This is why the United States has Such Unusually Low Homicide Rates
Shorter Ann Althouse: clearly, more handguns are the solution to domestic violence, and if you’re skeptical that having guns would have saved Kasandra Perkins it’s because you deny the agency of women. The fact that Perkins did in fact have access to several guns is central to my point.
DrDick:
December 9th, 2012 at 12:04 pm
Tipping over Althouses again, Scott? Always good for a chuckle and remarkably easy given what lies at their foundations.
NonyNony:
December 9th, 2012 at 12:16 pm
I was wondering when the “if only the victim owned a gun and knew how to use it” reflexive response would end up coming out in a case where the victim did own a gun, did know how to use it, and it didn’t help at all.
If only this would actually reveal the lie for what it is, but I doubt that will happen. We ‘mericans love our guns more than anything, I think.
somethingblue:
December 9th, 2012 at 12:23 pm
Thoughtful, serious, never such detail, care.
Newsletter?
tonycpsu:
December 9th, 2012 at 12:26 pm
Assume arguendo that Perkins didn’t have access to any guns in the house:
(1) how many of those being attacked by a gun-wielding spouse/significant other are going to be the first one to pull the trigger and kill their partner?
(2) how many of the crazed gun-wielding attackers who weren’t mentally prepared to pull the trigger going into the situation will be suddenly driven to do so when they see that their partner is aiming a gun right back at them?
There are many, many domestic disputes involving one partner with a gun and one partner without that we never hear about because the gun is never fired. The idea that somehow handing a second gun to the other partner is going to produce better outcomes is one that could only be found at the bottom of a Costco-sized box of Franzia.
calling all toasters:
December 9th, 2012 at 12:38 pm
When LGM becomes a TV show, all segments on Outhouse will be introduced by Albert Collins.
DocAmazing:
December 9th, 2012 at 12:45 pm
Also, if you have a gun in the bedroom. and you’re in the front room when your head-injured husband comes to kill you, it’s not very useful. The only solution is to have a loaded piece in every room of the house (two in the bathroom–one by the can, one in the shower).
Contact your local firearms merchant for details.
Uncle Kvetch:
December 9th, 2012 at 12:46 pm
I was wondering when the “if only the victim owned a gun and knew how to use it” reflexive response would end up coming out in a case where the victim did own a gun, did know how to use it, and it didn’t help at all.
Follow the link to Wonkette and you’ll get a glimpse of where they’re going next: “If only the victim owned a gun, knew how to use it, and had the since to carry it on her person at all times, even around the house.”
Guns cannot fail. They can only be failed.
Uncle Kvetch:
December 9th, 2012 at 12:46 pm
Had the sense, dammit.
tonycpsu:
December 9th, 2012 at 12:52 pm
Yeah, Digby’s all over the “home carry” concept.
I wonder if the NRA recommends carrying during sexytime, or if the risk of premature discharge outweighs the benefits of being “safe” at all times.
LosGatosCA:
December 9th, 2012 at 12:55 pm
Not entirely off topic – Jets fans will get the connection:
“JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The New York Jets decided to activate only two quarterbacks Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars, but in a surprise, the backup is Tim Tebow, not Greg McElroy.”
I’m wondering if the firearm situation hasn’t influenced how this played out to this point and what will happen next.
If McElroy owned a gun, would he be active for this game? After winning last week?
Does Tebow own a bigger gun than McElroy?
Does Ryan have an undisclosed brain injury from a hunting accident with Dick Cheney?
Will there be mass suicides in gun owning Jet fan households if they lose in Jacksonville today?
Walt:
December 9th, 2012 at 12:56 pm
Sense cannot fail. It can only be failed.
Steve LaBonne:
December 9th, 2012 at 1:04 pm
What everybody really needs is a gub.
Warren Terra:
December 9th, 2012 at 1:06 pm
Obviously the Second Amendment doesn’t go far enough. A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the
rightrequirement that at all times all of the people musttokeep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.LosGatosCA:
December 9th, 2012 at 1:07 pm
Mike Royko would have been a better match for the job.
c u n d gulag:
December 9th, 2012 at 1:08 pm
Maybe every man should be packin’ a pistol by his pecker, and every woman should have a small Derringer transvaginally implanted for her own protection – and a larger one up her butt, and another one in her hand, in case her man wants a “Monica-job.”
Of course, having “Mexican Stand-off’s” in every bedroom will make Douthat haz a saaaaad, because then there’ll be even less white babies.
