gun

The results are in: More guns sold mean fewer guns deaths, injuries

Sunday, December 30, 2012 by: J. D. Heyes
Tags: gun sales, crime statistics, Second Amendment

Pin It
(NaturalNews) It isn't a firearms statistic that liberal progressives and gun banners like California Sen. Dianne Feinstein will want to hear but it's true nonetheless: According to the most recent statistics, the more guns that have been sold in the Golden State, the fewer gun deaths and injuries there have been.

According to the state's office of the Attorney General, gun dealers sold around 600,000 guns last year, nearly double the 350,000 sold in 2002, according to figures compiled by department officials.

During the same period of time, however, "the number of California hospitalizations due to gun injuries" fell by some 4,000 a year to roughly 2,900, a drop of about 25 percent, "according to hospital records collected by the California Department of Public Health," the Sacramento Bee reported.

Meanwhile, the attorney general's office said, the number of deaths from firearms fell from 3,200 a year to about 2,800, an 11 percent decline, according to California health department figures.

"Most of the drop in firearm-related injuries and deaths can be explained by a well-documented, nationwide drop in violent crime," the paper said.

California's example is being repeated all over the country

There's more. Data show that the number of injuries and death in the state caused by accidental discharge of firearms has fallen as well, suggesting as one explanation, perhaps, that instruction in the use of firearms may have improved (Note: California allows concealed carry of handguns, but is much more restrictive than most other states, according to USACarry.com).

There are some caveats to the California figures, the SacBee reported. For one, state figures track gun sales, now gun ownership, meaning the state treats "a family's first gun purchase the same as a collector's twelfth." Secondly, gun sales in California reached their zenith in the mid-1990s, when violent crime also peaked.

What is going on in California is being repeated all over the country - again, to the chagrin of gun-banning politicians, Hollywood types, academics and the mainstream media, the latter of which barely reports the phenomenon.

Gun-related violent crime has also steadily fallen in Virginia over the past six years, though the sale of firearms has risen dramatically, "according to an analysis of state crime data with state records of gun sales," the Richmond Times-Dispatch reported.

The total number of guns bought in the Old Dominion climbed significantly - 73 percent - from 2006-2011. When you factor in the increase in state population, firearms sales per 100,000 residents rose 63 percent, still a substantial increase.

But higher numbers of guns has not translated into more violent gun crime. As in California, gun crime has fallen in Virginia, dropping 24 percent over the same period. When adjusted for the population increase, gun-related offenses fell by more than 27 percent, from 79 crimes per 100,000 in 2006 to 57 crimes in 2011 (Note: Virginia has much less restrictive carry laws than does California).

The numbers contradict what Americans are being told by the gun controllers and banners; that more guns in circulation equals more violent, gun-related crimes, notes Virginia Commonwealth University Prof. Thomas R. Baker, who compared the state's crime data for the aforementioned timeframe with gun-dealer sales estimates obtained by the Times-Dispatch.

Concealed carry is helping to lower crime, deaths

"While there is a wealth of academic literature attempting to demonstrate the relationship between guns and crime, a very simple and intuitive demonstration of the numbers seems to point away from the premise that more guns leads to more crime, at least in Virginia," said Baker, who specializes in research methods and criminology theory and has an interest in gun issues, the paper said.

Gun control advocates refused to accept the reality of the data, but those who understand the effects of more Americans accepting responsibility for their own self-defense weren't surprised.

"My opponents are constantly saying, 'If you got more guns on the street, there's going to be more crime.' It all depends on who has the handgun," said Philip Van Cleave, president of the Virginia Citizens Defense League and an avid gun rights supporter. "As long as it's going into the hands of people like you or me, there's not going to be a problem. Criminals are going to continue to get their guns no matter what."

Emily Miller, the editorial page editor for the Washington Times, pointed out in June that the drop in gun crime and armed violent criminal action has directly coincided with a rise in the number of states that allow concealed carry, an assertion backed by FBI crime data.

"If the gun grabbers were right, we'd be in the middle of a crime wave, considering how many guns are on the streets," she wrote.

NRA spokesman Andrew Arulanandam made a similar connection.

"This is not a one-year anomaly, but a steady decline in the FBI's violent-crime rates," he told Miller. "It would be disingenuous for anyone to not credit increased self-defense laws to account for this decline."

Sources:

http://www.sacbee.com

http://www.timesdispatch.com

http://www.washingtontimes.com

http://www.timesdispatch.com

Get breaking news alerts on GMOs, fluoride, superfoods, natural cures and more...
Join over four million monthly readers. Email privacy 100% protected. Unsubscribe at any time.

