A Deeper Look At The History of Gun Control in the US

I wanted to expand on Hayoung Lee's post on gun control by discussing a few myths often used as arguments against gun control.

Fundamentally, guns do not help protect people from criminals (I use "criminals" in particular in response to the phrase "if guns are outlawed only outlaws will have guns"). Statistically, the leading cause of homicide by firearm is not from so-called "outlaws" but from day-to-day arguments that escalate to violence. Additionally, it has been shown that guns are no more effective at self-defense than any other weapon, and running to the police is by far the most effective. Of the 160 active shooter incidents from 2000 to 2013, only "1 shooter was killed at the scene by a citizen with a valid firearms permit". 21 were stopped by unarmed civilians. In the event of police intervention to gun violence, having armed civilians on site makes it hard for law enforcement to identify attackers. In cases where CHL holders have attempted to intervene, they have been killed, injured, or shot the wrong person. Those with training don't trust CHL holders and simulations have supported their belief.

To be clear- I understand the motivation to want to carry a gun. We hear about mass shootings and gun violence all the time and to walk around in public after hearing about these incidents could be really scary. Wanting to carry something to make you feel safe is completely understandable, but mass shootings are, on the whole, very rare, and carrying a firearm as self-defense simply isn't effective at all. At some point we have to trust data over our emotional impulses and concede that civilians might not be the most effective at protecting the public.

Articles linked here:

The Issue on Gun Control by Hayoung Lee

Expanded homicide data table 11- Murder circumstances by weapon

Gunfight or Flee: New Study Finds No Advantages to Using a Firearm in Self-Defense Situations by EVAN DEFILIPPIS and DEVIN HUGHES

A Study of Active Shooter Incidents in the United States Between 2000 and 2013

Commentary: Gun-Rights Advocates Say Places That Ban Guns Attract Mass Shooters. The Data Says They’re Wrong. by EVAN DEFILIPPIS and DEVIN HUGHES

Two Cops, Three Others Killed in Las Vegas Shooting Spree by ANDREW BLANKSTEIN, TRACY CONNOR and JOHN BOXLEY

Man arrested in Tacoma Mall shooting by Mike Carter, Emily Heffter and Julia Sommerfeld

Myth of the Hero Gunslinger By TIMOTHY EGAN

Tactical Experts Destroy the NRA’s Heroic Gunslinger Fantasy by Joshua Holland

Gun Carriers Fail At Self-Defense In Independent Study at Police Training Facility- July 22, 2015

I found much of the data in this article from the website for Gun Free UT, an anti-campus carry group.