Or something…
Anonymous:
December 9th, 2012 at 1:11 pm
i am considering having my penis replaced by a gun just for this purpose. and to comply with new regulations about metaphor correctness
LosGatosCA:
December 9th, 2012 at 1:16 pm
Giving ‘gun love’ a whole new meaning.
R. Porrofatto:
December 9th, 2012 at 1:28 pm
The comments to the Althouse post devolved into the usual racist crap. It seems that even if Kasandra Perkins had a gun in the house, she should have been strapped at all times and ready to shoot on a hair trigger because:
- Belcher is black and Perkins should have known that blacks are more violent than anyone else (someone actually wrote: “If you’re white, your chances of being affected by gun violence are just about zero.” Unless you happen to be at one of those countless mass murder sites in the Heartland, then the odds go up a bit I guess). This is a result of the destruction of the underclass which was caused by progressive policies, starting with LBJ’s War on Poverty.
- She knew that Belcher was into drugs and alcohol, as are all blacks.
- She had an “illegitimate” child with a black man and should have known better.
- Since Perkins was also black, Belcher couldn’t be sure he was the father of his own child so that made him deservedly mad.
As always, I wish I were making this up.
NonyNony:
December 9th, 2012 at 1:43 pm
Jeebus. Words fail.
Who are these people who think carrying a loaded firearm around the house at all times is “normal”? Do they actually own guns? Have they ever met an actual responsible gun owner? Or are they all participating in some kind of Massively Multiplayer Online Game where they get to pretend to be gun owners online for fun?
Tehanu:
December 9th, 2012 at 1:43 pm
Dr Dick, I adore you! That is the greatest pun I have EVER seen!
Bill Murray:
December 9th, 2012 at 2:12 pm
they can still however work overtime, all one, two, three, four, five of them
Marek:
December 9th, 2012 at 2:15 pm
I see what you did there.
greylocks:
December 9th, 2012 at 2:23 pm
Also worth mentioning (tried to find alink but couldn’t) there’s a long list of cases where women have killed their significant others with a firearm in self defense, and wound up going to prison anyway. In the eyes of too many police, prosecutors, judges and jurors, any woman who claims self defense is just a lying hysterical bitch, a view of women that, not coincidentally, dovetails with other right-wing views of women.
Deggjr:
December 9th, 2012 at 2:25 pm
You would think the Fox News commenters in this clip http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9TKvge11QQ, including Dana Perino, would have known Kasandra Perkins had access to guns.
After all, Fox News is a news gathering organization.
Scott Lemieux:
December 9th, 2012 at 2:44 pm
Save us from the ball and chain.
somethingblue:
December 9th, 2012 at 2:46 pm
“The fortress was entered by tunnels in the rock, and, over the entrance to each tunnel, there was a notice which said: EVERYTHING NOT FORBIDDEN IS COMPULSORY.”
LosGatosCA:
December 9th, 2012 at 2:53 pm
Really? Are you sure? Can you give any examples?
Scott Lemieux:
December 9th, 2012 at 2:58 pm
I’m very glad that Althouse’s army of rats is leaving us alone now.
LosGatosCA:
December 9th, 2012 at 3:00 pm
3-0 Jacksonville at the half. The sound you hear are chambers being loaded all over Northern New Jersey, NYC, and Long Island.
Jets just scored. 7-3
Sanchez is rising to the occasion – on pace for 100 yard passing game. 67 yards after 40 minutes of play against the 2-10 Jags.
Eric:
December 9th, 2012 at 3:07 pm
My wingnut dad sent me an e-mail this morning that claimed the Second Amendment actually means that.
DrDick:
December 9th, 2012 at 3:10 pm
There is also the fact that the presence of a hand gun in the house dramatically increases your chances of being killed or injured by one. Carrying a gun has the same effect.
DrDick:
December 9th, 2012 at 3:11 pm
More fun gun facts here.
Uncle Kvetch:
December 9th, 2012 at 3:22 pm
And to get back on topic, melt the guns while you’re at it.
I knew there was a reason I loved this blog more than all the others.
BigHank53:
December 9th, 2012 at 3:24 pm
To be fair, having to spend five hours a day following Roger Ailes’ micromanagement leaves precious little time for investigation. It’s easier to just report whatever he wanted to hear in the first place.
BigHank53:
December 9th, 2012 at 3:29 pm
Aren’t you familiar with the dogma of the Church of the Second Amendment? Don’t you watch any TV?
Johnny Sack:
December 9th, 2012 at 3:34 pm
On a much more general level than the facts in this article-if the police do not have the duty to protect you, why shouldn’t you be allowed to have a gun in your home? I’m against concealed carry, but the knee jerk against all gun ownership makes me cringe.
