Supreme Court says U.S. Constitution gives Americans right to own guns

Friday 27th June, 06:49 AM JST

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Kijimuna at 09:29 AM JST - 30th June

Sezwho, I don't think he was arguing causation. I think he was arguing that the ban did little to cut homicides, especially those involving guns. The causation argument is usually pushed by those in support of such bans.
Betzee at 09:42 AM JST - 30th June

I think he was arguing that the ban did little to cut homicides, especially those involving guns.

When you compare DC's crime rates to that of neighboring Baltimore, much more similar to DC demographically than that state of WV, one can make that claim. Over the same period their crimes rates were parallel and Baltimore never implemented such a ban.

It's very difficult, when dealing with crime, to demonstrate any type of causation in part owing to the lack of suitable control groups as well as factors like culture which are difficult to operationalize.

As Justice Breyer noted in his dissent: “The proposition that strict gun laws cause crime is harder to accept than the proposition that strict gun laws in part grow out of the fact that a nation already has a higher crime rate.”
Betzee at 09:52 AM JST - 30th June

Yes, a few trees are going to get wacked. But that is not the point.

You might feel differently if you or yours was the tree.

It's whether the forest is going to be enslaved by one tree. The forest has the right to take out the enslaving tree for the good of the forest.

Still no answer to my question of how you are suppose to accomplish anything on the job while simultaneously maintaining a high level of alert for co-worker meltdown (as apparently happened last week in Kentucky resulting in the deaths of six people including the shooter). The forest isn't going to grow under these circumstances.
Hughgarse at 02:38 PM JST - 30th June

NRA: "Guns don't kill people..." But they sure do help! Just pointing at someone and saying "bang" doesn't do much damage."

Yes, Eddie Izzard had a good point there..
Honen at 04:33 PM JST - 30th June

RedMeatKoolAid,

You conveniently neglect to mention that the murder rate was back down to 35.4 by 2005. Gun laws aside, most cities experienced a crime wave in the 90s that has since receded.
SezWho2 at 07:31 PM JST - 30th June

Kijimuna,

You could be right about that. However given that the overall murder rate increased by about 13% during the period in question, he made no argument to explain why there was a tripling of the murder rate in DC.

Likewise he did not show what the rate would have been had the gun ban not been in existence. So I think it is impossible for him to be arguing that the gun ban was not effective. He could say only say it did not solve the problem, not that it was ineffective.
Beelzebub at 07:51 PM JST - 30th June

Revolvers and automatics are vestiges of 19th and 20th century frontier life, not 21st century urban life. Like in so many other aspects of life -- such as the way they squander energy -- Americans are living in the past. Scant wonder why they're falling behind the rest of the civilized world.
Betzee at 11:01 PM JST - 30th June

By comparing Baltimore to Washington one can conclude that both the gun was ineffective and that private citizens in possession of guns also did little to decrease crime.

I believe if one ran the numbers, such as NYC did when it determined 4 or out 5 guns used in the commission of a crime in the Big Apple had been purchased south of the Mason-Dixon Line, one might come some measures which could reduce crime while maintaining the rights of gun owners. But the NRA seems so threatened by any change that they prefer to keep it a black and white issue.

"Outlaws," however, subsumes everyone from armed drug dealers to law abiding citizens who hit a run of bad luck and decide to exact revenge. It's not very helpful in preventing specific types of crime. After a visit by the SWAT to my work complex, we're not waiting for the government but trying to find ways to minimize the possibility a disgruntled employee, or former employee, showing up armed.
Kijimuna at 10:49 AM JST - 2nd July

Sezwho, I agree completely that the fact are murky when trying to sift through them for conclusions about the gun ban. The cause was crack cocaine. Some feel more comfortable dealing with that by criminalizing possession of handguns by anyone, others feel more comfortable by having their own or hiring armed guards, I guess. Too bad too many retrofit those preferences with fact. Personally, the longer I'm alive and the more government workers I meet, I abhor governmental paternalism increasingly.
nethanyahubush at 10:03 PM JST - 2nd July

Other countries too have a liberal gun policy yet there is much less gun involved crime than USA. As the saying goes it is not guns who kill people it is people who kill people and more precise it is American people. If they want to have guns and kill each other in their home turf. I do not have a problem with that. THe crime rate in US is comparable of a third world country it could be because US is perhaps a thrid world country in many ways.

List of countries by homicide rate per year per 100,000 inhabitants

USA. 5.7 Albania 5.68 Palestine 4.04 Phillipines 4.31 Canada 1.85 Japan 1.10

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Listofcountriesbyhomicide_rate

firearm-related death rate per 100,000 population in one year.

USA 3.72 France 0.44 Sweden 0.18

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Listofcountriesbyfirearm-relateddeathrate

Americans can have their guns and it is American people with guns who kill people.
JoeBigs at 10:10 PM JST - 2nd July

Tell me, how many folks could the Aussie have picked off from a water tower with that ax? Hmmmm not many......well if he were Thor then he may have gotten a few more. LOL

Only in American can ya own a high powered weapon for.....wink wink hunting...AK 47s were made fer hunting baby.....Hunting what is the question.....

As the rest of the civilized world sits in shock of the shear violence of America`s societies want for blood she just keeps killing in numbers. One click click, two click click.....how many click clicks does it take for America to wake up and see that assault weapons are not for hunting......The world may never know......

Let the fur fly is what I say mates!!!!!

So in the words of the jock strap President, bring it on.......

Brought to you by the NRA........
USARonin at 10:17 PM JST - 2nd July

I seem to've misplaced my post.

Anybody seen it chattin' with other posts elsewhere?

Anyway, JayBee, I think if you had your druthers and no alternative, you'd rather be hit with a round from these so-called "assault rifles" than one from a deer rifle.

By da by, they ain't "assault rifles". The press is dumbin' you down, mon ami.

USAR
niku at 07:49 PM JST - 3rd July

Who would want to change 2 centuries of tradition? I, mean, there was only dynamite and guns back then so why change now?
Zen_Builder at 08:15 PM JST - 3rd July

Would the Gun-Advocates, pls, give me their feelings on the recent "Horn" case in Texas and if he should have gotten free.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JoeHornshooting_controversy
Zen_Builder at 08:16 PM JST - 3rd July

Needs underscores after first and lastname.