Supreme Court to back right to bear arms

[rhymeswithcandi 0]

AnewKINDofFEELIN, if you really think that banning guns makes a place safer, why is the murder rate in DC the 5th highest in the United States despite the handgun ban?

Because guns are readily available in the states surrounding DC and they can be taken across the border without check.

But somehow, in Virginia (which boarders DC) the murder rate is remarkably lower despite the fact that the gun laws are some of the most lax...

[AnewKINDofFEELIN 0]

AnewKINDofFEELIN, if you really think that banning guns makes a place safer, why is the murder rate in DC the 5th highest in the United States despite the handgun ban?

Because guns are readily available in the states surrounding DC and they can be taken across the border without check.

But somehow, in Virginia (which boarders DC) the murder rate is remarkably lower despite the fact that the gun laws are some of the most lax...

Virginia and DC also have MUCH different demographics.

[Caladan 19]

Correlation ain't causation, folks. DC's crime rate is high because it's not hard to ignore a gun ban that only encompasses one small city. Virginia's crime rate is low not because it's full of brave men defending their homes with guns so criminals fear to tread there, but because it's wealthy and isn't a stopping point in the drug trade.

Whether there are guns or not ends up being largely irrelevant on such a small scale.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Correlation ain't causation, folks. DC's crime rate is high because it's not hard to ignore a gun ban that only encompasses one small city. Virginia's crime rate is low not because it's full of brave men defending their homes with guns so criminals fear to tread there, but because it's wealthy and isn't a stopping point in the drug trade.

Whether there are guns or not ends up being largely irrelevant on such a small scale.

Good point. Even within cities (like Los Angeles) where there is high gun crime, the gun crime rates vary significantly between different neighborhoods - with (surprise surprise) the poorer areas like South Central, Watts, Compton (i.e. those close to the drug trade and organised crime) being the worst areas for that sort of thing.

The area of concern here is not guns per-se but drugs. Unfortunately we're not really any closer to solving that particular problem on a policy level - even though the solution (or "a" solution at least) is obvious.

Edited March 19, 2008 by Number 6

[Ban Hammer 13,651]

AnewKINDofFEELIN, if you really think that banning guns makes a place safer, why is the murder rate in DC the 5th highest in the United States despite the handgun ban?

Because guns are readily available in the states surrounding DC and they can be taken across the border without check.

but if the guns are outlawed in dc, do you really think outlawing guns nationwide will make a bit of difference in dc? like these criminals will suddenly decide "oh it's nationwide now, let's behave in dc" ?????

[rhymeswithcandi 0]

AnewKINDofFEELIN, if you really think that banning guns makes a place safer, why is the murder rate in DC the 5th highest in the United States despite the handgun ban?

Because guns are readily available in the states surrounding DC and they can be taken across the border without check.

But somehow, in Virginia (which boarders DC) the murder rate is remarkably lower despite the fact that the gun laws are some of the most lax...

Virginia and DC also have MUCH different demographics.

Not really actually...

[rhymeswithcandi 0]

Correlation ain't causation, folks. DC's crime rate is high because it's not hard to ignore a gun ban that only encompasses one small city. Virginia's crime rate is low not because it's full of brave men defending their homes with guns so criminals fear to tread there, but because it's wealthy and isn't a stopping point in the drug trade.

Whether there are guns or not ends up being largely irrelevant on such a small scale.

Wealthy?

[Dr. A ♥ O 203]

Where ever chickens are outlawed; Outlaws will have chickens.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Correlation ain't causation, folks. DC's crime rate is high because it's not hard to ignore a gun ban that only encompasses one small city. Virginia's crime rate is low not because it's full of brave men defending their homes with guns so criminals fear to tread there, but because it's wealthy and isn't a stopping point in the drug trade.

Whether there are guns or not ends up being largely irrelevant on such a small scale.

Wealthy?

Virginia has a higher median income than DC (approximately $56K to $45K).

The ethnic makeup of the population of DC is also 62% black, compared to 76% white in Virginia.

[AnewKINDofFEELIN 0]

AnewKINDofFEELIN, if you really think that banning guns makes a place safer, why is the murder rate in DC the 5th highest in the United States despite the handgun ban?

Because guns are readily available in the states surrounding DC and they can be taken across the border without check.

But somehow, in Virginia (which boarders DC) the murder rate is remarkably lower despite the fact that the gun laws are some of the most lax...

Virginia and DC also have MUCH different demographics.

Not really actually...

Really actually...