Again-not trying to build a strawman, this article just reminded me of an ancillary point
John Protevi:
December 9th, 2012 at 3:38 pm
Concern troll is concerned, despite not providing any evidence that LGM commenters are against *all gun ownership.*
Johnny Sack:
December 9th, 2012 at 3:40 pm
But re the home argument-why should that be an argument against? I take a risk every day when I step into my car and drive on the freeway, etc. Even if having a gun at home makes a home invasion (or whatever) more likely to go wrong, who am I to say that that is a risk someone can’t take?
Murc:
December 9th, 2012 at 3:40 pm
I don’t think anyone here objects to having a gun in your own home. Many of us probably do have guns in our homes.
However, the idea that you should walk around strapped all the time in your home is batshit insane and irresponsible.
Also, the police don’t have the duty protect you? When did that happen?
Hob:
December 9th, 2012 at 3:47 pm
Maybe that comment would be more useful in a conversation where anyone at all had proposed forbidding the taking of unhelpful risks, rather than just pointing out that they are unhelpful.
Johnny Sack:
December 9th, 2012 at 3:51 pm
I guess I’m used to seeing it as an argument against. Sorry. Used to lesser debate and bad faith on, say, Gawker.
somethingblue:
December 9th, 2012 at 3:51 pm
Well, June 27, 2005, actually.
DrDick:
December 9th, 2012 at 3:52 pm
True and I in fact own a hand gun. It lives unloaded, broken down, with a trigger lock in the closet (separate from the ammunition) to minimize those risks. I only have it for when I go camping in the mountains in grizzly country. Bear spray is better for hiking, but not real practical inside a tent.
DrDick:
December 9th, 2012 at 3:57 pm
There is the small fact that you are more likely to injure a family member than an intruder with that gun, but I do not oppose gun ownership. I do oppose gun fetishism and macho vigilante fantasies, which are more likely to get innocent people killed or injured. If you want a weapon to defend your home with, buy a 12 gauge pump and load it with #8 shot. Don’t have to really aim and it will not blow holes in the walls and kill whoever is on the other side. A pro tip courtesy of the Chicago PD.
Major Kong:
December 9th, 2012 at 3:59 pm
Wouldn’t a handgun just piss off a grizzly?
thebewilderness:
December 9th, 2012 at 4:09 pm
Blaming the victim of gun violence for not shooting first is absurd. That is the basis for the discussion, not “…knee jerk against all gun ownership…”
I would respectfully remind you that there is a woman doing twenty years for firing a warning shot into the ceiling to drive off her attacker.
DocAmazing:
December 9th, 2012 at 4:10 pm
That’s what monster calibers like 10mm and .44 Magnum are for. Super-monsters like .454 Casull would also probably work, but are difficult to use due to beastly recoil.
Manju:
December 9th, 2012 at 4:12 pm
The homicide rate was at 10.2 when Reagan took office. Now its at 4.7, early 1960s level.
http://www.disastercenter.com/crime/uscrime.htm
The drop in the total violent crime rate looks even more dramatic:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Violent_Crime_Rates_in_the_United_States.svg
This all correlates with a dramatic rise in income inequality, bucking previous correlations. Even the Great Recession couldn’t stop the trend, last I checked. Somethings happening here. What it is ain’t exactly clear.
Catch made by Murray:
December 9th, 2012 at 4:12 pm
Wow, thistle seed was only 88 cents a pound. Those were the days.
shelby:
December 9th, 2012 at 4:14 pm
shouldn’t the title read homicide?? not homcide?
just saying. use spell check.
Jeremy:
December 9th, 2012 at 4:14 pm
I don’t think the gun nuts really want all of the people to be carrying guns. I wonder how much overlap there is between NRA members and people who supported the “Panther Bill” back in the day. Black Panthers carrying rifles at a political protest at the state capitol building is totally different than middle-aged white tea partiers carrying handguns to Starbucks to prove whatever point they’re trying to prove.
Jeremy:
December 9th, 2012 at 4:21 pm
In any sort of decent world, shouldn’t a law professor running a blog whose comment section is regularly a cesspool of bigotry be sort of an issue?
DrDick:
December 9th, 2012 at 4:25 pm
I have a .41 magnum, which is the smallest handgun that is effective against them. Again, I only have it for use at close quarters when I am in a tent. Out in the open, you are much better off with bear spray.
Sharon:
December 9th, 2012 at 4:45 pm
Lead paint abatement.
Look it up. Works wonders.
