Guns ought to be banned for the purpose of decreasing violent crime.

Thank You, Numquam- Sorry about not being more timely, an unexpected something happened. The source of my first point - neglected to cite - please excuse. http://query.nytimes.com... I deny that banning guns will stop violent crime, also. But that is not the argument. The statement reads, Guns ought to be banned for the purpose of DECREASING violent crime. The ease at which guns are acquired these days is phenomenal. If violent offenders are forced to use more personal means of attack they will think twice about it. Human psychology is complex, but seeing that gun violence in the United States is associated with the majority of homicides and over half the suicides, ( Bjerregaard, Beth, Alan J. Lizotte (1995). "Gun Ownership and Gang Membership), it really isn't that much of a stretch to assume that rates of violence WOULD go down. Handgun homicides accounted for nearly all of the overall increase in the homicide rate, from 1985 to 1993, while homicide rates involving other weapons declined during that time frame. (http://www.nap.edu...) Your points and my rebuttals - Banning guns doesn't make it impossible for criminals to acquire them. - True, but it would add another barrier to the acquisition , one more deterrent to crime. I wonder how many crimes are motivated BECAUSE the perpetrator has a gun? It increases the power of gangs. - True, but with the banning of guns would come the strengthening of law enforcement, one would hope. It is unrealistic to assume that banning guns wouldn't lead to an overhaul of police powers. Banning guns makes it harder to track criminals. Results from a 1991 Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) survey of some 2,280 handgun-using state prison inmates support Wright and Rossi's observation that the illicit firearms market exploited by criminals is heavily dominated by informal, off-the-record transactions, either with friends and family or with various street sources (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 1993). The 1991 survey found that only 27 percent of the inmates who used a handgun in crime that led to their incarceration reported they obtained the handgun by purchase from a retail outlet. (http://www.nap.edu...) A vast majority of gangs use illegally obtained weapons almost exclusively anyway, so this point is moot. When guns are banned law abiding citizens are unable to defend themselves from violent attack. Both Kellermann and Reay (1986) and Rushforth et al. (1974) compare fatalities caused by self-defense and other motivations. Both studies find that people using guns in self-defense account for a small fraction of fatalities in the home. Kellermann and Reay find that there were nearly 5 times as many homicides and 37 times as many suicides as perpetrators killed in self-defense. They go on to conclude, "The advisability of keeping a firearm in the home for protection must be questioned." Rushforth et al. (1974) found similar results and drew similar conclusions. (http://www.nap.edu...) Banning guns doesn't stop murders in crimes of passion. You argue that it would decrease COP related gun deaths - I see ANYTHING that keeps a firearm out of the hands of a person who isn't thinking correctly a good thing. If I can't have the ease of firearms to kill in passion, I sure would think about what I was doing more- and even if I don't and was determined to go through with it, it certainly would raise my victims chances of survival significantly. Let's not forget the youth lost to guns - * In 1999, 3,385 kids ages 0-19 years were killed with a gun. This includes homicides, suicides, and unintentional injuries. * This is equivalent to about 9 deaths per day, a figure commonly used by journalists. * The 3,385 firearms-related deaths for age group 0-19 years breaks down to: o 214 unintentional o 1,078 suicides o 1,990 homicides o 83 for which the intent could not be determined o 20 due to legal intervention * Of the total firearms-related deaths: o 73 were of children under five years old o 416 were children 5-14 years old o 2,896 were 15-19 years old (Americans For Gun Safety) In 1998-99 academic year, 3,523 students were expelled for bringing a firearm to school. This is a decrease from the 5,724 students expelled in 1996-97 for bringing a firearm to school. (U.S. Department of Education, October 2000) American children are more at risk from firearms than the children of any other industrialized nation. In one year, firearms killed no children in Japan, 19 in Great Britain, 57 in Germany, 109 in France, 153 in Canada, and 5,285 in the United States. (Centers for Disease Control) # Between 1994 and 1999, there were 220 school associated violent events resulting in 253 deaths - - 74.5% of these involved firearms. Handguns caused almost 60% of these deaths. (Journal of American Medical Association, December 2001) # In 1998-99 academic year, 3,523 students were expelled for bringing a firearm to school. This is a decrease from the 5,724 students expelled in 1996-97 for bringing a firearm to school. (U.S. Department of Education, October 2000) # Nearly 8% of adolescents in urban junior and senior high schools miss at least one day of school each month because they are afraid to attend. (National Mental Health & Education Center for Children & Families, National Association of School Psychologists 1998) # The National School Boards Association estimates that more than 135,000 guns are brought into U.S. schools each day. (NSBA, 1993) Very powerful stuff. Thanks again, Numquam, for your patience. http://www.neahin.org...