Fyi

[carl]

http://biz.yahoo.com/ibd/050111/issues_1.html

[GoodOlBoy]

Shot In The Dark
Tuesday January 11, 7:00 pm ET
Ibd


Crime: The most pre-eminent scientific group in America has produced a definitive analysis of our decades-long experience with gun control and shattered what has become an article of faith among proponents.
The 328-page report by the National Academy of Sciences is based on 253 journal articles, 99 books, 43 government publications, a survey of 80 gun-control laws and some of its own independent study.

It could find no evidence to support the conclusion that government restrictions on firearms reduces gun crime, gun violence and gun accidents.

As noted by John Lott Jr., resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute and frequent contributor to this page, this stunning indictment of the ineffectiveness of gun-control laws was produced by a panel set up during the Clinton administration. All but one of its members were known before their appointments to favor gun control. No NRA shills here.

Lott credits the report for pointing out the obvious: Criminals who use guns to break laws will break laws to use guns. He also notes that the report failed to include in its analysis how gun-ownership restrictions may restrict defensive uses of firearms and endanger potential victims.

Hale DeMar of Wilmette, Ill., recently faced criminal charges for the successful defense of his family from a felon who invaded his home not once, but twice. Seems he violated Wilmette's handgun ban.

Suppose DeMar obeyed the ban and the outcome was different. Suppose the family was slain by the intruder. Instead of DeMar facing up to a year in jail, a $2,500 fine for not having an Illinois Firearms Owners Identification Card and a $750 fine for violating Wilmette's handgun ban, the morning headlines would have read something like, "Family Slain -- Police Have Few Clues."

In November 2001, the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) did a study based on interviews with more than 18,000 state and federal inmates. It found that nearly 80% of those interviewed got their guns from friends or family members, or on the street through illegal purchases. Less than 9% were bought at retail outlets, and just seven-tenths of 1% came from those infamous gun shows.

In October 2003, a task force of scientists appointed by the Centers for Disease Control conducted a sweeping study of the nation's gun-control laws. Included in the review were mandatory waiting periods and bans on certain weapons. All told, 51 published studies about the effectiveness of eight types of gun-control laws were analyzed.

In each case, the task force found "insufficient evidence to determine effectiveness." In other words, the scientists found no proof gun-control reduces violence.

So what is reducing the crime rate? Increased prosecution for the use of guns in criminal acts, for starters. The BJS study noted that about 40% of state inmates and 56% of federal inmates were given additional time because of their firearm use.

Deterrence is another factor. Glen Otero of the Claremont Institute reports that where U.S. counties have enacted conceal-carry laws, murder rates fell by 8%, rape by 5% and aggravated assault by 7%, with the biggest declines in urban counties.

One thing is for sure: No criminal will ever break into Hale DeMar's home again

For our memebers who don't follow off board links here is a copy.

GoodOlBoy