Gun Master Debate

[Funerary_Doom]

I've read through some of the thread, not all (some posts were way too ridiculously long that I got disheartened... won't say any names... but god damn). This post isn't to necessarily debate anyone as that shit gives me anxiety, just my two cents on guns and whatnot.

To be quite honest, as a non-American thinker, I don't understand the idea of "the right" to own harmful guns or even cars for the matter that are environmentally harmful.

Sure owning a regular rifle isn't bad, I wouldn't condemn that. I know there are some areas in the US where bears and other animals frequent, but to my knowledge you shoot an animal with a rifle or shotgun not an automatic. So there is no need for anyone to own an automatic, or anything beyond a regular rifle or shotgun. Sure the amendment says we have the right to bear arms, but with the technology the government has (i.e. drones) we wouldn't stand a chance against the government if the situation ever permits itself with automatics anyways.

Liberty to me, shouldn't be placed in harmful material goods. Liberty should be placed more on social issues. For example, like being able to get a job with a degree I earned from college with fair pay for my skills and intellect. etc etc...

 

[UltimateApathy]

http://www.vpc.org/press/9212mrgd.htm

New Study--More Gun Dealers Than Gas Stations--Documents Criminal Abuse of Federal Gun Dealer Licenses and Regulatory Failures of Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF)

Hundreds of thousands of Americans嚙箠ncluding an untold number of criminals嚙箠llegitimately possess Federal Firearms Licenses (FFLs) issued by the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) according to a new 138-page study, More Gun Dealers Than Gas Stations, released today by the Violence Policy Center. The study was released at an 11:30 A.M. press conference on Friday, December 11 held at the offices of the Violence Policy Center, located at 1300 N Street, NW in Washington, D.C.

According to Josh Sugarmann, VPC executive director and one of the authors of the study, "The FFL is a public safety scandal created by the very agency charged with enforcing federal firearms laws. By giving a federal gun-dealing license to virtually anyone who can come up with $30 and isn't a convicted felon, ATF has put criminals in the business of selling guns."

From 1975 to 1992, the number of Type I FFLs (the basic federal license required to sell guns in America) jumped more than 67 percent嚙篆rom 146,429 to 245,000. FFL holders can order guns wholesale through the mail in unlimited quantities and are exempt from retail sales laws such as waiting periods and background checks. Type I dealers fall into two categories: those operating storefront businesses, or "stocking" dealers; and "kitchen-table" dealers who operate out of their homes. ATF estimates that only 20 percent (49,000) of Type I FFLs are storefront operations. The remainder are kitchen-table dealers who typically operate in violation of state and local business and licensing laws and unbeknownst to local law enforcement personnel. [State and local listings of FFL holders are available from the Violence Policy Center.]

The result is a "bloated, unmanageable universe of illegitimate FFL holders" that is virtually impossible to regulate and prone to criminal abuse. For example:


During a six-month period in 1990, Gustavo Salazar, a Type I FFL kitchen-table dealer in Los Angeles purchased more than 1,500 guns and sold them to gang members and other individuals. An ATF check on 1,165 handguns sold by Salazar revealed that only four had been registered under California law.

From February to June 1990 Detroit kitchen-table dealer McClinton Thomas ordered hundreds of handguns. All of the guns were sold off the books, including 90 guns to a "big-time dope dealer."

In a first-of-its-kind analysis of criminal gun traces in Detroit, the study found that:

In a ranking of dealers by number of crime guns traced back to them, kitchen-table dealers ranked first, second, sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth.

One third of all dealers who had five or more crime guns traced back to them were kitchen-table dealers.

The average number of guns traced per kitchen-table dealer was nearly one and a half times that of stocking gun dealers.

The study notes that the Detroit figures provide "disturbing evidence that kitchen-table dealers contribute significantly to criminal gun flow, perhaps at a rate far higher than stocking gun dealers. What is most disturbing is that...[these figures]...are the first of their kind."
The study shows that abuses conducted by FFLs fall into five categories:


Straw-Man Purchases嚙緩here a person who is not in a restricted category (the straw man) purchases a weapon for someone who is prohibited by law from purchasing or possessing a firearm.

Unrecorded Sales嚙緩here the FFL sells weapons to a purchaser without logging the guns into his firearms distribution book or confirming the identity of the purchaser.

Buy and Dump嚙線nrecorded sales where large quantities of weapons are purchased and distributed in a short period of time.

License Falsification嚙緩here the federal license itself is altered or falsified to permit illegal transactions.

Gun Shows嚙篆ederal laws regarding gun shows are often ignored, with violations usually occurring three ways: out-of-state dealers sell through a local FFL; guns are sold by out-of-state licensees at the show even though it is not their licensed place of business; and, guns are simply sold off the books.

Type I FFLs are almost always granted and renewed by ATF, and almost never revoked. Ninety percent of all licensee applicants are not visited or interviewed by ATF before a license is granted. On average, each year less than three percent of all current license holders (Types I-11) are inspected. In 1990 ATF revoked only three of the 235, 684 Type I FFLs held by Americans嚙緻r one thousandth of one percent. The study notes, "Considering the low number of annual inspections and ATF's attitude toward low-volume dealers, a kitchen-table dealer can expect to hold his FFL for a lifetime without meeting an ATF inspector."
Even if ATF expressed greater enthusiasm for its regulatory responsibilities, its compliance powers are hindered by two factors: the sheer size of the FFL universe; and 1986's National Rifle Association-backed McClure-Volkmer amendments to the Gun Control Act of 1968, which placed several roadblocks in ATF's way. The study reveals, however, that although McClure-Volkmer is often cited as the primary reason for ATF's regulatory laxity, under the law the agency is required to deny FFLs to those who do not meet its relatively high "engaged in the business" threshold. If ATF enforced this standard, the study estimates that the number of FFL holders would shrink to a far more easily regulated 49,000 licensees. The study traces ATF's present lack of regulatory enthusiasm to its near-dismantling in the early 1980s. This has resulted in "a bureaucratic culture that strives to avoid controversy and in its regulatory activities almost always adopts the most pro-industry interpretation possible."

 

[UltimateApathy]

http://www.vpc.org/press/9202rel.htm

Violence Policy Center Study Spurs Legislation To End Federal Program To Rearm Convicted, Violent Felons
As the result of a fall 1991 Violence Policy Center study documenting a federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) program that allows convicted felons to regain their gun-owning privileges, Rep. Larry Smith (D-FL), Rep. Ed Feighan (D-OH), Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), and Sen. Paul Simon (D-IL) today introduced the Felon Gun Prevention Act. The Act would prohibit ATF from granting convicted felons "relief" from the "disability" of not being able to possess a gun under federal law as the result of their conviction, in effect ending the $4.2-million-a-year program.

In endorsing the measure, Violence Policy Center Executive Director Josh Sugarmann states, "With record-high firearms murder rates and limited law enforcement resources it's time to shut down this convicted felons' second-chance club."

At the Capitol Hill press conference announcing the introduction of the bill, the Violence Policy Center released a nine-page excerpt from its upcoming March 1992 study, Putting Guns Back Into the Hands of Criminals: 100 Case Studies of Felons Granted Relief From Disability Under Federal Firearms Laws. The excerpt describes ten case studies obtained by the Violence Policy Center from ATF under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Crimes committed for which relief was granted include: the illegal sale of machine guns to an undercover ATF agent; manslaughter involving a shotgun; the sexual abuse of a child; armed robbery involving a handgun; burglary; drunk driving resulting in a homicide; drug distribution; and illegally shooting and killing a big horn sheep. [Study excerpt available separately.]