Incontinentia Buttocks:
December 9th, 2012 at 4:47 pm
Well why the heck not? Since the dominant reading of the Second Amendment simply ignores its opening clause, we might as well just ignore the plain meaning of the rest of it as well.
The Dark Avenger:
December 9th, 2012 at 4:47 pm
Some of it can be traced to getting lead out of gasoline, as excess environmental lead, gas or house paint, will lower human intelligence.
Incontinentia Buttocks:
December 9th, 2012 at 4:48 pm
I don’t think the gun nuts really want all of the people to be carrying guns.
They do for certain values of “people.”
Mary Rosh:
December 9th, 2012 at 4:51 pm
John Lott has already proven more guns mean less crime many times
Bill Murray:
December 9th, 2012 at 4:54 pm
to be fair, they do gather news, but their version of the NY Times banner (all the news that’s fit to print) is all the news that fits our conclusion
sprezzatura:
December 9th, 2012 at 4:55 pm
Well played!
somethingblue:
December 9th, 2012 at 4:56 pm
Shouldn’t your comment have some capital letters?
Just saying. Use shift key.
Roger Ailes:
December 9th, 2012 at 4:57 pm
The real question is, “Is Meade packing?”
somethingblue:
December 9th, 2012 at 4:59 pm
I’ve heard he’s a fantastic teacher who really cares about his students, despite being so distinguished and brilliant.
joe from Lowell:
December 9th, 2012 at 4:59 pm
It really is a shame what’s happened to that organization.
Once upon a time, former Union generals used to be appointed President of the NRA, and they fought to protect the rights of freed black people in former Confederate states to own and carry firearms.
Now…yeah.
joe from Lowell:
December 9th, 2012 at 5:02 pm
Why would you start “when Reagan took office,” when that rate rose during his term, peaked under George HW Bush, and then started to go down?
joe from Lowell:
December 9th, 2012 at 5:05 pm
To figure out why crime rates turned around and dropped back to early-sixties levels, we need to ask why they rose in the first place.
I put most of the blame on urban renewal and urban highways projects. A few years after we began turning urban neighborhoods into wastelands, the crime rate started rising, and a few years after we stopped, it started declining.
Murc:
December 9th, 2012 at 5:09 pm
… holy shit, I didn’t even know about this.
That’s AWFUL.
I always, you know, kind of figured cops had an affirmative duty to protect my family and I. Apparently I was mistaken.
delurking:
December 9th, 2012 at 5:19 pm
Yep.
delurking:
December 9th, 2012 at 5:25 pm
All evidence says no, for either values of packing.
Manju:
December 9th, 2012 at 5:30 pm
I think you’re describing what’s in the Violent Crime graph. 10.2 refers to just homicide. That rate never went beyond 10.2
But nevertheless, I did indeed mistake 1990 for 1980 when I read the graph. Must be the Reagan beer goggles.
The US Gini rose dramatically under Reagan, so we lose those years in the income-inequality / crime counter correlation.
But it kept going up under Clinton, Bush II. And then the Great Recession failed to spark a crime wave. So, that is still something.
herr doktor bimler:
December 9th, 2012 at 5:34 pm
beastly recoil.
Something something “right to arm bears” something punchline.
herr doktor bimler:
December 9th, 2012 at 5:37 pm
John Lott proved that gun ownership prevents the loss of data from things falling on your computer.
The evidence, alas, is no longer available.
Speak Truth:
December 9th, 2012 at 5:40 pm
Amazing.
With all of these wise people here that seem to know all about guns…especially the Brits, who aren’t trusted by their own government to be competent enough to even own a handgun in their own home….you’d think someone would have been able to debunk the myth that the police carry handguns because they’re portable and effective self-defense.
Those stupid police
Anonymous:
December 9th, 2012 at 5:42 pm
Yeah, but the guy’s supposed to be a fuckin’ professor or something.
Just saying. STFU
Snarki, child of Loki:
December 9th, 2012 at 5:49 pm
DrDick is demonstrating his grandmotherly kindness.
The other approach is to lift up the Althouse, and move it about 2 feet back.
After that, those who go to the Althouse to do some serious ponderin’ will get more than they expect, all sudden-like.
Snarki, child of Loki:
December 9th, 2012 at 5:53 pm
Sorry, lost your train of argument, daydreaming in the “In any sort of
decent world..” part.
What was your point again?
Snarki, child of Loki:
December 9th, 2012 at 6:01 pm
And the US armed forces don’t have an affirmative duty to protect, either.
Better load up on nuclear weapons, just in case.
