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Addressing Gun Violence, Yeah I'm Going There  

New2Midlo 54M
653 posts
3/28/2021 7:40 pm

Last Read:
6/12/2021 7:51 am

Addressing Gun Violence, Yeah I'm Going There


Stupid Fucking FriendFinder-x and its random word and number deletions. I'd say the algorithm was created by morons, but that wouldn't be fair... morons.

Actual entry in the comments.

Having plenty of time on my hands, along with recent events, has almost guaranteed me eventually wading into this topic. As a gun owner / enthusiast, a closet liberal, and non-extremist, I think I'm able to speak intelligently about firearms without venturing toward the fringe. This entry will consist of both my own observations and beliefs as well as non-cherry picked statistics. First, let me make it clear I'm appalled by the level of gun violence in the US. There are too many lives being taken as a result of bad actors and regardless of how the reader may interpret the following, I don't take any of it lightly. I'll admit, up front, that I think a ban of any kind would be fruitless and I'll explain why. Regardless, we have to view the subject dispassionately if we are to draw any meaningful conclusions.

Because there's a lot to unpack, I'm breaking the topic into parts. In this Part 1, we'll set the stage with some statistics and address some fallacies. Part 2 will talk about the evil black rifle, then finish big with how address gun violence.

Mass Homicides
We'll start with the stats on mass homicides (I may use mass shootings interchangeably, because it's easier type), which is defined as an event involving a firearm that results in four or more deaths. These events are the ones that grab the headlines and bring the most outrage. Mother Jones maintains an excellent database of these events, that includes a lot of detail on the shooter, weapon used, etc. Links that and the FBI database I'll refer will be at the end. Also, I've stopped with 2019, because with everyone under lockdown in 2020, there weren't really opportunities for mass anything.
The data says there have been 2 mass shootings since 1982, resulting in in a total of 918 deaths. If we break the data into time periods, an alarming trend emerges. Between 2000 and 2009, there were 171 mass shooting deaths, versus 482 the following decade. The number of mass shootings more than doubled as well. Because Mother Jones' database lists the firearms used in each event, we can determine how many deaths were the result of the shooter using an AR-15 / A military style rifle. Assuming any unspecified semiautomatic rifle to be an AR-15 or AK, that number for 20-2019 is 254, or half of the the deaths from mass shootings. The decade prior saw 5 mass shootings, using these weapons, with a death toll of 33, and 2 in the 80's, with a total death toll of 15. This is reflected in average number of deaths per event, which peaked in 2017 at almost 20, although it's been in the single digits since 2018. Clearly, the AR-15, along with the AK platform, represents a serious threat, with respect to mass shootings. I'll dig into the AR-15 in the second part because there's a lot about this gun I'm sure most aren't aware of.

Overall Firearm Related Homicides
Back to the stats. Before we jump to any conclusions, based on the mass homicides, let's put some context around them. According to FBI statistics, the total number of firearm related murders, from 20 through 2019, was 78,162. That's a pretty astonishing number, which we'll dig into a bit later, but the positive thing is it's been trending downward since 2017. If we compare mass homicides with total homicides, using firearms from 20 through 2019, the former represents roughly 0.6% of the total deaths noted above. Not even one percent of total firearm murders. Again, please don't take my comments as being dismissive, but the fact is that, while mass shootings get all the headlines, they're statistically a footnote in the bigger picture. Quite frankly, it would be dumb to base legislation on something of this magnitude, or lack thereof.
Digging into the FBI numbers a bit more, another story begins to emerge. The FBI statistics break down homicides by weapon. I'm happy to report strangulations are trending seriously downward, whereas murder using explosives is showing growth, although not quite, um, explosive growth. Firearms numbers are further broken down by type: handguns, rifles, shotguns, etc. There's also a category of 'Firearms, type not stated', which I find problematic, considering it's over a quarter of the total. Looking at unmanipulated numbers, in 2019, handguns represented 62% of the ,258 firearms related homicides, but were trending downward from 68% in 2013. Rifles were only 4%. Back the not specified bucket, I think it would be cherry picking not divvy that up a bit (although the Daily Caller had no issue doing so), knowing how much AR-15's have proliferated recently. I went with 20% for rifles, which caused them jump % of firearm homicides in 2019, or 1,020 fatalities. Taking supposition a step further, we'll err on the high side and say military style rifles account for 60% of that. Wrapping a bow on the stats, military style rifles only accounted for 6% of firearms related homicides in 2019. This is the first time when you ask yourself what impact banning such rifles would have on overall gun violence.