According to figures contained in the study, from 1985 to 1991, ATF spent more than $21.7 million to investigate those requesting relief from disability. From 1985 to 1990, of the 7,261 who sought restoration of their firearms privileges, 2,307 were eventually granted relief. Of the 386 granted relief in 1985, 14 were eventually rearrested for unspecified crimes (3.6 percent). Of the 491 granted relief in 1986, 23 were eventually rearrested (4.7 percent).

The relief from disability program stems from a 1965 amendment to the Federal Firearms Act of 1938. The amendment was passed as a congressional favor to firearms manufacturer Winchester, a division of Olin Mathieson. In 1962 Olin Mathieson pleaded guilty to felony counts stemming from a foreign kickback scheme. Because of its parent company's conviction, Winchester could no longer ship firearms in interstate commerce. The law was enacted to allow Winchester to stay in business and specifically excluded those convicted of firearms crimes. Because of its broad wording and loose interpretation by ATF, the law soon became a convicted felons' second-chance club. In 1986, as the result of the National Rifle Association-drafted McClure-Volkmer firearms decontrol bill, relief privileges were extended to those who had been convicted of crimes involving a firearm, involuntarily committed to a mental institution, or who had violated the Gun Control Act of 1968. McClure-Volkmer also added wording expanding the ability of federal courts to review decisions by ATF to deny relief.

 

[UltimateApathy]

http://www.vpc.org/nrainfo/index.html

NRA Extremism

Wayne LaPierre

NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre declared in the May 2000 issue of American Rifleman, "There are many politicians willing to sacrifice the Second Amendment as the first step in the homogenization of American culture." LaPierre denied that the statement contained "racial overtones," and claimed that the NRA "has a proud relationship with the African-American community."

In a February 2002 speech before the Conservative Political Action Conference, LaPierre declared, "I guess it's okay to wand-rape someone's daughter in public, but no profiling! No, we don't want to risk offending an Islamic ex-con with two aliases and no job, paying cash for a one-way airline ticket with no luggage, whose shoes are packed with plastic explosives."

"Who're we fooling? Terrorists fit into fairly narrow categories of gender, age, nationality and religion."

Follow this link to read the speech.



Charlton Heston

Controversy has followed Heston. In December 1997, Heston delivered a speech before the Free Congress Foundation in which he made inflammatory remarks regarding women, gays and lesbians, and African Americans; while at the same time trivializing the Holocaust. Click here for more information, including video and audio clips.


In the past, Heston has been criticized by a faction led by former NRA Board Member Neal Knox, who has questioned the actor's pro-gun credentials. In making these charges, Knox has pointed to pro-gun control statements made by Heston during the 1960s following the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy that were obtained from The Lyndon Baines Johnson Library & Museum in Austin, Texas. Knox also has criticized Heston for remarks he made soon after his election questioning the need for citizens to own AK-47s. Click here for more information.


NRA Family Values

The speeches by LaPierre and Heston are simply the latest in a long line of racist statements by NRA officials. For example:

NRA Board Member Jeff Cooper, in dismissing urban gun victimshe majority of which are young black malesrote in Guns & Ammo that "the consensus is that no more than five to ten people in a hundred who die by gunfire in Los Angeles are any loss to society. These people fight small wars amongst themselves. It would seem a valid social service to keep them well-supplied with ammunition." Cooper also refers to persons of Japanese ancestry as "Nips" and has suggested calling black South Africans from the Gauteng province "Oran-gautengs."


NRA Research Coordinator Paul Blackman, echoing Cooper's views, has written that "studies of homicide victimsspecially the increasing number of younger onesuggest they are frequently criminals themselves and/or drug addicts or users. It is quite possible that their deaths, in terms of economic consequences to society, are net gains."


NRA Board Member Ted Nugent, commenting on South Africa, has observed that "apartheid isn't that cut and dry. All men are not created equal."
Follow this link to read the VPC study NRA Family Values


Additional NRA Issues

Rearming Criminals

While claiming that it supports vigorous enforcement of our nation's gun laws and efforts to keep guns out of the hands of criminals, the NRA has actually worked to put guns back into criminals' hands. The NRA has worked to expand and protect the federal "relief from disability" program that has rearmed thousands of convictednd often violentelons. Click here for more information.


Marketing Guns to Kids

The April 1999 VPC study Start 'Em Youngecruitment of Kids to the Gun Culture includes quotes from leaders of the industry and the gun lobby about their efforts to target kids; photos of advertisements, articles, and photographs illustrating the campaign; and, a review of school shootings over the past two years.

The November 1997 VPC study Joe Camel with Feathers: How the NRA with Gun and Tobacco Industry Dollars Uses its Eddie Eagle Program to Market Guns to Kids, found that the primary goal of the Eddie Eagle program is not to safeguard children, but to protect the financial and political interests of the NRA and the firearms industry. While the tobacco industry denies that it is marketing to children, the NRA and the gun industry openly admit that they are. Click here for more information.


Concealed Carry Laws

Since 1987, the National Rifle Association has worked to loosen state laws regarding the carrying of concealed handguns. Click here for more information.


Range Protection Laws


The NationalRifle Association has worked to pass state laws to hide shooting ranges from judicial scrutiny behind the skirts of state "range-protection" laws. In short, the NRA uses its special-interest muscle to inflict noise, pollution, and public health harm on the general public so that a dwindling minority of range users can enjoy their destructive "shooting sports." Click here for more information.


NRA History
View the first two chapters of the book NRA: Money, Firepower & Fear, which detail the beginnings of the NRA to the defining moment in its history: The Cincinnati Revolt. Click here for more information.

[/I]

 

[UltimateApathy]

http://www.vpc.org/press/9607show.htm

Gun Shows Have Become "Tupperware® Parties For Criminals" New Violence Policy Center Study Reveals
Federal Gun De-Control Law Passed 10 Years Ago Has Allowed Gun Shows to Proliferate

Gun shows have become "Tupperware嚙� Parties for Criminals," according to a new 72-page study that will be released on Wednesday, July 17, by the Violence Policy Center (VPC). The study, Gun Shows in America: Tupperware嚙� Parties for Criminals, will be released at a 12:00 noon Capitol Hill press conference outside at the House Triangle with study author and VPC Director of Federal Policy Kristen Rand and Representative Charles Schumer (D-NY).

Gun Shows in America: Tupperware嚙� Parties for Criminals reveals that over the past decade: the number of gun shows has increased dramatically; gun shows have become a favorite sales outlet for criminals; gun shows have catered to such notable customers as David Koresh, Timothy McVeigh, and at least one member of Arizona's Viper Militia; gun shows have become "town squares" where militia members and the extremist fringe recruit new members; and, that gun shows have become a primary source for stolen military parts. The study concludes that many of these dramatic changes are the result of the 1986 "Firearms Owners' Protection Act"嚙緣he National Rifle Association's (NRA) decade-old federal gun de-control bill.