Why if Kasandra Perkins had a nuke at home, she wouldn’t have been shot! Vaporized, yes, but not shot!
BigHank53:
December 9th, 2012 at 6:12 pm
Hey: three-fifths of a person; three-fifths of a gun. Doesn’t anybody pay attention to the Founders anymore?
joe from Lowell:
December 9th, 2012 at 6:17 pm
The police are both highly-trained and -accountable, and subject to a much higher need for self-defense than ordinary people.
Anyway, since police officers aren’t ever shot, your sure have done an excellent job of demonstrating the link between being armed and being safe.
DocAmazing:
December 9th, 2012 at 6:36 pm
Yeah, police sure have a bunch of expertise with handguns.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BART_Police_shooting_of_Oscar_Grant
LosGatosCA:
December 9th, 2012 at 6:38 pm
Sanchez put all those doubters in their place today.
111 yards passing. That should erase any concerns that Sanchez can compete against 2-11 teams.
Murc:
December 9th, 2012 at 6:38 pm
If the only concern with police were them defending themselves, they wouldn’t carry handguns. They’d carry exclusively long arms, rifles and shotguns.
And frankly, I’d be wary of a cop who felt he needed to be armed all the time, even at home.
Hogan:
December 9th, 2012 at 6:44 pm
I’m also not really following the argument that thinking she didn’t own any guns and/or didn’t know how to use them makes her less of a victim. But if that’s the dumbest argument Althouse makes this week, she’ll be having a great week.
DrDick:
December 9th, 2012 at 6:48 pm
“right to arm bears”
Here in Montana, our bears are already armed.
LosGatosCA:
December 9th, 2012 at 6:53 pm
Too bad these innocent bystanders were unconstitutionally disarmed under NY gun control laws, otherwise they could have defended themselves against these ‘professionals.’
Police: All Empire State shooting victims were wounded by officers
Instant accountability would have been an interesting set of circumstances to explore.
Walking around with loaded firearms or even having them in your house is a high risk. Some people can handle the risk under stress, most people can’t, trained or otherwise.
Deggjr:
December 9th, 2012 at 7:08 pm
Well, some people say they are a news gathering organization.
Bill Murray:
December 9th, 2012 at 7:10 pm
gerbils?
RepubAnon:
December 9th, 2012 at 7:16 pm
Yeah, and if only this 7-year old kid in Pennsylvania had been armed, his father wouldn’t have accidentally shot him outside the gun store.
On a side note: here’s the training NYC Police get for firearms use. If the police aren’t trained well enough to use their weapons in high-stress situations, it seems unlikely that civilians would do as well.
catclub:
December 9th, 2012 at 7:23 pm
I would have guessed a ‘lying, unemotional, manhater’.
They always say that men who kill their spouses are not very dangerous because their range of targets does not include random (male) acquaintances, just intimate partners. Funny how that does not seem to apply as often to women who do that.
Joseph Slater:
December 9th, 2012 at 7:26 pm
Don’t you realize this is respectable street?
Joseph Slater:
December 9th, 2012 at 7:28 pm
I had that thought too the few times I’ve made the mistake of going there. I can usually hang at the Volokh Conspiracy, but Althouse’s commenters are . . . something else.
catclub:
December 9th, 2012 at 7:29 pm
Why is referring to facts on gun ownership, such as higher incidence of family and self-inflicted injury in homes with guns, knee-jerk opposition? Seems like, without even trying, a strawman was built.
Manju:
December 9th, 2012 at 7:43 pm
Well, it’s not like he’s Dr. Ruth.
joe from Lowell:
December 9th, 2012 at 7:48 pm
Oh, look, it’s “every police anecdote I’ve ever heard of” time.
That’s always a productive way to go about thinking about things.
Tybalt:
December 9th, 2012 at 7:50 pm
I am continually amazed that Alhouse’s colleagues seem to be totally unconcerned that she eagerly publishes the most virulently racist nonsense imaginable.
Tybalt:
December 9th, 2012 at 7:55 pm
And he has such great commenters!
ema:
December 9th, 2012 at 8:07 pm
From somethingblue’s link:
Although the protective order did mandate an arrest, or an arrest warrant, in so many words, Justice Scalia said, “a well-established tradition of police discretion has long coexisted with apparently mandatory arrest statutes.”
zombie rotten mcdonald:
December 9th, 2012 at 8:08 pm
I think we should melt the guns.
herr doktor bimler:
December 9th, 2012 at 8:13 pm
Yeah, but the guy’s supposed to be a fuckin’ professor or something.
