Thomas 10th March 2013 |
The second amendment says "A well-regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed."
So, sure you need a militia, an army, to protect your country, absolutely. But, the statement says "the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed", that is the people as opposed to the militia. The people have the right to keep and bear arms, not the militia.
At the fundamental level, when the document was written, the colonies had just won a war against a tyrannical government that tried to take their weapons. They wrote the second amendment so that if the time came again they (the people) could protect themselves from the government. Is it likely our government will go tyrannical, probably not, but dismissing the notion just because it sounds stupid is moronic in itself. The people control the government, not the other way around.
Everyone talks about guns that do all the killing, why doesn't anyone mention that it is a tool? The people controlling the weapon kill people. I know that's an obvious statement, but it's true. Why don't we do better background checks and better screen for mental illness? As we know, the few recent mass shootings have been committed by mentally unstable teenagers. |
Lee 22nd February 2013 |
Would like to see some updates. Here is a list from 2009. Things have changed across the country in the last 11 years. http://www.vpc.org/fadeathchart12.htm |
Ted 22nd December 2012 |
Murder rate per 100 thousand and correlation with rank in % of African Americans (#) and Latinos (H#)
1. Louisiana - 9.9 (2)
2. Maryland - 9.7 (4)
3. Nevada - 9.0 (H4)
4. Alabama - 8.3 (6)
4. South Carolina - 8.3 (5)
6. Mississippi - 7.7 (1)
7. Arizona - 7.5 (H4)
8. Arkansas - 7.3 (12)
9. Michigan - 7.1 (16)
10. California - 6.8 (H2)
10. New Mexico - 6.8 (H1)
10. Tennessee - 6.8 ( 10)
13. Georgia - 6.4 (3)
14. Missouri - 6.3 ( 19)
15. Florida - 6.2 (11) |
Craig 21st December 2012 |
While it's true that D.C. has the highest death rate even though it has the toughest gun laws, Alaska has the next highest death rate and amongst the weakest gun laws; and Hawaii, which has quite strong gun laws, has the lowest death rate. |
Tom Paine 21st December 2012 |
I enjoy the 2nd Amendment purists lambasting Washington, DC's record on gun violence. The reality is that DC shares a border with Virginia, where weapons are relatively easy to obtain and there's a gun show loophole wide enought to drive a truck through. North Carolina has long been a pipeline for both legal and illegal weapons transported to urban centers like NY, DC and Philadelphia.
Guns are currency in our society and as long as there is a checkerboard of gun purchasing policies in states across the country, the relationship between gun availability and gun crime is tenuous at best. Only a strong national policy will impact crime.
I refuse to believe that mass killings are the price we have to pay for living in a free and democratic society. |
Archangle 11th January 2012 |
The area with the highest death rate has the strongest gun control laws, I understand it is a city, cities have higher rates than country areas. |
ldfjldh 2nd November 2011 |
I dont like you, my friend does'nt like you either. |
Xopher 30th September 2011 |
Also... "Watch This" Syndrome. Hilarious. I had a friend whose last words were, "Hey, watch this!" (not firearm-related). He made the national news. |
Jeff 25th September 2011 |
Remember that these are not murders with guns, these are deaths with guns. These stats have nothing to do with crime. If a state has a high amount of people "allowed" to carry guns and to keep them in their homes, and because of that there are a lot of criminals killed by citizens defending themselves and their property, then that state will be high on the list.
States low on the list may have have a lot of citizens and homeowners bludgeoned to death by criminals, but you would never know it by these stats. |
Bobby XD9 18th June 2011 |
What is missing is a corrosponding chart that numbers states according to their gun laws. Globally, statistically, places with the strongest laws, such as DC, have the highest gun crime. |
Adam 28th March 2011 |
GrammaT seems to think that people wouldn't commit suicide if guns weren't there, after all, nobody ever slashes their wrists, hangs themselves, takes pills, jumps off tall things...
