More Good News

This time provided by Ravenwood. Let me quote:

Well if you look at national crime statistics, they show that none of these proposals would do any good. Here are some tidbits from the U.S. Department of Justice web site.

Firearm-related crime has plummeted since 1993.

Nonfatal firearm crime rates have declined since 1994, reaching the lowest level ever recorded in 2002.

Incidents involving a firearm represented 7% of the 4.9 million violent crime of rape and sexual assault, robbery, and aggravated and simple assault.

The number of gunshot wounds from assaults treated in hospital emergency departments fell from 64,100 in 1993 to 39,400 in 1997, a 39% decline.

So not only has crime fallen, but “gun crime” has also fallen. And we haven’t even gotten to the most telling statistics. Keep in mind that the gun grabber crowd is constantly shrieking about sales from “unlicensed dealers” at gun shows, and the use of “assault weapons” on our streets. Both issues are a top priority among the gun ban crowd, and both were used as gun control amendments to torpedo the gunmaker liability bill.

According to the 1997 Survey of State Prison Inmates, among those possessing a gun, the source of the gun was from

– a flea market or gun show for fewer than 2%

– a retail store or pawnshop for about 12%

– family, friends, a street buy, or an illegal source for 80%

During the offense that brought them to prison, 15% of State inmates and 13% of Federal inmates carried a handgun, and about 2%, a military-style semiautomatic gun.

The gun banners claim that most crime guns are gotten from gun shows using the so called “gun show loophole”, but the Department of Justice says that figure is actually only 2%. The gun banners would also have you believe that so-called “assault weapons” are the “weapon of choice” for criminals. But once again the Department of Justice says the figure is actually only 2%.

And if you want a perfect example of gun banner claims lies, just look below where reporter Alison Soltau of the San Francisco Examiner quotes Coalition to Stop Gun Violence member Eric Gorovitz saying:

The most common way criminals obtain guns is from shows in nearby states with less stringent laws, such as Nevada.

“So a felon can go to a gun show in Nevada … buy a trunk-load of assault weapons and drive them in to the Bayview and sell them on the street,” Gorovitz said.”

If that’s true then that felon would represent a big chunk of that “less than 2%” of “gun show or flea market” guns AND the 2% of “military style” firearms.

Do you think Mr. Gorovitz could pack any more lies in to a single sentence?