Gun Control

[Kalalau]

Re: Gun Control

Interesting! On our last trip to Canada, driving thru a Canadian border check point the only question the guard asked was if we had any guns. Re entering the US the only question was did we have any meat. Mexican border guards used to ask if we had any guns, I don't know if they do that any more, maybe they've just kind of given up. Funny how Canadians have absolutely NO interest in duplicating Americans mistakes. Last visit in Vancouver the US had graciously offered to send troops into So. BC to wipe out the cannabis crop but Canada politely declined the offer. And the people actually seem happy with their socialist health care, positively unwilling to enrich obscenely rich corporations at the expense of their health like we have been taught to here. Maybe later I will try to find gun death rates for Canadian and American cities, it might be an interesting comparison. Gun fans always like to compare a city like Chicago, with strict gun laws, with the rest of the US and show that gun control doesn't work, but the US does not have internal borders blocking gun trafficking, like the national borders. So Montreal or Toronto may have lower gun death rates than Mississippi or Texas. In San Diego I see hysterical reaction against anticipated gun control, the recent "gun show" had triple the usual crowd. You see some hand lettered signs up around town "No Gun Control". I wonder if the talk radio industry and Fox are promoting this. Of course I can't stand poisoning existence with Fox and talk radio. When will the next mass massacre be? And where will it be, another school? A church? An office complex? A mall? Only time will tell.

[matapule]

Re: Gun Control

Mexican border guards used to ask if we had any guns, I don't know if they do that any more, maybe they've just kind of given up.

On the contrary! I have first hand experience with this since I make the round trip form Southern California to Cabo, two to three times a year by car. I will be doing one of the legs of that trip on this next Saturday and Sunday. Over the last 7 years I have made this round trip about 25 times.

As you pass through the border from the US to Mexico, you get either a red light or a green light. Red light means you pull over for a complete inspection including any guns or illegal drugs. Green light means you pass on through without any inspection. IN ADDITION, there are six military checkpoints on the 1000 mile road to Cabo (there is only one road down there, other than an offroad vehicle way out in the desert where you kick up a cloud of dust to draw attention to yourself that is easily spotted by military helicopters on patrol). At each checkpoint, there are VERY polite soldiers (with big assault rifles) who search your car for guns and drugs. It takes just a few minutes. AFTER the search we always give them a soda or some candy and they are always appreciate way out there in the middle of nowhere. I have chatted up some of them, saying that it must be boring since they never find anything because everyone knows where the stops are (they are always in the place) and they know that they will be searched. However to my surprise, they said that is far from the truth! They said that generally they find about six incidents of contraband a day. Usually it is Mexican nationals trying to smuggle illegal drugs north and "stupid Gringos" trying to smuggle illegal guns both directions "for their personal protection." The military knows all the tricks including dissembling a gun into many pieces and hiding those pieces around the vehicle. If you are caught with contraband, they confiscate your vehicle and put you into a military vehicle for a trip to the nearest carcel (jail) where you wait for a judge to consider your case which could take several weeks (no Habeas Corpus rights or bail in Mexico). Yes, Lopeti, Mexico is VERY serious about strict gun control and gun violence (other than the drug cartel members killing each other) is VERY rare here.

.........OH, and don't think for a minute that you can smuggle guns into Mexico by commercial airlines. They send your luggage through the X-ray when you get off the plane too!

When will the next mass massacre be? And where will it be, another school? A church? An office complex? A mall? Only time will tell.

And you are correct, which is a sad commentary on our violent society. It will happen again and again and again until significant changes are made.

Strict gun control now!

[Kalalau]

Re: Gun Control

"Saving Ronald Reagan" was on TV recently, recounting the heroic medical struggle to save Reagan after he was shot. To her eternal credit Nancy Reagan begged a Republican convention years ago to support stem cell research that might have benefited Ronnie and millions of people like him with degenerative brain diseases. Oh they love their Ronald Reagan. But help him. No. Impossible. Absolutely impossible. Ridiculous to even ask. Jim Brady, his press secretary, was also shot and suffered severe brain injuries that hamper his life to this day. He might have had an impression on gun control either way before, but he and his family sure did after he was shot. Its so funny. The ironic sense. Funny that when a problem hits close to home THEN people get its full measure, THEN they understand. Like if Ronnie hadn't had AD would Nancy have cared? And who knows? A lot of those Republicans who refused to help Ronnie by allowing stem cell research might even today be suffering with AD, or caring for a beloved family member. And so it is with guns. The shootings of JFK, RFK, MLK didn't put a dent in guns in the USA, so obviously the shooting of Ronnie wouldn't, either. Especially since he survived just fine (thanks to his surgeon, a Democrat!), a movie story ending.