Gun Shows in America: Tupperware嚙� Parties for Criminals is the first in a series of new VPC studies that will analyze the effects of the 10-year-old law, commonly known as McClure-Volkmer for its House and Senate sponsors: former Senator James McClure (R-ID) and Representative Harold Volkmer (D-MO). The law rolled back portions of the Gun Control Act of 1968 and weakened the already minimal federal oversight of the firearms industry. The VPC study identifies two key provisions of McClure-Volkmer that led to the dramatic increase in the number of shows and their expanded role in criminal gun trafficking: 1) the law allowed federally licensed firearms dealers to sell at gun shows; and 2) the law increased the volume of guns that could be sold by private individuals from their "personal collections." The result was a new gun show environment, with licensed gun sellers competing shoulder-to-shoulder with unlicensed hobbyists. This created incentives for both licensed dealers and unlicensed individuals to disregard federal and state laws. The study offers numerous examples of the common ways in which illegal firearms trafficking occurs at gun shows.

To gauge McClure-Volkmer's effect on both the number of gun shows and their role in criminal gun trafficking, the VPC conducted interviews nationwide with gun show organizers and representatives from federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies (no federal statistics are maintained as to the exact number of gun shows). The survey found general agreement that the number of shows has increased dramatically, with some citing increases of up to 50 percent. This unprecedented growth has made gun shows virtually impossible to regulate and helped facilitate illegal firearms trafficking, or as one law enforcement official interviewed put it, "There are just too many gun shows and not enough agents."

Kristen Rand, VPC director of federal policy and the study's author, states, "Gun shows have become nothing less than Tupperware嚙� parties for criminals. They provide a reliable source of guns, ammunition, even military hardware for criminals of all types, and act as a regular meeting place and recruiting ground for anti-government activists and militia members."

The key role gun shows play in the militia movement is illustrated by the comments of William Pierce, author of The Turner Diaries, the "bible" of the militia movement, and head of the anti-semitic and racist National Alliance. In 1994 Pierce stated, "Gun shows provide a natural recruiting environment. Many more are being held now than ever before, and many more people are attending them." The most recent confirmation of Pierce's views came this month when members of Arizona's Viper Militia were arrested for conspiring to blow up federal buildings and for possession of illegal machine guns. At least one member of the Viper Militia was known to have frequented gun shows. The name "Viper" may have also been taken from OPLAN American Viper, a blueprint for overthrowing the government that has been circulating at gun shows throughout the country. The importance of gun shows to the militia movement is illustrated by one militia field manual which warns militia members that "gun show" is one of the 21 topics or words not to be mentioned in public or when talking on the telephone.

The study also describes how gun shows have become a primary source for stolen military hardware. The study cites evidence from the General Accounting Office (GAO) that stolen military parts were available at 13 of 15 gun shows visited by GAO personnel, including parts used to convert semi-automatic assault weapons to fully-automatic machine guns.

The study concludes with a series of policy recommendations that may be implemented at the local, state, and federal levels.

 

[UltimateApathy]

http://www.vpc.org/eddie.htm

How the NRA with Gun and Tobacco Industry Dollars Uses its Eddie Eagle Program to Market Guns to Kids

 

[UltimateApathy]

[ame]http://www.amazon.com/Making-Killing-Business-Guns-America/dp/1565845676/ref=tmm_pap_title_0[/ame]

Making a Killing: The Business of Guns in America

As gun-related law suits hit the headlines, a shattering expos of this secretive industry. The gun industry is the last unregulated manufacturer of a consumer product in America, with a level of secrecy that makes the tobacco industry look like a model of transparency. Making a Killing blows away the smoke and offers a provocative new analysis of gun violence in our society. The real story behind the steady rise in gun violence in America, argues Tom Diaz, is the systematic increase in lethality by manufacturers. Diaz shows how over the last two decades the gun industry has sought to reverse declining prots by dramatically increasing the killing power of its products; designed and distributed guns with more ammunition and greater concealability; and aggressively sought to build a wider market by collaborating with the "gun press" and by targeting women and minorities as vital new consumers. Making a Killing explores the fascinating but little known business side of this $1.4 billion-a-year industry, revealing the inner workings of what one gun executive described as "a little money-making machine." Finally, it outlines a series of practical regulations that would help clean up the mess.

 

[UltimateApathy]

http://www.vpc.org/studies/leadcont.htm

The Health Risks of Shooting Ranges and Lead to Children, Families, and the Environment

 

[UltimateApathy]

http://www.vpc.org/press/0110snip.htm

U.S. Gun Industry Armed Osama bin Laden's Terror Network: Al Qaeda Bought 25 Barrett 50 Caliber Sniper Rifles


Super Guns" Can Down Helicopters, Defeat Armored Limousines, Destroy Aircraft at Terminals, Ignite Fuel Tanks, All From 1,800 yards

Violence Policy Center Report Documents Sale, Details Terror Potential

WASHINGTON, DC嚙� The U.S. gun industry sold at least twenty-five 50 caliber sniper rifles to Al Qaeda, Osama bin Laden's terror network, a study released by the Violence Policy Center (VPC) today reports. The study, Voting From the Rooftops, details the tremendous power of the Barrett M82A1 50 caliber sniper rifles嚙� which U.S. Marines used in the Gulf War to knock out Iraqi armored vehicles from 1,750 yards away嚙窮nd the gun's potential use to commit terror acts that could cause enormous casualties. The Barrett sniper rifle has spawned a bourgeoning market for these types of weapons that are becoming cheaper, lighter and more widely available. There are known to be at least fifteen 50 caliber sniper rifle manufacturers嚙緯early double the number of companies that were manufacturing and marketing 50 calibers to civilians in1999.

"We can be shocked, but not surprised that the gun industry would sell these dangerous military weapons to Al Qaeda," said the study's author, Tom Diaz, VPC's senior policy analyst. "These 50 caliber sniper rifles are ideal tools for terror and assassination."

Voting from the Rooftops explains the enormous range of 50 caliber sniper rifles, the explosive power of special armor-piercing and armor-piercing incendiary ammunition easily available in the United States, and why this war-fighting power in the hands of Al Qaeda and other terrorists creates a grave threat to all Americans. Among the dangers the study details are:

How 50 caliber sniper rifles can create disaster at industrial facilities handling explosive, toxic or volatile chemical嚙緣he kind of threat terrorism analysts already warn transforms a target into a weapon.


Why a report for the Air Force warned that 50 caliber sniper rifles endanger aircraft, bulk fuel tanks, fuel trucks and other airport facilities嚙緣errorists can turn planes into "bombs on the ground."


The rash of 50 caliber sniper rifles found in the arsenals of domestic terrorist and extremist groups, including one that plotted to kill a state governor, U.S. Senator, and federal judges.

 

[UltimateApathy]

[ame]http://www.amazon.com/Every-Handgun-Aimed-You-Handguns/dp/1565847059/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=985201094[/ame]

Every Handgun Is Aimed at You: The Case for Banning Handguns

A powerful argument for banning handguns that "should be required reading for those who want to be better informed—whether they are for or against gun control" (Publishers Weekly). Gun-control advocates of every political stripe routinely call for trigger locks, "smart guns," or the licensing of handgun owners and the registration of their weapons. But as Every Handgun Is Aimed at You reveals, none of these measures is likely to have a significant effect in reducing the epidemic levels of gun violence in American society. Josh Sugarmann makes the convincing case that the only way to reduce gun violence is to ban handguns completely. Widely recognized in other industrialized countries, this truth remains largely unspoken in the United States, even as the handgun-related death toll rises. In this must-read book for anyone interested in the gun debates, Sugarmann includes a brief history of the handgun, an analysis of handgun ownership, and a review of the Second Amendment debate. He tackles issues from suicide to self-defense, and discusses the effects of handguns on women, juveniles, minorities, and the general public. Finally, the book includes practical steps any citizen can take to advance the cause of banning handguns. B/W charts and graphs throughout.