So is Ann Althouse, so we grade on a curve.
zombie rotten mcdonald:
December 9th, 2012 at 8:16 pm
All the news that causes fits.
zombie rotten mcdonald:
December 9th, 2012 at 8:17 pm
I have a gun in my neighbor’s home. That way, I get all the penis enhancement of gun ownership, but all the accidental death is on him.
herr doktor bimler:
December 9th, 2012 at 8:18 pm
the police carry handguns because they’re portable and effective self-defense.
Having complained of an alleged incursion of comments from Britain where people don’t know what they’re talking about, Speak Trollish assumes that US police policies are universal.
zombie rotten mcdonald:
December 9th, 2012 at 8:19 pm
And they’re so LARGE.
cpinva:
December 9th, 2012 at 8:58 pm
hogwash:
knowing how to shoot a weapon, and being able to use that weapon to successfully defend yourself, in a high tension situation, are not mutually inclusive. had ms. perkins been able to get ahold of a gun, more likely than not she’d have shot herself, the baby, her mother or a wall, or just had the gun taken from her.
i truly get tired of the numbnuts who insist, because someone’s had a two week training course, and therefore knows (generally) which direction to point the barrel, that suddenly they’re highly skilled navy seals, ready to take on anyone crossing their path.
what combination of cheap wine and prescription medication is althouse on, because she must be a cheap (and stupid) date.
N__B:
December 9th, 2012 at 8:59 pm
Spontaneous generation of straw people is proof that evilution is a lie!
cpinva:
December 9th, 2012 at 9:09 pm
so that’s the cheap wine althouse is slugging down by the gallon?
really, it’s beyond even this. statistically (the FBI actually keeps statistics), you have a better chance of shooting yourself, or having the gun taken from you and used against you, than you have of somehow, under extreme duress, with zero specialized training, calmly popping a couple of rounds into your attacker.
but then, althouse wouldn’t know this, because she’s a moron masquerading as a human being, with a fully functioning temporal lobe, synapses all firing. are she and maureen dowd twins, separated at birth?
cpinva:
December 9th, 2012 at 9:12 pm
i know i’m relieved to hear that.
think of the mess avoided, in the nyc metropolitan area.
cpinva:
December 9th, 2012 at 9:14 pm
some people say i have the body of adonis, and the brain of einstein.
fortunately, no one’s checked the shelves in my basement lately.
STH:
December 9th, 2012 at 9:23 pm
But they never seem to get to that level of thought about it. It’s just “good guys” (me) versus “bad guys with guns” and all the good guys must be armed to protect against all the bad guys. They never think about accidents, people who get angry when they’ve had a little too much to drink, having to assess the danger when you’re woken up in the middle of the night by a noise, kids wanting to show Dad’s cool thing to their friends–none of that. It’s just “bad guys with guns are coming to get me, so I need a gun.” This frustrates me to no end. It’s like arguing fucking religion–there’s no rational thought involved.
catclub:
December 9th, 2012 at 9:28 pm
Evilution indeed. Great typo.
cpinva:
December 9th, 2012 at 9:29 pm
your police provided information is decidedly incorrect.
clearly, they have little or no experience with the the wonder that is a shotgun, and birdshot, at close range. not only will it blow a hole through 3/4″ wallboard, anyone having the misfortune to be standing on the other side will be spending quality time in the local hospital, recovering from their injuries.
they are right about one thing, accurate aim isn’t required, at close range. and a shotgun is a better weapon for self-defense
that said, gun manufacturers have come out with a special shell, specifically for self-defense. for both 12 & 20 gauge. i think the difference is in the spread, but that’s just a guess. bass pro shops advertizes them in their catalogues.
Thers:
December 9th, 2012 at 9:45 pm
Althouse has said she’s punishing you for banning Meade — no link-backs for you!
So you’ve been pretty thoroughly chastised, there.
Scott Lemieux:
December 9th, 2012 at 9:46 pm
No thugs in this house! (I forget if that one is on English Settlement or not, but it still fits.)
Scott Lemieux:
December 9th, 2012 at 9:48 pm
Yes. Of course, she never linked to us before either, but that’s still a “punishment” I’m hoping will be permanent.
Anonymous:
December 9th, 2012 at 9:56 pm
According to Andy Schlafly at Conservapedia, Tebow is being benched under orders from the Christian-hating New York Liberal Media.
My theory is that Schlafly is Gene Ray with rich right-wing parents.
Thers:
December 9th, 2012 at 10:14 pm
It did become an issue last year, when she asked her “community” to remark upon a candidate for the dean of her law school. They responded predictably.