Moving on fallacies, there are I'd like cover. First is the assertion that it's easier get a gun now than ever and that guns are flooding the streets. This is complete horseshit. First, all fifty states now mandate some sort of<b> background </font></b>check (either with the state or the federal NICS system) purchase a handgun, regardless of where it's bought. That hasn't always been the case, with some states only recently enacting the requirement. As far as guns flooding the streets, I've heard those same words since the 90's; the same whistle over and over. Actually, since the beginning of last year, gun sales have been at record highs, driven by the pandemic, then the civil unrest, followed by a Democrat being elected president. I still don't see any on the streets, causing flooding. This does concern because of how many gun buyers during this period are first time buyers, who haven't had proper training available them, because of the pandemic. The impact from either accidental or intentional discharge of guns will increase in the near term; you can count on that.

That brings us the so-called gun show loophole. Essentially, this is an instance where one party buys a gun privately from another individual, without a<b> background </font></b>check It's supposedly rampant at gun shows, but that's horseshit as well. If you're selling guns at your table, you have be have an Federal Firearms License aka FFL or you're going jail and a gun show is a pretty public forum engage in such activities. Also, see previous explanation about required<b> background </font></b>checks. Can you prevent people from taking possession of a firearm without a<b> background </font></b>check? Of course not. A perfect example is a 38 Special I took possession of from my father, recently. It was his father's gun. Did my father have a<b> background </font></b>check when he inherited it? No. Did I? No. (To the ATF, if you're reading this - before you swoop down and kill my , I've undergone 7 fucking FBI<b> background </font></b>checks in the past 18 months, so you can fuck right the hell off.)

Stay tuned for Part 2

New2Midlo 54M
1075 posts
3/28/2021 7:41 pm

Some sexy thoughts for your Sunday night


Beavereator2 84M  
53 posts
3/28/2021 8:14 pm

Thank You, I will be waiting for part two, before I make a statement.
Thank You for the posting.


New2Midlo replies on 3/29/2021 7:30 am:
Thanks for reading. Part 2 is a roller coaster ride that I'll publish in a few days.

joewantssub 53M
38 posts
3/28/2021 8:15 pm

If you're a non extremist, what are the extremists like ! You sound like a brainwashed NRA gun nut to me.


New2Midlo replies on 3/28/2021 8:55 pm:
Curious why you say that. Care to back up what views you find extreme?

FYI, posting those stats and saying the rifle data was understated got me kicked from the r/progun

pagancountrygirl 66F
6466 posts
3/28/2021 9:27 pm

Interesting information. I'll be watching for Part II.

Pagan
Hmmmm....I know I left that wand around here somewhere!


lindoboy100 61M
23969 posts
3/29/2021 2:09 am

Interesting discussion McMid, looking forward to reading part 2.


in2oralfun69mm 76M

3/29/2021 5:31 am

Well not sure he’s brainwashed but joewantssub can be definitely be considered a moron look to where the violence takes place from time to time Chicago, Ill Obama state strictest gun laws in the nation and then add Philadelphia and your answer is more laws now who is brainwashed most criminals don’t buy guns in stores and the guy out in Colorado was on the FBI watch list how did he buy the gun yep need more laws


New2Midlo replies on 3/29/2021 7:28 am:
Not sure if I understood all of your comment (some punctuation would be helpful), but background checks will be in part two. Spoiler alert - CO uses a homegrown check system that doesn't query the FBI's terror watchlist. Had they been on the FBI's NICS system the watchlist would have flagged him.

Also, solid point on Chicago (which I use as context in Part 2), where you can't legally buy a gun, yet had 60% more murders last year than all mass shootings combined.

New2Midlo 54M
1075 posts
3/31/2021 4:18 pm

Having plenty of time on my hands, along with recent events, has almost guaranteed me eventually wading into this topic. As a gun owner / enthusiast, a closet liberal, and non-extremist, I think I'm able to speak intelligently about firearms without venturing toward the fringe. This entry will consist of both my own observations and beliefs as well as non-cherry picked statistics. First, let me make it clear I'm appalled by the level of gun violence in the US. There are too many lives being taken as a result of bad actors and regardless of how the reader may interpret the following, I don't take any of it lightly. I'll admit, up front, that I think a ban of any kind would be fruitless and I'll explain why. Regardless, we have to view the subject dispassionately if we are to draw any meaningful conclusions.

Because there's a lot to unpack, I'm breaking the topic into two parts. In this Part 1, we'll set the stage with some statistics and address some fallacies. Part 2 will talk about the evil black rifle, then finish big with how to address gun violence.