 

[UltimateApathy]

http://www.vpc.org/press/0305officer.htm

One in Five Law Enforcement Officers Slain in the Line of Duty Is Killed with an Assault Weapon, New VPC Study Reveals


"Officer Down"ssault Weapons and the War on Law Enforcement Demonstrates the Need for Strengthening and Renewing Assault Weapons Ban

WASHINGTON, DChe Violence Policy Center (VPC) today released "Officer Down"ssault Weapons and the War on Law Enforcement, which reveals the threat of assault weapons to law enforcement officers throughout the United States. The 26-page study reveals that at least 41 of the 211 law enforcement officers slain in the line of duty between January 1, 1998, and December 31, 2001, were killed with assault weapons.

In 1994 Congress passed a law to ban certain models of semiautomatic assault weapons as well as high-capacity ammunition magazines that hold more than 10 rounds. Immediately after the 1994 law was enacted, the gun industry moved quickly to make slight, cosmetic design changes in their "post-ban" guns to evade the law. Today, gunmakers openly boast of their ability to circumvent the assault weapons ban.

"The gun industry's open evasion of the assault weapons ban continues to place America's law enforcement officers at the highest possible risk. The assault weapons ban must not only be renewed, but also strengthened, to protect police and the public from an industry that places profits ahead of human lives," states Kristen Rand, VPC legislative director and study author.

Without action this Congress, the 1994 assault weapons law will expire in September 2004. Both President Bush and Attorney General Ashcroft have expressed support for renewal of the assault weapons ban.

"Officer Down" explains how the firearms industry has evaded the current ban, and how assault weapons continue to pose a stark threat to America's law enforcement personnel. The new report lists the known incidents of police officers killed by assault weapons from 1998 through 2001, including year, state, manufacturer, model of assault weapon, and caliber. It also offers expanded narratives for 15 of the law enforcement shootings that occurred during this period.

 

[UltimateApathy]

http://www.vpc.org/press/0406vest.htm

New VPC Study, Vest Buster: The .500 Smith & Wesson Magnum嚙確he Gun Industry's Latest Challenge to Law Enforcement Body Armor, Documents That the "Most Powerful Handgun In the World" Has Armor-Penetrating Power That Can Pierce the Highest Level of Bullet-Resistant Patrol Vests



Washington, DC嚙確he Violence Policy Center (VPC) today released a new study, Vest Buster: The .500 Smith & Wesson Magnum嚙確he Gun Industry's Latest Challenge to Law Enforcement Body Armor, warning that standard ammunition fired by the recently introduced .500 Smith & Wesson Magnum revolver, promoted as "the most powerful handgun in the world," can penetrate the highest level of body armor worn by the nation's police while on patrol.

Police body armor is designed to protect against handgun threats. The new Smith & Wesson .500 Magnum revolver, however, develops a striking force exceeding the power of many rifles. Only special external body armor, designed for use by SWAT teams and other high-risk units, can withstand rifle fire. The .500 Magnum thus brings a new level of handgun threat to the nation's streets.

"This vest-busting 50-caliber handgun draws a bead on every law enforcement officer in America," said Tom Diaz, VPC senior policy analyst and study author. "It is unfortunately only the latest example of dangerously reckless marketing by America's virtually unregulated gun industry." Diaz further noted that the .500 Magnum handgun, first introduced in February 2003, is already appearing at gun shows, notorious as sources of criminal gun trafficking. In addition, he pointed out, at least one shoulder holster is being sold for the Magnum revolver, thus making it easy for criminals to carry the gun concealed.

For the report, the VPC analyzed information published by Smith & Wesson, ballistics test data from the National Rifle Association's American Rifleman magazine, and federal body armor standards established by the U.S. Department of Justice. Vest Buster demonstrates that the power of the new .500 Smith & Wesson Magnum round substantially exceeds the protection of the highest level of concealable body armor normally worn by law enforcement officers in the field, known as Type IIIA.

The .500 Magnum follows a Smith & Wesson tradition of designing extremely powerful handguns. Vest Buster points out that 27 out of 144 (nearly one out of every five) law enforcement officers slain with a handgun from 1998 through 2000 were killed with one of three types of handgun and cartridge combinations originally designed and introduced by Smith & Wesson: the .357 Magnum, the .44 Magnum, and the .40 S&W.

 

[UltimateApathy]

http://www.vpc.org/press/0804amroul.htm

More Than 1,100 Murder-Suicide Deathsrom the Virginia Tech Massacre to Domestic Disputesccurred in 2007, New Study Estimates


Third Edition of Violence Policy Center Study "American Roulette" Estimates That Nine Murder-Suicides Occur Each Week in U.S., Vast Majority with Guns

WASHINGTON, DC--At least 554 Americans died in murder-suicides during the first six months of 2007 with the vast majority (88.5 percent) involving a firearm, according to the third edition of the Violence Policy Center's (VPC) study American Roulette: Murder-Suicide in the United States. Using these figures, the VPC estimates that more than 1,100 Americans died in murder-suicides in 2007. The murder-suicides included in the study range from high-profile mass shootings like the April 16, 2007, Virginia Tech massacre to familial shootings claiming the lives of spouses and children.

For the study, the VPC used a national clipping service to collect every reported murder-suicide in the United States from January 1, 2007 to June 30, 2007. Currently there is no national tracking system for these incidents. As a result, the VPC analysis is most likely the largest study conducted on murder-suicide.

Nine states had 10 or more murder-suicides in the six-month period of the study. In order, these states were: Florida (24), Texas (24), California (17), Pennsylvania (14), Arizona (12), Georgia (12), New York (11), North Carolina (10), and Ohio (10). Additional study findings from the six-month survey period include:

Of the 554 murder-suicide deaths, 234 were suicides and 320 were homicides. Ninety-five percent of murder-suicides were committed by men.


Nine murder-suicide events occurred in the United States each week during the study period.


Seventy-three percent of all murder-suicides involved an intimate partner (spouse, common-law spouse, ex-spouse, or girlfriend/boyfriend). Of these, 94 percent were females killed by their intimate partners.


Forty-five of the homicide victims were children and teens less than 18 years of age. Forty-four children and teens less than 18 years of age were survivors who witnessed some aspect of the murder-suicide.


Most murder-suicides occurred in the home (75 percent).
VPC Legislative Director Kristen Rand states, "From homes and businesses to schools and churches, murder-suicide wreaks havoc on American families and communities each year. Much more needs to be done to understand and prevent murder-suicide, including recognizing the key role that firearms play."