[rhymeswithcandi 0]

AnewKINDofFEELIN, if you really think that banning guns makes a place safer, why is the murder rate in DC the 5th highest in the United States despite the handgun ban?

Because guns are readily available in the states surrounding DC and they can be taken across the border without check.

But somehow, in Virginia (which boarders DC) the murder rate is remarkably lower despite the fact that the gun laws are some of the most lax...

Virginia and DC also have MUCH different demographics.

Not really actually...

Really actually...

If you're referring to race, I'm not getting into that.

But demographics don't factor when you are arguing only that gun bans make safer streets (which is not the case in DC) and that the reason for the high murder rate in DC is proximity to states with readily available guns (which makes no sense when one of those states enjoys a lower murder rate).

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

AnewKINDofFEELIN, if you really think that banning guns makes a place safer, why is the murder rate in DC the 5th highest in the United States despite the handgun ban?

Because guns are readily available in the states surrounding DC and they can be taken across the border without check.

But somehow, in Virginia (which boarders DC) the murder rate is remarkably lower despite the fact that the gun laws are some of the most lax...

Virginia and DC also have MUCH different demographics.

Not really actually...

Really actually...

If you're referring to race, I'm not getting into that.

But demographics don't factor when you are arguing only that gun bans make safer streets (which is not the case in DC) and that the reason for the high murder rate in DC is proximity to states with readily available guns (which makes no sense when one of those states enjoys a lower murder rate).

Its a mixture of things - population density, demographics (more specifically the income gap between the very rich and the very poor). DC doesn't really have any problems that you don't see in many inner city areas around the country. Poverty is related to crime and also the urban drug trade. Georgraphically its not too far away from Baltimore which is one the most dangerous and run-down cities in the country.

[GaryC 7]

and if you think handguns are so evil, why do you have one?

I don't. I have never and will never own a handgun.

That is your right just as it is my right to have one. As long as you don't break into my house you will never have anything to fear from me or my gun.

Unless, of course, someone else breaks into your home, steals the gun, and uses it to carjack me. So yes, I have everything to fear from your gun.

Guns don't kill people....bullets do.

So how will depriving law abiding people of their right fix that? All that will do is arm the law breakers and disarm the law abiding people. Your solution just makes things worse.

How do you know what it does? Are you omniscient? Omnipresent? Omniarmed, me thinks.

I truly believe that reducing the obnoxious number of guns in this country could be a start to reducing gun crime. It's a pretty simple concept, really.

Unless your advocating the government completely outlawing all guns and then going door to door to confiscate every gun in America the gun crime will not be effected by outlawing guns. Do you really want a big brother action like that? Never mind that a federal law outlawing guns would without a doubt be against the 2nd amendment. There is an adage that may sound trite but is most definitively true. When guns are outlawed only outlaws will have guns.

Edited March 19, 2008 by GaryC

[AnewKINDofFEELIN 0]

AnewKINDofFEELIN, if you really think that banning guns makes a place safer, why is the murder rate in DC the 5th highest in the United States despite the handgun ban?

Because guns are readily available in the states surrounding DC and they can be taken across the border without check.

But somehow, in Virginia (which boarders DC) the murder rate is remarkably lower despite the fact that the gun laws are some of the most lax...

Virginia and DC also have MUCH different demographics.

Not really actually...

Really actually...

If you're referring to race, I'm not getting into that.

But demographics don't factor when you are arguing only that gun bans make safer streets (which is not the case in DC) and that the reason for the high murder rate in DC is proximity to states with readily available guns (which makes no sense when one of those states enjoys a lower murder rate).

There is no single reason for the high crime in DC. As with most things in this world, there is a plethora of causes leading to the effect. You're the one assuming that the gun ban in DC is why they have high crime.

As for murders, New Orleans, St. Louis, Detroit, and Baltimore have higher murder rates. No gun bans there.

[HAL 9000 96]

Correlation ain't causation, folks. DC's crime rate is high because it's not hard to ignore a gun ban that only encompasses one small city. Virginia's crime rate is low not because it's full of brave men defending their homes with guns so criminals fear to tread there, but because it's wealthy and isn't a stopping point in the drug trade.

Whether there are guns or not ends up being largely irrelevant on such a small scale.

Yes...

I wouldn't find it too hard to correlate such a bullseye system where the periphery ends up supplying the central zones that coincidentally have their prohibitions. Wealth and power and population dynamics obviously play their roles in their own ways.

Those that want to make an inequality between the DC area and the Virginia area need to scale down. Compare similar metro areas, aka DC vs Richmond. DC vs Baltimore, MD. Etc.