I forget all the details and can’t be arsed to look it up now, but it ended up causing a stink of some sort with her misfortunate colleagues.
DocAmazing:
December 9th, 2012 at 10:24 pm
win
timb:
December 9th, 2012 at 10:49 pm
I read over in the Althouse comment section — well, besides the racism and Jew-bashing — that the black, former slaves in Reconstruction were unarmed.
Ain’t a lack of understanding entertaining?
timb:
December 9th, 2012 at 10:53 pm
those comments are disgusting
timb:
December 9th, 2012 at 10:54 pm
One would hope, especially a blog requiring the registration of accounts by using blogspot. If one had the will, one could find a way
timb:
December 9th, 2012 at 10:55 pm
VC is full of crazies, but those crazies prefer their bigotry to be subtle
timb:
December 9th, 2012 at 11:03 pm
well, I am against owning handguns, but I’m a bit of a minority
timb:
December 9th, 2012 at 11:06 pm
someday some one will explain the difference between causation and correlation to you. I will NOT be that person
timb:
December 9th, 2012 at 11:07 pm
box wine
LosGatosCA:
December 9th, 2012 at 11:47 pm
And so will anyone who has the misfortune to run into her.
LosGatosCA:
December 9th, 2012 at 11:54 pm
Pending meeting the spousal unit, of course.
Ed:
December 10th, 2012 at 1:15 am
Interesting that liberals are so cowed on the subject of gun control that they feel the need to reassure everyone that they approve of having guns in the house and lots of liberals have guns in the house even as part of the topic under discussion is how dangerous having guns in the house is. Bob Costas was bolder.
LosGatosCA:
December 10th, 2012 at 1:55 am
I guess you couldn’t read all the way to the end of the post.
Handling stress productively is hard enough, handling a firearm simultaneously is a bit of a challenge.
LosGatosCA:
December 10th, 2012 at 1:55 am
Link
Warren Terra:
December 10th, 2012 at 2:25 am
Same orifice?
gunsafetynow:
December 10th, 2012 at 2:37 am
Twenty years sounds about right. These gun nuts to learn that there are consequences to their actions.
David:
December 10th, 2012 at 3:50 am
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ajay:
December 10th, 2012 at 4:59 am
three-fifths of a person; three-fifths of a gun. Doesn’t anybody pay attention to the Founders anymore?
So you’re saying sawnoff shotguns only?
Manju:
December 10th, 2012 at 5:00 am
Unless timb has gone RWing on me, this is a weird comment.
Income inequality has long correlated to a rise in violent crime, among a host of other negative social trends.
The standard right-wing response to this is to dismiss these correlations, because they have not been demonstrated to be causations.
Snarki, child of Loki:
December 10th, 2012 at 5:02 am
No need to, since XKCD has already done that job.
bradP:
December 10th, 2012 at 6:51 am
http://www.timesdispatch.com/news/local/central-virginia/gun-related-violent-crimes-drop-as-gun-sales-soar-in/article_54cca13a-35ee-11e2-83f0-0019bb30f31a.html
Let’s base this discussion on something other than political opportunism following a tragedy.
The Dark Avenger:
December 10th, 2012 at 6:52 am
You don’t seem to understand how lead blood levels correlate with lowered human intelligence, Manju, and you’re an admitted RW, so, given these facts………
Malaclypse:
December 10th, 2012 at 6:58 am
political opportunism following a tragedy.
You are right, of course. We should only discuss gun violence during periods where no well-publicized gun-related violence has occurred for at least several months. I figure this will be around the time of Arthur’s Return, although I’m also holding out hope for the 12th Imam.
MAJeff:
December 10th, 2012 at 7:08 am
Too bad this seven-year-old wasn’t packing: http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/local/neighborhoods-north/7-year-old-shot-and-killed-at-mercer-county-gun-store-665486/
bradP:
December 10th, 2012 at 7:09 am
The “following a tragedy” describes the timing of the political opportunism, not the timing of the discussion.
Althouse’s argument does not support gun ownership. Destroying Althouse’s argument does not support gun control.
Hogan:
December 10th, 2012 at 7:31 am
Yoiu’re talking about LaPierre, right?
rea:
December 10th, 2012 at 7:37 am
Well, as Justice Scalia teaches us, you’ve got to look at what the drafters of the amendment thought the language meant. Note that the language is explicit in referring to a pre-existing right: “the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.”
