Op-Ed – Gun Control: Myths, Facts and Reality

There have been an unfortunate number of tragic shootings in our country. The Newtown, CT shooting was truly horrible. But with each event comes a demand for more gun control. But is more control the answer? The outcries are too often based on misinformation and myth. Politicians immediately jump on the bandwagon with “feel good” initiatives that will accomplish little or nothing and deflect fixing the problem and finding the real solution.
Let’s separate fact and myth and seek some intelligent solutions. The facts that follow are derived from data supplied by the U.S. Center for Disease Control and the Department of Justice along with the Annenberg Public Policy Institute. Nothing from the NRA, the Violence Policy Center or the Brady Initiative has been used. Analysis of gun laws was derived from a book written by J. Scott Kappas, Esq. “Firearms Laws of the Fifty States.”
First, some data: It is estimated that there are about 310 million guns in this country divided equally between handguns, rifles and shotguns. On average there are about 10 firearms deaths per 100,000 of population. Of these, 5.8 are suicides and 4.2 are homicides. The rate of violent crime is down although the rate of suicides is up.
Now for some of the myths.
Myth One: Tight gun laws equal a low firearms homicide rate. This is false. There is no correlation between tight gun laws and a low rate of firearms homicides. The tightest gun laws are in Washington, D.C. But our nation’s capitol has far and away the highest rate of firearms deaths. Vermont, with no gun laws has an extremely low firearms homicide rate. While there are some correlations between tight gun laws and a low firearms death rate, there are an equal number of inverse correlations. In other states where there initially appears to be a correlation (such as New Jersey), drilling down by county or city shows that tough gun laws have no affect on firearms homicides in certain cities or counties.
Myth Two: States with a high rate of firearms ownership have a high rate of gun deaths. False. Just as above there is only a very limited correlation.
Myth Three: ‘Stand Your Ground” laws promote firearms violence. False. There is no correlation between firearms violence and the right of self-defense. In the oft-cited Florida case of George Zimmerman and Trayvon Martin, that defense was never claimed.
Myth Four: States that allow concealed carry of firearms have higher firearms homicide rates. This is false. Less than 0.5 percent of persons with permits to carry concealed weapons have committed gun related felonies.
Myth Five: Banning military style assault rifles will lessen gun homicides. False. This was tried from 1994-2004 and, according to the Department of Justice, had no affect on gun related deaths. Adam Lanza, the deranged killer in Newtown, CT, was reported to have used an assault weapon. This too is false. In fact he had stolen one from his mother but never used it.
Myth Six: Banning high capacity magazines will reduce firearms homicides. This is probably false. There is no good data on this one way or the other. But logically, the difference between a 10 round capacity magazine and a 15 round one is academic.
Myth Seven: Registration of guns will cause a reduction in firearms homicides. This is highly questionable. By definition a criminal is unlikely to register a gun while only the law-abiding citizen will do so. Unless the goal is future gun confiscation, a fear of many, registration will have no positive impact on homicides by firearm.
Myth Eight: Gun violence falls equally across the population. This is manifestly false. The firearms homicide rate as a whole for the country is 4.2 per 100,000 of population. Black males under the age of 21, in major urban areas, have up to a 20 times greater likelihood of dying from a gun than the population as a whole.
Myth Nine: Closing the so-called “Gun Show Loophole” would significantly reduce firearms homicides. This is also false. A survey, of violent criminals by the U.S. Bureau of Prisons, revealed that only 1.3 percent of them acquired firearms through gun shows or flea markets. The vast majority acquired guns from other felons or simply stole them.
Finally, Myth Ten: A “Gun Free School Zone” sign will deter the mentally deranged killer intent on making a name for themselves. The facts speak for themselves. It has been clear in the tragic school shootings that where administrators relied on such measures, they have been sadly mistaken. Only where there is a promise of immediate armed response will such a deviant avoid a so-called “soft target.”
But what could work?
The background checking process for gun purchases and the acquisition of a carry permit should be expanded to include data on mental health. Persons who were clearly mentally ill have carried out virtually all of the mass killings. In the absence of a gun they used knives.
Placing armed school resource officers (police or deputies) in schools or arming selected personnel would make a potential criminal think twice before attacking a school or other “soft target.”
Finally, we have too little training in firearms safety. Too often, a carry permit is issued (or a firearm purchased) with only minimal (or no) training. A full day of rigorous training, by a highly qualified instructor, split between the classroom and the range should be the absolute minimum for the acquisition of a carry permit or even the purchase of a firearm.
As in all cases, there are no easy choices only a selection of the best alternatives based on hard analysis of the facts.
Bill Dahms is a retired bank executive. A resident of Florida he spends the summer in Avalon. He is a member of both the ACLU and the NRA.