 

[UltimateApathy]

http://www.vpc.org/press/0907ccw2.htm

Concealed Handgun Permit Holders Kill 7 Police, 44 Private Citizens Over Two-Year Period



Washington, DC--Concealed handgun permit holders killed at least seven police officers and 44 private citizens in 31 incidents during the period May 2007 through April 2009 according to a new study (http://www.vpc.org/studies/ccw2009.pdf) released today by the Violence Policy Center (VPC). Five of the incidents were mass shootings resulting in the deaths of 23 victims. The release of the study comes as the U.S. Senate is expected to take up today--Monday, July 20--an amendment to the defense authorization bill (S. 1390) that would create a de facto national concealed carry system, overriding the rights of states with more restrictive laws governing the carrying of concealed handguns. The amendment is sponsored by Senator John Thune (R-SD). Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) has said he will filibuster the amendment.

Because most state systems allowing the carrying of concealed handguns in public by private citizens release little data about crimes committed by permit holders, the VPC reviewed shooting incidents as reported by news outlets. It is likely that the actual number of fatal criminal incidents involving concealed handgun permit holders is far higher.

The study, Law Enforcement and Private Citizens Killed by Concealed Handgun Permit Holders--An Analysis of News Reports, May 2007 to April 2009, finds that during the two-year period reviewed--

Concealed handgun permit holders have slain seven law enforcement officers resulting in criminal charges or the suicide of the shooter. All of the killings were committed with guns. An additional three law enforcement officers were injured in these incidents.


Concealed handgun permit holders have slain at least 44 private citizens resulting in criminal charges or the suicide of the shooter. All but one of the killings were committed with guns. An additional six private citizens were injured in these incidents.


In six of the 31 incidents (19 percent), the concealed handgun permit holder killed himself, bringing the total fatality count to 57.
VPC Legislative Director Kristen Rand states, tate concealed handgun systems are arming cop-killers and other murderers. It is beyond irrational for Congress to vote to expand the reach of these deadly laws.�

The study offers detailed descriptions of the 31 incidents, which occurred in 15 states. Law enforcement officers were killed in: Florida, Idaho, Ohio (two incidents), and Pennsylvania (two incidents). Private citizens were killed in: Alabama, Colorado, Florida (nine incidents), Idaho, Kentucky, Minnesota, New York, North Carolina (two incidents), Ohio (three incidents), Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah (two incidents), and Virginia.

 

[UltimateApathy]

http://www.vpc.org/press/0903iron.htm

Report Urges President to Use Existing Law to Cut Off Flow of Military-Style Guns to Mexico

Washington, D.C.he Violence Policy Center (VPC) today released Iron River: Gun Violence and Illegal Firearms Trafficking on the U.S.-Mexico Border, a comprehensive study of how the U.S. civilian firearms market contributes to the ongoing drug-related violence in Mexico. The report urges the Obama administration to take immediate action under the federal 1968 Gun Control Act to cut off imports into the U.S. of military-style semiautomatic assault weapons and "cop-killer" handguns capable of piercing police body armor. Such weapons are imported into the U.S. and then illegally trafficked into Mexico.

"With the stroke of a pen President Obama could immediately stop tens of thousands of foreign-made assault rifles from being dumped onto the U.S. market. These cheap military-style guns, mostly AK-47 variants, are not only being smuggled from the U.S. to Mexico, but are also killing police officers in the United States from Oakland to Miami," stated VPC Senior Policy Analyst and study author Tom Diaz.

Part One of Iron River provides an overview of the conflict in Mexico and its links with the United States, including the "war on drugs," the U.S. civilian firearms market, and transnational street gangs. Part Two describes in detail the role of the U.S. civilian gun market in helping fuel the war in Mexico, focusing on the deliberate introduction of semiautomatic military-style firearms that today defines the U.S. civilian marketplace and the weak regulation of guns in America that facilitates illegal trafficking. Part Three offers concrete steps to control the illegal firearms traffic, including non-legislative measures such as enforcing the import ban.

The report emphasizes "upstream" measures to inhibit the movement of firearms from legal commerce into the illegal trade, as opposed to relying solely on law enforcement efforts, which are aimed "downstream" and focus on apprehending and prosecuting illegal traffickers and criminals after the damage is done.

 

[UltimateApathy]

http://www.vpc.org/press/0904indict.htm

Mexican Gun Traffickers Easily Obtain Military-Style Weapons from U.S. Civilian Gun Market, New Analysis of Federal Criminal Court Records Confirms


Nearly Two-Thirds of Guns Obtained by Traffickers in Cases Studied Were Semiautomatic Assault Weapons, Armor-Piercing Handguns, or 50 Caliber Sniper Rifles

Washington, D.C.--U.S. court records from southwestern states clearly show that illegal gun traffickers involved in smuggling firearms to Mexico seek semiautomatic assault weapons, armor-piercing handguns, and 50 caliber anti-armor sniper rifles from U.S. gun shops according to a new report released today by the Violence Policy Center (VPC). For its investigation, the VPC obtained records filed in 21 federal firearms smuggling prosecutions in Arizona, California, Nevada, and Texas between February 2006 and February 2009. For a copy of the VPC investigation, Indicted: Types of Firearms and Methods of Gun Trafficking from the United States to Mexico as Revealed in U.S. Court Documents, please see http://www.vpc.org/studies/indicted.pdf.

"The documents we examined make absolutely clear that Mexican gun traffickers are seeking out military-style weapons easily obtained on the U.S. civilian gun market," said VPC Legislative Director Kristen Rand, the study's author. "Many of these guns are imported assault rifles and armor-piercing handguns, underscoring the urgent need for the Obama administration to use its executive powers to strictly enforce existing restrictions on the import of such non-sporting weapons and then begin working with Congress to enact an effective federal assault weapons ban."

In addition to detailed analysis of the more than 500 firearms listed in the smuggling cases reviewed, the report contains excerpts from records that detail the methods by which traffickers exploit weak federal laws in the U.S. to buy guns for Mexican criminals. Among other findings in the report:

Traffickers seek out semiautomatic assault weapons (42 percent of guns named), armor-piercing handguns (18 percent), and 50 caliber anti-armor sniper rifles (two percent).


More than 90 percent of the 226 rifles named could be identified as semiautomatic assault rifles, primarily AK-47 and AR-15 variants.


More than one-third of the guns obtained by traffickers were made by foreign manufacturers.


At least 70,000 rounds of ammunition were directly involved in the cases.
Rand stated that the federal court records thoroughly refute National Rifle Association Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre recent false claim that the Mexican cartels do not "trifle with paperwork at U.S. gun stores."

"The NRA has received a free ride with its undocumented assertions," Rand said. "Now, for the first time, the American people can see detailed information on the types of military-style firearms illegal traffickers are buying in the United States and shipping to Mexican criminals. This is merely a snapshot of the kind of detailed information about tens of thousands of smuggled guns that the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives has in its files but no longer releases to the public or our elected representatives on Capitol Hill."

 

[UltimateApathy]

http://www.vpc.org/press/1007drive.htm

National State-by-State Study of Drive-By Shootings Reveals Data on Victims, Time, Location


Washington, D.C.--The Violence Policy Center (VPC) today released the second edition of Drive-By America, a national analysis of drive-by shootings. The study, the most comprehensive analysis of its type, tallied news stories from the 50 states and the District of Columbia from July through December 2008 to identify data and trends associated with drive-by shootings, including the number of incidents by state, the number of victims killed and injured, as well as time of day and location. Findings of the study (available at http://www.vpc.org/studies/driveby2010.pdf) include:

During the six-month period covered in the report, 733 drive-by shooting incidents were reported, claiming 154 lives and injuring 631 individuals.