Sometimes death is death, and it will happen no matter what tools are available. |
Bill 14th March 2011 |
57% of ALL deaths by firearms are Suicide. USGO 2010 |
Roger 13th March 2011 |
It is amazing how so many people only allow their dogma to think for them rather than clear reasoning. High gun access equals higher death and murder rates and it always has. Anyone who thinks otherwise is just deluding themselves and refuses to accept what every honest peer reviewed study has shown for decades. The 2nd Amendment was written to correct the fact that the constitution did not allow the state militias to equipt their own militias. In a slave revolt for instance a Northern President could have seized all armories, the 2nd amendment prevented that. |
Groggs 19th February 2011 |
Interesting statistic about Michael Bloomberg and his crusade for gun control. The STATE of New York, with pop. of 19.4 million, has 5.1 deaths by firearm (homicides, accidents, police use, etc) PER 100,000 people, which includes, of course, NYC with 8.4 million people (about 45% of NY total pop.). In 2010, NYC alone had 666 drug related deaths PER 100,000. Hmmmm...seems to me the focus should be the war on drugs, not the war against the 2d Amendment. |
bad2worse 4th February 2011 |
If you remove the crime stats for the five highest city's rates it puts a significant drop in the overall stats. That would put the U.S. on the lowest 50% world wide. Don't punish the rest of us for the wrongs of a few. So think about that for awhile. |
GrammaT 31st January 2011 |
Gun nuts seem to discount police deaths and suicides and accidents and "watch this" syndrome. Death is death is death... without the guns, they wouldn't be dead! Get it? |
Brad 28th January 2011 |
So this includes cops & citizens protecting themselves with firearms. Also, you have to wonder how many deaths due to mafia and gangs that get buried out back in NY, NJ, CA etc. |
Cathy J 15th January 2011 |
If you notice..... The red states/ highest states are where people go hunting. And not ALL these deaths are violent crime deaths. These are Overall averages... Not good Statistics to use to promote gun control... |
Captain America 14th January 2011 |
Why does it say "DEFINITION: Number of Deaths Due to Firearms per 100,000 Population, 2002." at the bottom of the page? 9 year old information? |
Philip Rushe 13th January 2011 |
Notice the contrast in the figures from Alaska, Palin's home state, and Hawaii, where Obama comes from. |
Frank 12th January 2011 |
State of Washigton and california should be on top of the list. |
BobC 8th January 2011 |
This includes deaths from homeowners defending their homes and other lawful uses of force. It is the death rate by gun, not crime rate. Includes suicides and even police shootings. Doesn't really tell one much. |
CW 20th December 2010 |
Wisconsin is very low (#39) and has fairly restrictive gun laws. Absolutely no concealed carry, only open carry, which most do not exercise. |
Pat 13th October 2010 |
What really needs to be looked at is the states policy on gun control. DC has had the most restrictive policy along with Maryland. One is the most restrictive and the other is close behind. DC has the highest average death rate and one is only middle of the road for its average. The rest are all over the place in regards to gun control policy and death rate. Stands to reason that gun control just isn't an effective method for preventing death. It seems to happen anyway. I'll take my conceal carry permit and my firearms; thank you. |
David S. Zucc. 30th August 2010 |
Why is it so much in Alaska and so small in Hawaii? After reading an article at http://www.pdfok.com/firearms-death-rate , I would have named other top rating districts. And I am also surprised about Washington DC. |
Jim 9th August 2010 |
Washington DC is at the top because it is just a city, and doesn't have suburbs to reduce the average rate like the other states. For example, New Orleans actually has a higher murder rate than Washington DC, but the rest of Louisiana brings down the average. |
Bob 8th August 2010 |
Odd the capital district is almost 3 times weighted avg. This site doesnt accurately show that large cities, which have large minorities that prey on their own people i.e. drugs/gangs. Also these cities could be called blue cities, due to their minority, liberal bastions of socialism. |
Michael 27th July 2010 |
Notice the year. Very old and gun laws aren't as strict as they used to be. Be interesting to see what it is today. |
RP 12th July 2010 |
Alaska near top, mostly b/c of suicides in Native Americans. |
Doug 12th July 2010 |
These are gun related deaths, not crimes. In Kentucky there are probably more gun deaths related to "watch this" syndrome. |
Ralph Wedlow 30th June 2010 |
Odd how Washington DC, with it's unconstitutional handgun ban, leads the nation. FTFY |
Caron Speas 14th June 2010 |
Odd how all the gun-loving red states have vastly more gun related deaths!! These wackos really love their shoot outs at the okay corral!!! |
Jordan 25th May 2010 |
Alaska at the top? |