Explore The NRA Universe Of Websites

APPEARS IN News

More Gun Control Equals Lower Firearm Fatality Rates?

Friday, November 22, 2013

An article on the PolicyMic website, written by Brian Frydenborg, who identified himself as a former "Peace Operations" student in college, makes a number of scholarly-sounding claims.  First, it says that "studies" show that "[s]tates with more gun regulations had lower rates of gun deaths, and states with less gun laws had higher gun death rates, both in terms of suicide and homicide."  It also asserts that the "10 states with the weakest gun laws had over twice the rate of gun violence as the 10 states with the strongest gun laws," and that "the presence of gun laws in states had a strong correlation with less gun violence."  It even goes on to insist that "the number one determining factor in gun suicide rates by state was not mental health issues, but gun ownership. What counts as "strong laws," of course, was defined by gun control supporters.

Frydenborg concludes, "If you think I’m wrong, the burden of proof is on you to provide counter-evidence."

On the latter point, we have to say "not really." In this country, the burden of proof is not upon those who wish to exercise rights, it is upon those who wish to restrict them.

As to the claims made in those various "studies," even the most casual reader can recognize their common flaw right off the bat. Even if a gun control law reduced firearm-related murders and suicides, it would mean nothing if people intent on committing murder and suicide achieved their objectives by other means.

And that is precisely what many of them do.

According to the most recent data from the FBI (2012), states that have relatively higher firearm murder rates generally also have relatively higher non-firearm murder rates. Of the 12 states that had firearm murder rates higher than the national rate, seven were among the 12 states that had the highest non-firearm murder rates. Of the 10 states with the lowest firearm murder rates, eight were among the states with the lowest non-firearm murder rates.

Similarly, according to the most recent data (2010) from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, of the 20 states that had firearm homicide rates that were higher than the national rate, 16 were among the 20 states that had the highest non-firearm homicide rates. The 10 states that had the highest firearm murder rates all had non-firearm murder rates higher than the national rate. Eight of the 10 states with the lowest firearm murder rates were among the 10 states that had the lowest non-firearm murder rates.

Of the 10 states with the highest firearm suicide rates, five were among the 10 states with the highest non-firearm suicide rates. Illustrating how people who are intent on committing suicide will do so by whatever means are available, Hawaii, which has perhaps the lowest firearm ownership rate among the states, had the highest non-firearm suicide rate in the country, 4.6 times higher than its firearm suicide rate.

What’s next? A study pretending to show that the first murders and suicides took place only after the invention of firearms in the 13th century?

TRENDING NOW
Kamala for Gun Confiscation: In Her Own Words

News  

Monday, September 16, 2024

Kamala for Gun Confiscation: In Her Own Words

During the September 10 presidential debate, President Donald Trump correctly highlighted Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris’s support for gun confiscation. A visibly defensive Harris claimed, “We're not taking anybody's guns away. So stop with the ...

Federal District Court Strikes Down IL’s “Assault Weapon” and “Large-Capacity Magazine” Bans in NRA-Supported Case

Saturday, November 9, 2024

Federal District Court Strikes Down IL’s “Assault Weapon” and “Large-Capacity Magazine” Bans in NRA-Supported Case

Today, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois struck down provisions of the Protect Illinois Communities Act (PICA) that prohibit “assault weapons” and “large-capacity magazines” in an NRA-supported case, Barnett v. Raoul.

NRA Files Official Protest to Bears Ears Shooting Closure

News  

Monday, November 4, 2024

NRA Files Official Protest to Bears Ears Shooting Closure

On Friday, NRA-ILA and other sportsmen’s groups filed a formal protest against the Biden-Harris administration’s plan to close recreational shooting access to 1.3 million acres in the Bears Ears National Monument in Utah.

Kamala Harris’s 2020 Running Mate Calls Trump Supporters “Garbage”

News  

Monday, November 4, 2024

Kamala Harris’s 2020 Running Mate Calls Trump Supporters “Garbage”

America hasn’t heard much from Joe Biden recently. You remember … Joe Biden?

Kamala Harris’ Record on Gun Control and Second Amendment

News  

Thursday, October 3, 2024

Kamala Harris’ Record on Gun Control and Second Amendment

Vice President Kamala Harris has consistently campaigned for draconian gun control laws, which severely limit the rights of lawful gun owners.

NRA Scores Legal Victory Against ATF; “Pistol Brace Rule” Enjoined From Going Into Effect Against NRA Members

Monday, April 1, 2024

NRA Scores Legal Victory Against ATF; “Pistol Brace Rule” Enjoined From Going Into Effect Against NRA Members

NRA Members Among the Largest Class Protected from Draconian Rule

NRA Scores Legal Victory Against ATF: Eighth Circuit Holds “Pistol Brace Rule” Arbitrary and Capricious

Friday, August 9, 2024

NRA Scores Legal Victory Against ATF: Eighth Circuit Holds “Pistol Brace Rule” Arbitrary and Capricious

NRA-ILA secured a significant victory today, as the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals enjoined enforcement of the ATF’s “Pistol Brace Rule” in Firearms Regulatory Accountability Coalition, Inc. v. Garland.

NRA’s Political Victory Fund Endorses President Donald J. Trump

News  

Saturday, May 18, 2024

NRA’s Political Victory Fund Endorses President Donald J. Trump

Today, the National Rifle Association's Political Victory Fund (NRA-PVF) is honored to announce its full endorsement of President Donald J. Trump for re-election to a second term as President of the United States of America. ...

Massachusetts: Gov. Healey Forces Gun Control Law Into Effect

Tuesday, October 1, 2024

Massachusetts: Gov. Healey Forces Gun Control Law Into Effect

Governor Maura Healey, one of the nation's most extreme anti-gun politicians, has forced H. 4885 into law.

The Choice is Clear: OPPOSE Kamala Harris and Her Extreme Anti-Gun Record

News  

Monday, November 4, 2024

The Choice is Clear: OPPOSE Kamala Harris and Her Extreme Anti-Gun Record

Kamala Harris has made it an easy choice for gun owners on November 5.

MORE TRENDING +
LESS TRENDING -

More Like This From Around The NRA

NRA ILA

Established in 1975, the Institute for Legislative Action (ILA) is the "lobbying" arm of the National Rifle Association of America. ILA is responsible for preserving the right of all law-abiding individuals in the legislative, political, and legal arenas, to purchase, possess and use firearms for legitimate purposes as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.