I am glad to hear Mexico is still trying to keep guns out. Living within sight of Tijuana (now the second biggest city on the west coast of No. America!) with all its drug shootings it seems like there at least Mexico has either given up or lost the struggle for gun control.

[Kalalau]

Re: Gun Control

In the United States, annual deaths resulting from firearms total

2011: 32,163
2010: 31,672
2009: 31,347
2008: 31,593
2007: 31,224
2006: 30,896
2005: 30,694
2004: 29,569
2003: 30,136
2002: 30,242
2001: 29,573
2000: 28,663
1999: 28,874
CompareRate of All Gun Deaths per 100,000 People
ChartIn the United States, the annual rate of all gun deaths per 100,000 population is

2011: 10.35
2010: 10.26
2009: 10.22
2008: 10.39
2007: 10.37
2006: 10.35
2005: 10.39
2004: 10.10
2003: 10.39
2002: 10.51
2001: 10.38
2000: 10.19
1999: 10.35

[Kalalau]

Re: Gun Control

In Canada, annual firearm homicides total

2009: 173
2008: 200
2007: 188
2006: 190
2005: 223
2004: 173
2003: 161
2002: 152
2001: 171
2000: 184
1999: 165
1998: 151
1997: 186
1996: 207
1995: 168
CompareRate of Gun Homicide per 100,000 People
ChartIn Canada, the annual rate of firearm homicide per 100,000 population is

2009: 0.510
2008: 0.610
2007: 0.561
2006: 0.610
2005: 0.7
2004: 0.5
2003: 0.5
2002: 0.5
2001: 0.5
2000: 0.595
1999: 0.510
1998: 0.5
1997: 0.6
1996: 0.7
1995: 0.6
1992: 0.76


Population of Unites States about 320 million, population of Canada about 34 million

The figures seem to indicate that gun control in Canada lowers the absolute number and the rate of gun deaths there. A person is more than 5 times as likely to die by gun violence in the US than across the border in Canada. I think people are allowed to own hunting guns and go hunting in Canada, too. The US rate works out to about 87 gun shot deaths per day. So every four days its equivalent to a 757 crashing. Do you think 757's would be allowed to continue flying if they were killing more than 300 people every four days?

[Kaonohi]

Re: Gun Control

Kalalau, it is like comparing apples and oragnes.

The population of Canada is much smaller, and population pressures are one of the factors that cause increased firearm deaths.

I don't know the laws concerning firearms in Canada, but they sure seem (in general) to be a much more thoughtful people. Like the USA was 40 years ago, when we had their population numbers....

There are many factors to be considered. This is one, but many others need to be factored in as well.

Lower populations = lower firearm death RATES!!!!

As well.......

[GregLee]

Re: Gun Control

The population of Canada is much smaller, and population pressures are one of the factors that cause increased firearm deaths.

I hadn't thought of that, but it stands to reason that with a lower population density, people will be further apart on average, and this should tend to reduce accuracy. On the other hand, increased firearm deaths will lower population density (below what it would have been otherwise, at least).

[Kalalau]

Re: Gun Control

Even More Statistics...

death rate per 100,000, states in rank
1.Louisiana 18.1
2.Wyoming 18.1
3.Alabama 17.4
4.Mississippi 16.8
5.D.C. 16.6
10. Alaska 14.7
24.Texas 11.1
39.California 8.3
50.Hawai'i 3.6

Some cities (rate per 100,000 for all murders)
Toronto 3.3
Montreal 2.6
New York City 6.3

Kind of surprising and kind of not surprising. Who'd have thought NYC would be so low? Or Texas so comparatively low? Or California so low? Major congratulations to Hawai'i for being lowest!