California led the nation in the number of drive-by shootings with 148 shootings, killing 40 and injuring 129. Following California were: Texas, 60 drive-by shootings, killing six and injuring 52; Florida, 48 drive-by shootings, killing 10 and injuring 42; Illinois, 38 drive-by shootings, killing 18 and injuring 53; and, Washington, 38 drive-by shootings, killing three and injuring 21.


Nearly one out of five (18 percent) of those killed or injured were under the age of 18.


In nearly half (46 percent) of the incidents, the victims were at a residence (either indoors or outdoors).


Seventeen percent of the incidents involved shooting at another vehicle.


Forty percent of all drive-by shootings occurred between the hours of 7:00 PM and midnight. A third (33 percent) were between midnight and 7:00 AM.


Drive-by shootings peaked in the month of August and then declined as the months turned colder.
VPC Executive Director and study co-author Josh Sugarmann states, rive-by shooting victims are frequently children or other innocent victims caught in gunfire apparently intended for someone else. Our analysis represents the absolute floor as far as the number of drive-bys that occur each day. The actual number of incidents and victims is most likely far higher�

Stating that dditional research on the national level collecting and analyzing data on drive-by shootings is necessary to identify effective prevention strategies,� the VPC analysis offers the following recommendations:

The feasibility of adding drive-by shooting as a category to the Uniform Crime Reports should be explored.


Communities that experience a significant number of drive-by shootings should consider establishing their own data collection mechanism.


Drive-by shootings are just one symptom of the increasing lethality of firearms available to the general public. State and federal policies should focus on limiting the caliber and capacity of firearms marketed to the general public.

 

[UltimateApathy]

http://www.vpc.org/press/1104norc.htm

Household Gun Ownership Hits New Low--Fewer Than One Out of Three American Households Has a Gun - See more at: http://www.vpc.org/press/1104norc.htm#sthash.zKFZGr2t.dpuf

Gun-Free Households are a Substantial Majority, Gun-Owning Households a Shrinking Minority

Washington, DC--Household gun ownership in the United States has dropped to its lowest level since it peaked in 1977 according to a report issued today by the Violence Policy Center (VPC) analyzing new data from the General Social Survey (GSS) conducted by the National Opinion Research Center (NORC) at the University of Chicago. The GSS has tracked household and personal gun ownership since the early 1970s and, except for the U.S. Census, is the most frequently analyzed source of information in the social sciences.

The VPC report, A Shrinking Minority: The Continuing Decline of Gun Ownership in America (http://www.vpc.org/studies/ownership.pdf), comes out two days before the National Rifle Association (NRA) begins its annual convention this Thursday in Pittsburgh, PA.

KEY FINDINGS

According to decades of GSS data analyzed in the VPC report--

Household gun ownership peaked in 1977, when more than half (54 percent) of American households reported having any guns. By 2010, this number had dropped more than 20 percentage points to 32.3 percent of American households reporting having any guns in the home--the lowest level ever recorded by the GSS. In 2010, fewer than a third of American households reported having a gun in the home.

Personal gun ownership peaked in 1985, when 30.7 percent of Americans reported personally owning a gun. By 2010, this number had dropped nearly 10 percentage points to 20.8 percent--the lowest level ever recorded by the GSS. In 2010, slightly more than one out of five Americans reported personally owning a gun.

Male gun ownership peaked in 1990, when 52.4 percent of males reported personally owning a gun. By 2010, this number had dropped more than 19 percentage points to 33.2 percent--the lowest level ever recorded by the GSS. In 2010, only one out of three American males reported personally owning a gun.

Female gun ownership has fluctuated within a narrow range with no recent signs of increase. Relatively rare, female gun ownership peaked in 1982 at 14.3 percent. In 2010 the female personal gun ownership rate was 9.9 percent. Only one out of 10 American females reported personally owning a gun in 2010.

VIOLENCE POLICY CENTER QUOTE

VPC Executive Director Josh Sugarmann states, "This new data is the latest confirmation of the ongoing, long-term trend of decreasing gun ownership in America. Despite the short-lived uptick in gun sales that occurred after the election of President Obama, the fact is that gun-free households are an increasing majority while gun-owning households are a shrinking minority."

REASONS FOR CONTINUED DECLINE IN GUN OWNERSHIP

Key factors cited by the report contributing to the continuing decline in household and personal gun ownership include: the aging of the current-gun owning population and a lack of interest in guns by youth; the end of military conscription; the decreasing popularity of hunting; land-use issues that limit hunting and other shooting activities; environmental and zoning issues that force shooting ranges to close and limit new range construction; and, the increase in single-parent homes headed by women.
- See more at: http://www.vpc.org/press/1104norc.htm#sthash.zKFZGr2t.dpuf

 

[UltimateApathy]

http://www.vpc.org/press/1104blood.htm

National Rifle Association Receives Millions of Dollars From Gun Industry "Corporate Partners" New VPC Report Reveals - See more at: http://www.vpc.org/press/1104blood.htm#sthash.w7VFrf7e.dpuf

Organized Corporate Solicitation Program Disproves Longstanding NRA Claim That It's Independent of Gun Industry

Washington, DC--The National Rifle Association (NRA) receives millions of dollars directly from domestic and foreign gun manufacturers and other members of the firearms industry through an organized corporate outreach program according to a new report issued today by the Violence Policy Center (VPC).

The report, Blood Money: How the Gun Industry Bankrolls the NRA, reveals that since 2005 contributions from gun industry "corporate partners" to the NRA total between $14.7 million and $38.9 million. Total donations to the NRA from all "corporate partners"--both gun industry and non-gun industry--for the same time period total between $19.8 million and $52.6 million. The vast majority of funds--74 percent--contributed to the NRA from “corporate partners” come from members of the firearms industry: companies involved in the manufacture or sale of firearms or shooting-related products.

Despite the NRA's historical claims that it is not financially allied with the gun industry, including the current disclaimer on its website that it “is not affiliated with any firearm or ammunition manufacturers or with any businesses that deal in guns and ammunition,” NRA "corporate partners" include many of the world's best known gunmakers as well as such companies as Xe, the new name of the now infamous Blackwater Worldwide--known for its abuses in the Iraq war--which alone contributed between $500,000 and $999,999 to the NRA since 2005.

In a recent promotional brochure, NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre promises that the “National Rifle Association’s newly expanded Corporate Partners Program is an opportunity for corporations to partner with the NRA....This program is geared toward your company’s corporate interests.”

Among the NRA’s “corporate partners” who gave $25,000 or more to the organization are 22 that manufacture firearms, including such well-known gunmakers as: Arsenal, Inc.; Benelli; Beretta USA Corporation; Browning; DPMS Panther Arms; FNH USA; Glock, Inc.; H&R 1871, LLC; Marlin Firearms; Remington Arms Co., Inc.; SIGARMS, Inc.; Smith & Wesson Corporation; Springfield Armory; and, Sturm, Ruger & Co., Inc. Of the 22 gunmakers, 12 manufacture assault weapons. Also among the NRA’s “corporate partners” are numerous high-capacity ammunition magazine manufacturers or vendors.

One manufacturer, Beretta, donated one million dollars to the NRA to work to overturn gun control laws in the wake of the 2008 U.S. Supreme Court decision in "District of Columbia v. Heller" (which for the first time ever recognized an individual right to possess a handgun in the home for self-defense).

