TexasCHLforum.com

karl wrote:Thanks Jim. The Google is being put to work.

karl wrote:I'm using GunFacts.info as a large portion of my evidence for topic number one. Lots of good stuff.

* "In homes with guns, the homicide of a household member is almost 3 times more likely to occur than in homes without guns."[12] [13]

* Reasons for elimination: This statistic is based on a three-county study comparing households in which a homicide occurred to demographically similar households in which a homicide did not occur. After controlling for several variables, the study found that gun ownership was associated with a 2.7 times increase in the odds of homicide.[14] This study does not meet Just Facts' Standards of Credibility because:

1) The study blurs cause and effect. As explained in a comprehensive analysis of firearm research conducted by the National Research Council, gun control studies such as this (known as "case-control" studies) "fail to address the primary inferential problems that arise because ownership is not a random decision. ... Homicide victims may possess firearms precisely because they are likely to be victimized."[15]

2) The study's results are highly sensitive to uncertainties in the underlying data. For example, minor variations in firearm ownership rates (which are determined by interview and are thus dependent upon interviewees' honesty) can negate the results.[16] [17]

3) The results are arrived at by subjecting the raw data to statistical analyses instead of letting the data speak for itself. (For reference, the raw data of this study shows that households in which a homicide occurred had a firearm ownership rate of 45% as compared to 36% for non-homicide households. Also, households in which a homicide occurred were twice as likely have a household member who was previously arrested (53% vs. 23%), five times more likely to have a household member who used illicit drugs (31% vs. 6%), and five times more likely to have a household member who was previously hit or hurt during a fight in the home (32% vs. 6%).[18])

* "Right-to-carry" states allow individuals to carry firearms for protection against crime. In these states, the violent crime rate is 24% lower than the rest of the U.S., the murder rate is 28% lower, and the robbery rate is 50% lower.[8]

* Reason for elimination: This data does not account for other factors that impact crime rates, such as cultural differences, arrest rates, illegitimacy rates, poverty, etc.

Note that many gun control studies attempt to control for such factors, but opposing sides inevitably point to other factors that are uncontrolled,[9] and due to data limitations, it is practically impossible to control for all relevant factors.[10] Conversely, some researchers fault studies that do not show significant results until the effects of controls are considered.[11]

In accordance with our mission to provide verifiable facts, Just Facts uses time-series data and lets this data speak for itself instead of subjecting it to statistical analyses. For example, we provide homicide rates in the state of Florida in the years leading up to and after passage of the Florida "right-to-carry" law. Such data does not prove cause and effect, but it does allow us to observe trends and limits the impact of numerous variables because the data is drawn from a large population set with limited demographic changes from year to year. To provide additional context, Just Facts sometimes provides comparative data (such as homicide rates for the nation as a whole over the same time period), but we provide this data in unadulterated form; we do not control for it in our calculations.

philip964 wrote:Remember ownership of all kinds of guns and rifles is illegal in Mexico.

seamusTX wrote:

philip964 wrote:Remember ownership of all kinds of guns and rifles is illegal in Mexico.

I'm sorry, but this is not correct. Mexicans can legally own handguns up to .380 caliber, and some hunting rifles and shotguns.

The problem is that the registration process is so convoluted that anyone can be charged with violating it.

http://www.davekopel.com/espanol/Mexican-Gun-Laws.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Of course the semi-auto rifles, machine guns, grenade launchers, and other military weapons used by the narcotraficantes are completely illegal for civilian ownership.

- Jim

steveincowtown wrote:Beat me to it...also if you would like to see a fine example of how big government in the US will take our 2A rights if we do not defend them, take a few minutes to read over the history of the Constitution and firearms in Mexico.