Independence Day is a time to consider, among other things, our right to vote in a democracy. “Hit pieces” attacking political opponents sometimes proliferate more at election times than ads promoting the given candidate. I spent several days last month in Illinois, teaching a MAG-40 class of 32 in the Kankakee area at the excellent Illinois State Rifle Association range.  Hotly contested primary races were all over the TV.

Anti-gun Illinois Governor Pritzker, a Democrat, is running for re-election.  A Democrat hit piece on one of the Republicans running for the gubernatorial nomination in the primary went after candidate Darren Bailey, on the theme of “He’s Too Conservative for Illinois.”

They pounded on the two most controversial issues in America today: abortion and guns.  They pointed out that he was totally pro-life, and 100% committed to preserving the Second Amendment.  They narrated the latter in a breathless, horrified tone of voice, the way the narrator of a monster movie might have uttered, “And he is a worshipper of Satan!”

Of course, this didn’t turn off a single liberal from voting for Bailey; they obviously wouldn’t vote for him anyway.  What it did do is ignite the passions of two sets of one-issue voters, pro-life and pro-2A, to vote for Bailey.

Which they did, and he won the nomination. It’s him against Pritzker in the November election now.

This wasn’t stupidity in and of itself.  Huffington Post and other left of center sources have postulated that the Democrats did this intentionally to win the Republican primary for Bailey because they think it gives them an opponent they can easily defeat in November. And therein may lie their mistake.  When “too conservative for Illinois” is their theme, it shows they have spent so much time in their own echo chamber that they think the voters consider “conservative” to be a dirty word.  Perhaps they missed the canary in the mineshaft of San Francisco, one of the few cities “bluer” than Chicago, where voters there recently dumped their super-left district attorney.  Perhaps they’re over-confident that people furious about the Supreme Court’s recent Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade will vote Democrat automatically.

But perhaps they’ve also overlooked the fact that since Illinois offers abortion on demand and Dobbs leaves the matter to the states, it doesn’t directly affect Illinoisans.  Perhaps they’ve overlooked the fact that in the last two years, the combination of riots, “defund the police,” and Chicago DA Kim Foxx turning bad guys loose to prey on the public has created a situation where more of their voters want to protect themselves with guns…

Let me be clear: Bailey would not have been my own choice. On the gun owner’s civil rights issue, however, he’s the only pro-gun choice in this particular race. Come November, we’ll know whether the “don’t vote for him because he’s pro-gun” strategy worked for his opponents, or not.

102 COMMENTS

  1. The fear propaganda goes back long before I was born and I guess the Tavistock Inst. worked out those details during WW2 or there-about. I look back and shake my head when I think of the people I voted for out of perceived duty, or the clown that the system offered us. Everyone of them let us down with this excecutive order, or that bad decision they had made. Then I can see the left/right, left/right, bouncing one for the blue team, then the other clown for the red team (1984). I’m guessing that each one was necessary for the explicit plans that they had laid out for that time frame. When they claim “he’s a Christian, or that she really cares deeply about the things you care about, it now goes with a grain of salt. The Constitution is all we got left and the opposition really really hates that. God bless everyone that cares today.

    • You Texans may need border crossings on the west, to block the California commies from turning you purple or blue.

      • Texas just held a special election to replace a Representative in the 34th District who resigned, probably because he figured out what’s about to happen in November. Mayra Flores, an immigrant from Mexico, flipped the historically Democratic district with an overwhelmingly Hispanic majority Republican, for the first time EVER. Out of four candidates, she got 51 percent of the vote.

  2. Martin Luther had something to say about how Evil distorts truth. “The devil, too, knows Scripture but uses only what suits his purpose. The rest he silently omits.” The same can be said about the Dobbs and NYSRPA rulings.

    • How so? Seems the Constitution was followed well. See 10th Amendment for starters.

  3. I was fortunate to be born in The United States of America. I love this country. I love and respect our flag and what it stands for. I don’t have much love or respect for our country’s government. I have not given this government permission to give my money to foreign countries while our people are homeless, our roads are a cluster____, and our public schools are a total failure. I do not believe men should be competing in women’s sports or allowed access to women’s restrooms. I believe that our military and law enforcement should be fully funded and have the best of the best equipment and men and women. I believe if you commit a crime you should do the time, whoever you are. 246 years ago, The United States was founded. What a wonderful idea the founders had, what tremendous courage to get it done. Today we celebrate the birth of our country……… but are so close to loosing it!
    God Bless America, Freedom is Not Free. Stand and fight for America, there’s nowhere else to go…………………..

