From: cescript@mtu.edu (Charles Scripter)
Subject: Re: CLINTON NEW TEXT: GUN CONTROL
Followup-To: talk.politics.guns
Organization: Michigan Technological University
Date: Wed, 26 Aug 1992 22:01:58 GMT

Followup to: t.p.g.

In article <1992Aug21.170920.7638@igor.tamri.com>, donb@igor.tamri.com
(Don Baldwin) writes:

> >SEND COMMENTS AND QUESTIONS REGARDING THIS INFORMATION TO THE
> >CLINTON/GORE CAMPAIGN AT 75300.3115@COMPUSERVE.COM
> >(This information is posted for public education/information purposes.
> >It does not necessarily represent the views of The University.)
> >========================================================================
> >                         CLINTON  GORE ON GUN CONTROL
> >
> >Every year, more than 20,000 Americans are killed with handguns;many thousands
> >more are injured.
> 
> Aren't about half of the 20,000 suicides?  And if you take 10,000 as the

Here's a couple questions for the stats experts.  How many people were
killed last year with firearms.  Now, how many people were killed with
*handguns*?  Note that Mr. Clinton says "...more than 20,000 Americans
are killed with handguns...".  I couldn't find the breakdown of these
stats by weapon.

I think 20,000 looks a bit like the total for all firearms,
including murder, and suicide (accidental firearm deaths accounted for
about 1400 in 1987, and I found there were around 10,000 murders, so
about half of these are suicides, if 20,000 is correct).  I would be
*very* surprised if *every* death was due to a *handgun*.

Mr. Clinton wouldn't happen to be mistaken about his statistics, or
perhaps ummm... lying, would he?

> >A large and growing number of these victims are killed by
> >semi-automatic assault weapons which have no legitimate
> >sporting purpose.
> 
> This is patently untrue.  Even the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms
> admits that semi-auto assault weapons only account for 1% of gun crime.

Ignoring, of course, the fact that assault weapons are select fire,
and not semi-autos...

> >Ban assault weapons
> >
> >Ban semi-automatic assault weapons that have no legitimate hunting purpose and
> >support the right of local law enforcement officials to ban such weapons
> >when gangs move into their neighborhoods.

Isn't a Ruger 10/22 classified as an "assault weapon" under the
standard definition?  One can buy a military-style stock (truly ugly),
and it uses a 10 shot clip...  Wow!  And don't forget it's a carbine
length rifle, that fires light cartriges...  And then there are all
those other .22 rifles...  Most of them fall under that same definition.

> >Create a National Police Corps and offer veterans and active military
> >personnel a chance to become law enforcement officers at home.  This will
> >add 100,000 new police officers to the streets.
> 
> >Implement a federal program for safe schools so children can concentrate on
> >learning.
> 
> It would be interesting to hear some specifics.

Maybe he will send the Gestapo, uh, I mean his National Police Corps
in to play hall monitor.

-- 
Charles Scripter   *   cescript@phy.mtu.edu
Dept of Physics, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI 49931
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