end of their life due to cancer, age, ect... why should they have to spend the last week at hospice or in a hospital?
I don't see it as selfish to want to avoid the drawn out inevitable.

 

[Skyshot]

When has any law that tries to legislate the worst of human behavior, ever worked.

 

[tri70]

Suicide and murder are actions used by tools, the data targets 1 type of tool. It does not include all tools used or all murders by type, drowning, stabbing beaten or the amount of crime per capita. Austraila crime jump significantly and so did European crime took a big jump. The gun death dropped but the big question is, "How did it affect crime?"

Great Britan is 2nd to the US;

http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/cri_tot_cri-crime-total-crimes

 

[markdaniel]

Drugs are outlawed that really reduces crime,murder and suicide I am sure.

 

[Tipro]

When has any law that tries to legislate the worst of human behavior, ever worked.

Don't know if it's the "worst" of human behavior, but stricter laws and increased awareness about drunk driving have been very successful.

 

[303tom]

No !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!