  4. “Hard times create strong men. Strong men create good times. Good times create weak men. And, weak men create hard times.” -Michael Hopf,
    Much of America has had a fair run of good times and unfortunately we currently have a slew of weak men guiding the country.

    • Think about it. The people who fried their brains on drugs in the 60s, had sex in the mud at Woodstock, dropped out, tuned in, and turned on, and thought bathing was for squares, are now in charge. That’s why our country has lost its way.

  5. I think that the firearms-prohibitionists are losing their argument. Their simplistic argument that “Guns cause gun violence, therefore, prohibition of firearms brings peace and security” is a failure with anyone who has more than a handful of brain-cells firing. The People have seen too many of their anti-gun Blue cities, awash with firearm-prohibition laws and regulations, turn into crime-ridden wastelands. The People have seen too many “Gun Free Zones” turned into killing grounds for psychopaths. Chicago (for example) is racking up a big body count every weekend. It is happening right now. See this story:

    https://townhall.com/tipsheet/mattvespa/2022/07/04/its-fourth-of-july-which-means-antigun-chicago-has-become-a-shooting-gallery-again-n2609726

    Firearms-Prohibition is a failure. I think that even some of the “True Believers” must be having doubts about it by now.

    Firearms-Prohibiton has never motivated those on the Left to turn out and vote in the same way that it motivates voters on the Right. So, their idea that it will turn out their base is flawed.

    The abortion issue may motivate Left-Wing voters, to a degree, but (contrary to the Left’s propaganda), the recent Supreme Court decision did not outlaw it. It merely took the issue out of Federal hands and sent it back to the States. Blue States will still have abortion, therefore, their blue voters will not feel the pain of outrage and be motivate to turn out in droves and vote.

    If (and it is a BIG If) the upcoming Midterm Elections are held in a (more or less) free and fair manner, the Blues are going to be REALLY BLUE when the results come in post-election. Indeed, even with the votes of the “Grateful Dead” and votes from ballot-box stuffing, it is going to be hard to cheat enough to stop the rising RED tide. At least, I hope so!

    • TN_MAN: Two points:

      1. Firearms-Prohibition is a failure. I think that even some of the “True Believers” must be having doubts about it by now.

      That assumes that “public safety” is still the goal of the True Believers. I believe it was when NFA’34 was passed, and maybe GCA’68, but since then most proposals have been tried and have demonstrably failed to make people safer … yet they still get proposed year after year.

      Ergo, I conclude the goal of the current generation of True Believers must not be “public safety”. As a corollary exercise, the True Believers must think firearms prohibition is not a failure, that it must succeed at something, if they want more of the same. What might that be?

      2. Blue States will still have abortion, therefore, their blue voters will not feel the pain of outrage and be motivate to turn out in droves and vote.

      Interestingly, the biggest “protests” against the Dobbs decision, are happening in urban Blue cities in Blue states. The very people who will be largely unaffected, because abortions remain freely available where they live, are rising up to “protect” it. So why are they protesting?

      (I have my own opinions on both those questions, but I’m curious what others think.)

      • On Point 1, I agree that public safety is not the goal of firearms-prohibition as pushed by the upper elite class. They know full well that prohibition will not bring safety nor will it lower crime or violence. However, disarming the American Citizen will insure that the People will not be able to revolt against their rule no matter how corrupt and disastrous it becomes. So, the elites push it because, for the elite class, DISARMING THE PEOPLE = MORE POWER FOR THEM. Put simply, they want Americans to be disarmed serfs rather than to be armed citizens.

        However, a great many of the “useful idiots” who drink in the Left’s Kool-Aid do tend to believe the propaganda that says “Gun Control will reduce Gun Violence”. When I said (above) that even some of the “True Believers” were starting to doubt the effectiveness of Firearms-Prohibition, I was referring to the “Useful Idiot” class of Leftists rather than the “Global Elite” class of Leftists. I meant that even some of the idiots are waking up and questioning the Prohibition line. Off Course, the elites will always continue to push it. Disarmament of the American Citizen is absolutely necessary for them to remain at the peak of political power. They will never stop pushing for firearms-prohibition. The media, that they control, will continue to pound it day and night. They will never give it up.