As with many issues, the aftermath of the Glorious Revolution of 1688 establishes the Founders’ intent. The 1689 nEnglish Bill of Rights establishes the right to bear arms:
Whereas the late King James the Second, by the assistance of divers evil counsellors, judges and ministers employed by him, did endeavour to subvert and extirpate the Protestant religion and the laws and liberties of this kingdom . . . by causing several good subjects being Protestants to be disarmed at the same time when papists were both armed and employed contrary to law . . . the said Lords Spiritual and Temporal and Commons, pursuant to their respective letters and elections, being now assembled in a full and free representative of this nation, taking into their most serious consideration the best means for attaining the ends aforesaid, do in the first place (as their ancestors in like case have usually done) for the vindicating and asserting their ancient rights and liberties declare . . . that the subjects which are Protestants may have arms for their defence suitable to their conditions and as allowed by law.
So there you have it–the Founders meant only that white male middle- and upper-class protestants had the right to bear arms (“as allowed by law”), Obviously, Kasandra did not qualify.
bradP:
December 10th, 2012 at 8:13 am
Well, I was talking about Althouse, but yes, the “If only Kasandra Perkins had a gun” line is pathetic opportunism.
Lee:
December 10th, 2012 at 8:51 am
This to your second link. I never understood why so many people think they would have the calm and the skill necessary to play hero in a hectic situation. Reality tells us that most people would panic.
dave:
December 10th, 2012 at 9:02 am
If the black panthers resumed openly carrying weapons we would see the return of sensible gun control very quickly.
If the black panthers started openly carrying in the suburbs, we would have a repeal of the second amendment within a few years.
liberal:
December 10th, 2012 at 9:18 am
IIRC, there is a much lower chance of them zipping around outside the house and killing neighbors, though.
Hogan:
December 10th, 2012 at 9:45 am
Re: the article, there’s nothing that keeps guns sold in Virginia from leaving the state. In fact, there’s a long, well documented history of guns sold in Virginia being used to shoot and kill people in DC, Baltimore, Philadelphia and New York. So I guess flooding other people’s streets with guns doesn’t necessarily cause an increase in gun crime on YOUR street. Good to know.
bradP:
December 10th, 2012 at 9:46 am
I do wonder what level of gun control is both supported by LGM commentors and relevant to this case.
As I understand it, Belcher was an avid gun collector without a criminal record, who was apparently in a unusually distressed emotional state.
The level of gun control that would have kept firearms out of Belcher’s hands would have to be extremely restrictive it seems.
bradP:
December 10th, 2012 at 9:53 am
Not taking any side with this response because it is such a complex issue, and I’m not too sold on my own opinions, but one can easily make the argument that any and all gun ownership carries a social cost above and beyond what gun owners and producers pay.
DrDick:
December 10th, 2012 at 9:56 am
That is the case and I think that my cop friends may have said less chance, rather than “no chance”. Bear in mind that many (maybe most) walls in Chicago proper are (or were at that time) lath and plaster, rather than wallboard.
bradP:
December 10th, 2012 at 9:58 am
Are you saying that Virginia isn’t seeing a rise in gun ownership and possession even as they are seeing a rise in purchases?
DrDick:
December 10th, 2012 at 9:59 am
Yeah. Then he could have shot his father in self defense.
Hogan:
December 10th, 2012 at 10:26 am
Are they? There’s nothing in the article to suggest that.
Karen:
December 10th, 2012 at 10:29 am
I now need to watch “From Dusk Til Dawn” again.
Brandon C.:
December 10th, 2012 at 11:03 am
IIRC, didn’t the police in that situation actually have better accuracy than most policy do in trials on average as well? And they still shot 8 other people.
I wish I had saved the link for that.
mpowell:
December 10th, 2012 at 11:37 am
Yeah, it’s kind of pathetic. I have no trouble recognizing that our society would probably be a better one if all forms of firearms were extremely highly regulated or simply just banned. Yeah, some people lose out on the fun of shooting a gun. Why the f*ck do I care? There are plenty of potentially fun things you can’t do because it’s better that way. And there’s no decent argument for gun ownership based on the evidence we have available.
Commenters on blogs should not be afraid to make the blindingly obvious points that liberal politicians have to avoid because they have an electorate to please. And even given that I would have no problem with a highly restrictive gun control regime, I don’t object to people owning guns because, hey, it is actually legal and as long as it is, do what makes you happy.
Njorl:
December 10th, 2012 at 11:39 am
It would change the way people would abt.
Hogan:
December 10th, 2012 at 11:53 am
To be fair, they were 2-10 when Sanchez played against them.
Njorl:
December 10th, 2012 at 12:07 pm
I suggested Virginia’s license plates be emblazoned with the motto, “The Straw Purchase State”