I am kind of hesitant to draw conclusions but, being me...the shoot em up states do seem to run fairly high, the same states that vote Republican, have the highest junk food, smoking, and obesity rates. Yet look at sane reasonable locales where people are pretty much mellow, Canada and Hawai'i and to a smaller (much smaller) extent Cal and people seem able to get along without shooting each other quite as often. As NYC being fairly low...well, they do have tough gun laws there. Can't remember the name of the pro footballer, maybe it was Plaxico Burress, who actually did some time for possessing an illegal gun in the city. Can't we all just get along?

[matapule]

Re: Gun Control

Lopeti, gun violence has nothing to do with population density. There are plenty of anecdotal examples where population densities are high and gun violence is low - Japan being one.

The overwhelming evidence is that gun control lowers gun violence.

Strict gun control now!

[Kaonohi]

Re: Gun Control

Even More Statistics...

death rate per 100,000, states in rank
1.Louisiana 18.1
2.Wyoming 18.1
3.Alabama 17.4
4.Mississippi 16.8
5.D.C. 16.6
10. Alaska 14.7
24.Texas 11.1
39.California 8.3
50.Hawai'i 3.6

Kind of surprising and kind of not surprising. Who'd have thought NYC would be so low? Or Texas so comparatively low? Or California so low? Major congratulations to Hawai'i for being lowest!

As NYC being fairly low...well, they do have tough gun laws there.

Actually, DC has some of the most strict, repressive gun laws of anywhere in the US. And their score is quite high.

This is not a one-variable problem; evidently more study is needed. (No matter what matapule infers.)

And death rate? That's a pretty vague term. Death rate due to what? Murder, self-defense? Heart attack? Are guns even involved???

Please give us the source from which you derived this data.

K?

[Kalalau]

Re: Gun Control

Its the gun shot death rate. DC is high because as we said the borders inside the US are not relatively sealed like they are between Canada & the US. Toronto or Montreal are realistic comparisons taking out the permeable border variable. Yet even so NYC is relatively and surprisingly low. Doesn't it seem right that if people in a locale actually want gun control they should be able to actually have it? Hawai'i may be low because it is after all pretty difficult to get guns onto planes. I have never tried, I bet most people don't. Maybe we can find stats on gun ownership in Hawai'i for comparison.

[Kalalau]

Re: Gun Control

% Population owning guns by states

1. Wyoming 59.7 %
2. Alaska 57.8 %
3. Montana 57.7 %
4. S. Dakota 56.6%
5. W. Virginia 55.4 %
6. Mississippi 55.3 %
13. Louisiana 44.1 %
30. Texas 46 %
42. California 21.3 %
50. Hawai'i 6.7 %

So there is a rough correspondence between % of population owning guns and death by gunshot rates. Kinda figures. Guns don't kill people, people with guns kill people. Funny how the people of Hawai'i seem to get along so well with so few guns. As I recall Hawai'i also has maybe the very highest rate of happiest citizens and among the longest longevity. Kinda figures.

[Kaonohi]

Re: Gun Control

So there is a rough correspondence between % of population owning guns and death by gunshot rates.

Even our police can't kill people with their guns. In Kaneohe a few years back, they expended over 300 rounds to kill a shotgun toting suspect in a truck that had run off the road and become immobilized.

Those few who own guns evidently can't shoot straight.

Except those few who own illegal guns, I guess. A few tears ago I came upon a shooting victim shortly before the police arrived. The bullet went right through his left chest where the heart is. Small caliber, he was still alive. We administered CPR until the police arrived; when they took over, he died.

[Kaonohi]

Re: Gun Control

By the way, if you want to see the people owning/selling/collecting guns in Hawaii, there is a Gun Show at the Blaisdell Center this weekend, Saturday the 16th and Sunday the 17th (Erin go bragh!).

Each year it gets bigger, needing more and more space, tables, etc. And it's crowded.

Try come see!

[Kalalau]

Re: Gun Control

Well I guess if one is interested in following statistics it might be interesting if Hawai'i's gunshot death rate rises along with rate of gun ownership. Hopefully not. Hopefully Hawai'i will remain a haven of peace and sanity. Compared to Alabama, Mississippi, Wyoming, Texas, and so many other places it is a paradise, no need to go imitating places like that.