        On Point 2, the Blues in Blue States are protesting now because the Supreme Court decision was just handed down. It is a new change. However, as the months and years pass and abortion continues to remain available in the Blue States, I believe the pro-abortion passion will cool.

      • Interestingly, the biggest “protests” against the Dobbs decision, are happening in urban Blue cities in Blue states.

        Because Blue mayors let them get away with it?

    • TN_MAN:

      “…anyone who has more than a handful of brain cells firing.”

      There are way too many folks in this country whose brain function is just barely adequate to keep them alive. Earlier today, I watched a reporter ask people at a beach some American history questions. One guy thought Obama signed the Declaration of Independence. Another dude believed American declared it’s independence from China. One woman could not name the general who lead American forces to victory over the British. Another female answered “King Midas” when asked who the English monarch was at the time of the Revolutionary War. Several thought 1922 was the year America declared it’s independence from England.

      These are the voters aka useful idiots who choose the leaders of our country. The story of America will not have a good ending unless there’s a radical change in the intelligence level of it’s people. If not, we will soon be subjects and not citizens of this nation.

      • @ Tom606 – “Earlier today, I watched a reporter ask people at a beach some American history questions.”

        What you saw was not the result of a lack of raw intelligence. Rather, it is a lack of education.

        Education was “Federalized” during the Carter Administration. This effectively, put American Education in the hands of the Left.

        Once the Left had control, they implemented education policies designed to “dumb down” American voters. You see, the Left knows (full well) that a “dumbed down” voter can be easily swayed by propaganda and indoctrination. So, the Left has followed a multi-step procedure to gain control over the voting public.

        1) First, they gain control of the education system. With control -in-hand, they shape it to indoctrinate the young. They are careful to not teach critical-thinking skills to the young. The last thing that the Left wants is a public that is able to think for itself. Next, they don’t teach either World History or American History. Instead, they teach pseudo-histories such as the 1619 Project. The “stupidity” that you note regarding American History is not the result of lower native intelligence. Rather, it is the result of Left-Wing control of the education system.

        2) The Left fully understands the dictum stated by George Orwell. “He who controls the Present, controls the Past. He who controls the Past controls the Future”. By blotting out true knowledge of the past and replacing it with their pseudo-history, the Left has laid the groundwork to control the Future.

        3) With a voting population ungrounded in any knowledge of either World or American History and untaught in critical-thinking skills, the Left gains control. Such a population is easily swayed by concentrated and relentless propaganda. The Left controls roughly 95% of American Media and controls Hollywood, and is, therefore, in a position to pour out the propaganda 24/7/365.

        4) Lacking the knowledge and education to resist this relentless propaganda effort, large parts of the American Public are effectively “brainwashed” into supporting Left-wing policies.

        Thus, we see the disconnect in Blue States like California and New York. The Left has gained control and the bitter fruits of left-wing policies are being felt daily by the people in the forms of rising debt, rising inflation, greater impoverishment of the middle-class, growing crime and violence, etc. Yet, the voting public never seems to “wise up” and kick these totalitarians out-of-office. Instead, they dumbly continue to vote for the same failed policies, the same crooks-in-office, and against their own best interests time after time. How does one explain this?

        The deliberate indoctrination of the Left (instead of a proper education) combined with their relentless propaganda machine, provides the answer.

        Finally, as we saw in 2020, when indoctrination and propaganda are not enough to sway the vote and hold onto power, the Left is more than happy to cheat enough to push themselves over the finish line.

        All the American Left cares about is gaining and holding onto political power. Anyone who truly believes that the Left is actually working for the good of the People has been brainwashed to oblivion. Brainwashed to the point where they have lost touch with reality. Brainwashed to insanity.

      • A feature, not a bug, of the (Leftist-union-run) American public school system. History is racist, or something, so they don’t teach it.

      • TN_MAN:

        I’m in my sixties and remember how teachers and textbooks have been changing history even back then. Children are being indoctrinated even more blatantly nowadays and with them being introduced to pornography by the progressive Dark Side at an early age, they are brainwashed but their young minds are more dirty than previous generations.

        I wouldn’t be surprised if second grade teachers are showing their students Deep Throat or Debbie Does Dallas, or maybe even deviant homosexual porn in their classrooms while the kids are smoking marijuana.