VPC Executive Director Josh Sugarmann states, "Today's NRA is a virtual subsidiary of the gun industry. While the NRA portrays itself as protecting the 'freedom' of individual gun owners, it's actually working to protect the freedom of the gun industry to manufacture and sell virtually any weapon or accessory."

The NRA's top corporate benefactor is MidwayUSA, the "Official Sponsor of the NRA Annual Meeting and Exhibits...” being held in Pittsburgh, PA, later this month. MidwayUSA sells ammunition, high-capacity ammunition magazines, and other shooting accessories and has contributed between five and 10 million dollars to the NRA via its NRA Round-Up Program (which rounds up customer purchases to the nearest dollar with the difference going to the NRA) and other contributions. One Pittsburgh resident who apparently took part in the NRA’s Round-Up Program through MidwayUSA was concealed carry permit holder George Sodini, who in August 2009 opened fire at an LA Fitness Center in Collier, PA, killing three women and wounding nine others before turning the gun on himself and taking his own life. A copy of the e-mail receipt sent to Sodini from MidwayUSA for his purchase of 9mm and .45 ammunition includes a donation of 74 cents from the mass shooter to the NRA via the Round-Up Program.

The study concludes, "The mutually dependent nature of the National Rifle Association and the gun industry explains the NRA’s unwillingness to compromise on even the most limited controls over firearms or related products (such as restrictions on high-capacity ammunition magazines)....The NRA claims that its positions are driven solely by a concern for the interests of gun owners, never mentioning its own financial stake in protecting the profits of its gun industry patrons. At the 2009 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre told a cheering crowd that 'the guys with the guns make the rules.' The information contained in this report raises the question as to what degree it is the guys who make the guns who make the rules."
- See more at: http://www.vpc.org/press/1104blood.htm#sthash.w7VFrf7e.dpuf

 

[Dak]

Your single point of reference from an anti-gun slanted non profit is not at all indicative of brainwashing to a narrow point of view or biased studies (which make some ridiculously absurd statements like):

http://www.vpc.org/press/0305officer.htm

One in Five Law Enforcement Officers Slain in the Line of Duty Is Killed with an Assault Weapon, New VPC Study Reveals

First: No mention of how many citizens Cops kill/injure and what they use to do it. Second: 80% of cop fatalities occur with non-"assault weapons" (whatever those are).

http://www.vpc.org/press/0406vest.htm

"This vest-busting 50-caliber handgun draws a bead on every law enforcement officer in America," said Tom Diaz, VPC senior policy analyst and study author. "It is unfortunately only the latest example of dangerously reckless marketing by America's virtually unregulated gun industry." Diaz further noted that the .500 Magnum handgun, first introduced in February 2003, is already appearing at gun shows, notorious as sources of criminal gun trafficking.

Every .500 is pointed at officers? Really? Got some proof for that hyperbole? Least regulated industry? Yeah, there's no ATF. No firearms regulations whatsoever .

Vest Buster points out that 27 out of 144 (nearly one out of every five) law enforcement officers slain with a handgun from 1998 through 2000 were killed with one of three types of handgun and cartridge combinations originally designed and introduced by Smith & Wesson: the .357 Magnum, the .44 Magnum, and the .40 S&W.
[/I]

So in 12 years, 27 cops were killed with 3 different calibers, or something like 2.25 cops per year, or .75 (not %, total) cops per year, per caliber. So less than a cop per year in the whole US were killed with one of these "horribly deadly common calibers". Have you heard of statistically negligible information?

http://www.vpc.org/press/0907ccw2.htm

Concealed Handgun Permit Holders Kill 7 Police, 44 Private Citizens Over Two-Year Period

http://legallyarmed.com/ccw_statistics.htm

So out of literally millions of CCW holders, a grand total of 51 CCW holders used them illegally over two years, or 25.5 out of 1mil< per year? Again, can you say statistically negligible?

http://www.vpc.org/press/0904indict.htm

Mexican Gun Traffickers Easily Obtain Military-Style Weapons from U.S. Civilian Gun Market, New Analysis of Federal Criminal Court Records Confirms


Nearly Two-Thirds of Guns Obtained by Traffickers in Cases Studied Were Semiautomatic Assault Weapons, Armor-Piercing Handguns, or 50 Caliber Sniper Rifles

In addition to detailed analysis of the more than 500 firearms listed in the smuggling cases reviewed, the report contains excerpts from records that detail the methods by which traffickers exploit weak federal laws in the U.S. to buy guns for Mexican criminals. Among other findings in the report:

Traffickers seek out semiautomatic assault weapons (42 percent of guns named), armor-piercing handguns (18 percent), and 50 caliber anti-armor sniper rifles (two percent).


More than 90 percent of the 226 rifles named could be identified as semiautomatic assault rifles, primarily AK-47 and AR-15 variants.

More than one-third of the guns obtained by traffickers were made by foreign manufacturers.

So, first we have an unverifiable claim about the ease of acquisition. Acquisition does not mean it's easy. Then we have an admission that only select cases were studied. Then we have a super small set of 500 firearms. Then it's mentioned that 33% of those aren't even US produced weapons. It also didn't mention whether any of those weapons were through the ATF F&F program where the US government armed the cartels directly, not merely indirectly via the WOD.

Relevant:

FactCheck.org: The "90% Myth" of Mexican Guns from the US

And Mexico recovers a lot more guns than it submits to the U.S. In December 2008, Mexican Attorney General Eduardo Medina Mora put the number of recovered crime weapons in the country over the past two years at nearly 29,000, according to USA Today. And figures given by ATF make clear that the agency doesn&#8217;t trace nearly all of those.

According to ATF, Mexico submitted 7,743 firearms for tracing in fiscal year 2008 (which ended Oct. 1) and 3,312 guns in fiscal 2007. That adds up to a fraction of the two-year total given by Mexico&#8217;s attorney general. He may be referring to a slightly different 24-month period, but that can&#8217;t account for more than a part of the discrepancy. The number is growing, and already this year, Mexico has submitted more than 7,500 guns for tracing, according to ATF. But even if all those guns are added in, the total submitted for tracing since the start of fiscal 2007 doesn&#8217;t come close to the 29,000 figure that Mexico says it has recovered.

http://www.vpc.org/press/1007drive.htm

National State-by-State Study of Drive-By Shootings Reveals Data on Victims, Time, Location



Drive-by shootings are just one symptom of the increasing lethality of firearms available to the general public. State and federal policies should focus on limiting the caliber and capacity of firearms marketed to the general public.
[/I]

How about 100% of Drive-by's involve cars. Ban cars! I'd be interested to know how many Drive-Bys are gang on gang related, or occur in government projects/areas housing those on the dole. Of course that's not going to get looked into. Cause guns.

http://www.vpc.org/press/9607show.htm

Gun Shows Have Become "Tupperware® Parties For Criminals" New Violence Policy Center Study Reveals
Federal Gun De-Control Law Passed 10 Years Ago Has Allowed Gun Shows to Proliferate

Gun Shows in America: Tupperware&#22169;&#65533; Parties for Criminals reveals that over the past decade: the number of gun shows has increased dramatically; gun shows have become a favorite sales outlet for criminals; gun shows have catered to such notable customers as David Koresh, Timothy McVeigh, and at least one member of Arizona's Viper Militia; gun shows have become "town squares" where militia members and the extremist fringe recruit new members; and, that gun shows have become a primary source for stolen military parts. The study concludes that many of these dramatic changes are the result of the 1986 "Firearms Owners' Protection Act"&#22169;&#32227;he National Rifle Association's (NRA) decade-old federal gun de-control bill.