Articles Related to This Article:

How the post-Sandy Hook gun control push spectacularly backfired in America

A warning to gun grabbers and collectivist media: By calling for gun control, you are unleashing your own worst nightmare

Why nearly all state gun control laws being passed today will soon be null and void

Delusions of the radical left: Prohibition doesn't work for alcohol or marijuana, but it will somehow work for guns

Even with record murder rate, Chicago prosecutes the fewest gun crimes in America

This is what I want to hear Obama say about guns

Related video from NaturalNews.TV


Your NaturalNews.TV video could be here.
Upload your own videos at NaturalNews.TV (FREE)

Have comments on this article? Post them here:

comments powered by Disqus

Related Articles:

How the post-Sandy Hook gun control push spectacularly backfired in America

A warning to gun grabbers and collectivist media: By calling for gun control, you are unleashing your own worst nightmare

Why nearly all state gun control laws being passed today will soon be null and void

Delusions of the radical left: Prohibition doesn't work for alcohol or marijuana, but it will somehow work for guns

Even with record murder rate, Chicago prosecutes the fewest gun crimes in America

This is what I want to hear Obama say about guns

Take Action: Support NaturalNews.com

Email this article to a friend

Permalink to this article:

Reprinting this article: Non-commercial use OK, cite NaturalNews.com with clickable link.

Embed article link: (copy HTML code below):
Most Popular
Today | Week | Month | Year

See all Top Headlines...




GET YOUR FREE GIFT + SHOW DETAILS.


Now Available from NaturalNews.TV

Also on NaturalNews:

Health Ranger Videos
Activist music
CounterThink Cartoons
Food documentaries
FREE Special Reports
Podcasts
Colloidal Silver
Advertise with NaturalNews...

Support NaturalNews Sponsors:
Advertise with NaturalNews...

Most Popular Stories

U.S. dairy industry petitions FDA to approve aspartame as hidden, unlabeled additive in milk, yogurt, eggnog and cream
EXPOSED: Angelina Jolie part of a clever corporate scheme to protect billions in BRCA gene patents, influence Supreme Court decision (opinion)
Prominent rifle manufacturer killed in mysterious car crash days after posting psych drug link to school shooters
How Angelina Jolie was duped by cancer doctors into self mutilation for breast cancer she never had
Angelina Jolie inspires women to maim themselves by celebrating medically perverted double mastectomies
Facebook bans Gandhi quote as part of revisionist history purge
McDonald's closing all restaurants in Bolivia as nation rejects fast food
BREAKING: European Commission to criminalize nearly all seeds and plants not registered with government
Obama betrays America yet again by signing the 'Monsanto Protection Act' into law
It's on! Farmers begin suing Monsanto over genetic pollution of wheat crops
GMO feed turns pig stomachs to mush! Shocking photos reveal severe damage caused by GM soy and corn
Monsanto hires infamous mercenary firm Blackwater to track activists around the world

25 Amazing Facts About Food

This FREE downloadable report unveils a collection of astonishing and little-known facts about the food we eat very day. Click here to read it now...

 

Resveratrol and its Effects on Human Health and Longevity - Myth or Miracle.

Unlock the secrets of cellular health with the "miracle" nutrient Resveratrol Click here to read it now...

 

Nutrition Can Save America

FREE online report shows how we can save America through a nutrition health care revolution. "Eating healthy is patriotic!" Click here to read it now...

The Healing Power of Sunlight and Vitamin D

In this exclusive interview, Dr. Michael Holick reveals fascinating facts on how vitamin D is created and used in the human body to ward off chronic diseases like cancer, osteoporosis, mental disorders and more. Click here to read it now...

Vaccines: Get the Full Story

The International Medical Council on Vaccination has released, exclusively through NaturalNews.com, a groundbreaking document containing the signatures of physicians, brain surgeons and professors, all of which have signed on to a document stating that vaccines pose a significant risk of harm to the health of children. Click here to read it now...

Health Ranger Storable Organics

GMO-free, chemical-free foods and superfoods for long-term storage and preparedness. See selection at www.StorableOrganics.com



Recommended Resources On:

Natural News trends
Health Ranger news
Natural News GMOs
Mike Adams tracker
Natural News photos
Natural News Global
Natural News in focus
Natural News connect
Natural News shocking stories
Natural News radar
GMOs
Quackwatch
Vaccines
Health freedom
Dr. Paul Offit

This site is part of the Natural News Network © 2013 All Rights Reserved. Privacy | Terms All content posted on this site is commentary or opinion and is protected under Free Speech. Truth Publishing International, LTD. is not responsible for content written by contributing authors. The information on this site is provided for educational and entertainment purposes only. It is not intended as a substitute for professional advice of any kind. Truth Publishing assumes no responsibility for the use or misuse of this material. Your use of this website indicates your agreement to these terms and those published here. All trademarks, registered trademarks and servicemarks mentioned on this site are the property of their respective owners.