Mass Homicides
We'll start with the stats on mass homicides (I may use mass shootings interchangeably, because it's easier to type), which is defined as an event involving a firearm that results in four or more deaths. These events are the ones that grab the headlines and bring the most outrage. Mother Jones maintains an excellent database of these events, that includes a lot of detail on the shooter, weapon used, etc. Links to that and the FBI database I'll refer to will be at the end. Also, I've stopped with 2019, because with everyone under lockdown in 2020, there weren't really opportunities for mass anything.
The data says there have been 102 mass shootings since 1982, resulting in in a total of 918 deaths. If we break the data into time periods, an alarming trend emerges. Between 2000 and 2009, there were 171 mass shooting deaths, versus 482 the following decade. The number of mass shootings more than doubled as well. Because Mother Jones' database lists the firearms used in each event, we can determine how many deaths were the result of the shooter using an AR-15 / AK. military style rifle. Assuming any unspecified semiautomatic rifle to be an AR-15 or AK, that number for 2010-2019 is 254, or half of the the deaths from mass shootings. The decade prior saw 5 mass shootings, using these weapons, with a death toll of 33, and 2 in the 80's, with a total death toll of 15. This is reflected in average number of deaths per event, which peaked in 2017 at almost 20, although it's been in the single digits since 2018. Clearly, the AR-15, along with the AK platform, represents a serious threat, with respect to mass shootings. I'll dig into the AR-15 in the second part because there's a lot about this gun I'm sure most aren't aware of.

Overall Firearm Related Homicides
Back to the stats. Before we jump to any conclusions, based on the mass homicides, let's put some context around them. According to FBI statistics, the total number of firearm related murders, from 2012 through 2019, was 78,162. That's a pretty astonishing number, which we'll dig into a bit later, but the positive thing is it's been trending downward since 2017. If we compare mass homicides with total homicides, using firearms from 2012 through 2019, the former represents roughly 0.6% of the total deaths noted above. Not even one percent of total firearm murders. Again, please don't take my comments as being dismissive, but the fact is that, while mass shootings get all the headlines, they're statistically a footnote in the bigger picture. Quite frankly, it would be dumb to base legislation on something of this magnitude, or lack thereof.
Digging into the FBI numbers a bit more, another story begins to emerge. The FBI statistics break down homicides by weapon. I'm happy to report strangulations are trending seriously downward, whereas murder using explosives is showing growth, although not quite, um, explosive growth. Firearms numbers are further broken down by type: handguns, rifles, shotguns, etc. There's also a category of 'Firearms, type not stated', which I find problematic, considering it's over a quarter of the total. Looking at unmanipulated numbers, in 2019, handguns represented 62% of the 10,258 firearms related homicides, but were trending downward from 68% in 2013. Rifles were only 4%. Back to the not specified bucket, I think it would be cherry picking to not divvy that up a bit (although the Daily Caller had no issue doing so), knowing how much AR-15's have proliferated recently. I went with 20% for rifles, which caused them to jump to 10% of firearm homicides in 2019, or 1,020 fatalities. Taking supposition a step further, we'll err on the high side and say military style rifles account for 60% of that. Wrapping a bow on the stats, military style rifles only accounted for 6% of firearms related homicides in 2019. This is the first time when you ask yourself what impact banning such rifles would have on overall gun violence.

Moving on to fallacies, there are two I'd like to cover. First is the assertion that it's easier to get a gun now than ever and that guns are flooding the streets. This is complete horseshit. First, all fifty states now mandate some sort of background check (either with the state or the federal NICS system) to purchase a handgun, regardless of where it's bought. That hasn't always been the case, with some states only recently enacting the requirement. As far as guns flooding the streets, I've heard those same words since the 90's; the same dog whistle over and over. Actually, since the beginning of last year, gun sales have been at record highs, driven by the pandemic, then the civil unrest, followed by a Democrat being elected president. I still don't see any on the streets, causing flooding. This does concern me because of how many gun buyers during this period are first time buyers, who haven't had proper training available to them, because of the pandemic. The impact from either accidental or intentional discharge of guns will increase in the near term; you can count on that.

That brings us to the so-called gun show loophole. Essentially, this is an instance where one party buys a gun privately from another individual, without a background check. It's supposedly rampant at gun shows, but that's horseshit as well. If you're selling guns at your table, you have to be have an Federal Firearms Licence (FF or you're going to jail and a gun show is a pretty public forum to engage in such activities. Also, see previous explanation about required background checks. Can you prevent people from taking possession of a firearm without a background check? Of course not. A perfect example is a 38 Special I took possession of from my father, recently. It was his father's gun. Did my father have a background check when he inherited it? No. Did I? No. (To the ATF, if you're reading this - before you swoop down and kill my dog, I've undergone 7 fucking FBI background checks in the past 18 months, so you can fuck right the hell off.)

Stay tuned for Part 2


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