Gun Shows in America: Tupperware&#22169;&#65533; Parties for Criminals is the first in a series of new VPC studies that will analyze the effects of the 10-year-old law, commonly known as McClure-Volkmer for its House and Senate sponsors: former Senator James McClure (R-ID) and Representative Harold Volkmer (D-MO). The law rolled back portions of the Gun Control Act of 1968 and weakened the already minimal federal oversight of the firearms industry. The VPC study identifies two key provisions of McClure-Volkmer that led to the dramatic increase in the number of shows and their expanded role in criminal gun trafficking: 1) the law allowed federally licensed firearms dealers to sell at gun shows; and 2) the law increased the volume of guns that could be sold by private individuals from their "personal collections." The result was a new gun show environment, with licensed gun sellers competing shoulder-to-shoulder with unlicensed hobbyists. This created incentives for both licensed dealers and unlicensed individuals to disregard federal and state laws. The study offers numerous examples of the common ways in which illegal firearms trafficking occurs at gun shows.
[/I]

What did David Koresh do other than get murdered by the US Government? The tone of the article makes it sound like owning and selling firearms is wrong in itself, with this absurd hyperbolic talk like "Tupperware for criminals", without actually giving any stats of criminals armed via guns shows. If some stats are produced, I'm sure it will be something ridiculous like .67 people per year or some other negligible stat like the VPC and thusly you want to waste our time with.

http://www.vpc.org/press/9202rel.htm

Violence Policy Center Study Spurs Legislation To End Federal Program To Rearm Convicted, Violent Felons
As the result of a fall 1991 Violence Policy Center study documenting a federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) program that allows convicted felons to regain their gun-owning privileges, Rep. Larry Smith (D-FL), Rep. Ed Feighan (D-OH), Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), and Sen. Paul Simon (D-IL) today introduced the Felon Gun Prevention Act. The Act would prohibit ATF from granting convicted felons "relief" from the "disability" of not being able to possess a gun under federal law as the result of their conviction, in effect ending the $4.2-million-a-year program.

In endorsing the measure, Violence Policy Center Executive Director Josh Sugarmann states, "With record-high firearms murder rates and limited law enforcement resources it's time to shut down this convicted felons' second-chance club."

At the Capitol Hill press conference announcing the introduction of the bill, the Violence Policy Center released a nine-page excerpt from its upcoming March 1992 study, Putting Guns Back Into the Hands of Criminals: 100 Case Studies of Felons Granted Relief From Disability Under Federal Firearms Laws. The excerpt describes ten case studies obtained by the Violence Policy Center from ATF under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Crimes committed for which relief was granted include: the illegal sale of machine guns to an undercover ATF agent; manslaughter involving a shotgun; the sexual abuse of a child; armed robbery involving a handgun; burglary; drunk driving resulting in a homicide; drug distribution; and illegally shooting and killing a big horn sheep. [Study excerpt available separately.]

First: So the ATF, which you support expanding, can't be trusted to enforce existing regulations to the point where it doesn't hand guns back to sex abusers or murderers. Second: Why should someone be restricted from owning a weapon because they were entrapped? Entrapment is generally understood to be illegal. Also for drug distribution or hunting, or any other non-violent crime.

http://www.vpc.org/press/9212mrgd.htm

New Study--More Gun Dealers Than Gas Stations--Documents Criminal Abuse of Federal Gun Dealer Licenses and Regulatory Failures of Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF)

Hundreds of thousands of Americans&#22169;&#31648;ncluding an untold number of criminals&#22169;&#31648;llegitimately possess Federal Firearms Licenses (FFLs) issued by the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) according to a new 138-page study, More Gun Dealers Than Gas Stations, released today by the Violence Policy Center. The study was released at an 11:30 A.M. press conference on Friday, December 11 held at the offices of the Violence Policy Center, located at 1300 N Street, NW in Washington, D.C.

According to Josh Sugarmann, VPC executive director and one of the authors of the study, "The FFL is a public safety scandal created by the very agency charged with enforcing federal firearms laws. By giving a federal gun-dealing license to virtually anyone who can come up with $30 and isn't a convicted felon, ATF has put criminals in the business of selling guns."

So explain to me how people can hold illegitimate licenses, if they are issued by the ATF? Sounds legitimate to me. Secondly, if they aren't convicted felons, how is the ATF licensing criminals? :Spin:

http://www.vpc.org/press/1104norc.htm

VPC Executive Director Josh Sugarmann states, "This new data is the latest confirmation of the ongoing, long-term trend of decreasing gun ownership in America. Despite the short-lived uptick in gun sales that occurred after the election of President Obama, the fact is that gun-free households are an increasing majority while gun-owning households are a shrinking minority."

http://www.forbes.com/sites/frankminiter/2012/08/23/what-the-left-wont-tell-you-about-the-boom-in-u-s-gun-sales/

Before getting into why, I should note they&#8217;re partly right. For example, in December 2011 there was a record number of background checks (1,410,937) called into the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). According to the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) this was an increase of 24.5 percent over December 2010. (For those who don&#8217;t know, NICS was started in late 1998 to instantly determine whether a prospective buyer is eligible to purchase firearms or explosives. Not every NICS check results in a sale. A small percentage of people are denied for various reasons (keeping criminals from buying firearms is why we have this system), some simply decide not to purchase the gun and so on. So NICS checks statistics are like exit-poll data, they&#8217;re a pretty good indicator, but have margins of error.)

Now though the December 2011 number was a record there were actually slightly less, but still over 1.5 million NICS checks, in November of 2011. The only other November to break 1.5 million NICS checks was November of 2008&#8212;when President Obama won the presidency.

But the thing is the surge is gun sales didn&#8217;t begin in 2008. Over the last 10 years (from 2002 to 2011) there has been a 54.1 percent rise in the number of NICS checks and the increase hasn&#8217;t all taken place since 2008. In 2005 there were 8,952,945 NICS checks. In 2006 the number topped 10 million. In 2007 NICS checks pushed passed 11 million. In 2008 NICS checks passed 12 million, and then hit the 14 million mark in 2009. They increased slightly (4 percent) through 2011.

REASONS FOR CONTINUED DECLINE IN GUN OWNERSHIP

Key factors cited by the report contributing to the continuing decline in household and personal gun ownership include: the aging of the current-gun owning population and a lack of interest in guns by youth; the end of military conscription; the decreasing popularity of hunting; land-use issues that limit hunting and other shooting activities; environmental and zoning issues that force shooting ranges to close and limit new range construction; and, the increase in single-parent homes headed by women.
- See more at: http://www.vpc.org/press/1104norc.htm#sthash.zKFZGr2t.dpuf[/I]

Gun ownership hasn't been proven to significantly dip, but let's say it has and for the above reasons: I thought this was the wild west with no firearm restrictions or none of consequence. Looks to me like a significant downward pressure on gun ownership is the ability to legitimately practice with it due to regulation.

Overall these articles you post are hilarious, and it's quite telling ALL your "evidence" comes from the VPC. Notice not once have I ever had to reference the NRA, while all you do is quote their anti-gun equivalent.