  6. What worries me is the number of folks who go into a voting booth and blindly yank the lever/fill in the dot for whomever “their” party nominates. Please God, let enough people wake up and vote for their own interests for once.

    Last month the local rag (with a new editor imported from NY) jumped up on their soap box about the evils of firearms. They head lined their spiel with a hit piece by a retired FBI profiler whose lead off piece had some real obvious whoppers about firearms. Naturally, they haven’t printed anything that might disrupt the narrative in the hopes of propelling a (reliable leftist) candidate they want to re-elect in a new voting district.

  7. I think Bailey appeals to all the rural & small town citizens who have nothing in common with the Chicago politicians & are disgusted with RINOs like Cheney & Romney. The same is true in other states if you substitute Lansing, Minneapolis or Madison for Chicago. When citizens dare to vote for those who represent their values the Democrats scream “the end of democracy.” Hopefully, all those who put Democrats in office will enjoy the forecast rolling blackouts this summer.

  8. Never underestimate a large number of stupid people living in masses in Chicago. It doesn’t matter how conservative the rest of the state is Chicagoans by and large will vote for whom they are told to vote for. And now with the mass shooting in Highland Park they will be beating the need for even stricter gun control all the way to November.

    I remember seeing the commercials Mas speaks about. I was dumbfounded by them. He wants to take away your god-given, constitution right to murder babies while fighting for your rights to have weapons of mass destruction to kill your neighbor. The world will end if you don’t back Pritzker now!

    It saddens my heart to see so many line up at that Kool-Aid stand. They are, what we refer to in the religious business, as invincibly ignorant.

  9. I am wondering how many more apparent red-flagged sociopaths like the Highland Park shooter are running around bent on destruction, who would not have been able to acquire weapons if The System had functioned correctly. Where there has been one such suicidal/homicidal screwball slipping through the bureaucratic cracks, surely some more must have fallen through, or will. When I hear someone say that USA gun laws should be like Canada’s, I think of similar mass shootings that have occurred in Canada, and the widespread fear that brave, freedom-loving Canadians have that criminals just feel empowered under The Law. We all need more trained, armed sheepdogs most of all.

    • Strategic Steve,

      “We all need more trained, armed sheepdogs most of all.”

      Agreed. On the news, I keep hearing people wish these mass shootings could be prevented. I don’t believe ALL mass shootings can be prevented, so the sheepdogs need to be ready to shorten the attacks.

      The worst school massacre, which used bombs, not guns, was not done by an angry young man, mis-educated by liberal teacher union members, like we have today. No, that massacre was done by a 55-year-old farmer who was born in 1872. His name was Andrew Kehoe. The attack is known as “The Bath School Disaster,” and it happened on May 18th, 1927.

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bath_School_disaster

      Instead of being surprised by violence, I would rather be ready for it, and shoot back at the evil-doers. Thinking that all criminal acts can be prevented is naive.

      Have any of these mass shooters been executed? I can only think of Timothy McVeigh. No, we put them in prison where they don’t have to pay bills, and they get decent healthcare. I don’t know what it is like to live in an American prison, but I know it is better than living in North Korea. It may even be better than living in Somalia. Many Americans’ minds are so twisted, they are pro-abortion, but against the death penalty. You can’t have a decent country when your fellow Americans are that deluded.

      The voluntary segregation that is going on with Right-thinking Americans choosing to live together and Left-thinking Americans choosing to live together, is a good thing, in my opinion. We have nothing in common. Voluntary segregation and federalism will lessen the animosity that we have for each other.

    • A review of the perps involved in MOST of the “mass shootings” in the US for the past twenty years, or even tjirty, reveals that nearly all of them either got their insturments of destruction by committing a serious crime (murdering their Mother, stealing them, etc) OR were, “almost” as if planned by some higher-ups, able to pass their backgrond checks IN SPITE of known criminal history or laziness on the part of those responsible for keeping the records accurate and current. Nearly every one were known at some signficant level by local and ofter federal level law enrforcement. ALMOST none should have passed the BGC if they were being done according to the established rules.

      Bottom line? The BGC/ NICS system is useless. Yet in most states to acquire, even temporarily, a firearm that is “new to you” wihtout submitting to the bogus BGC is felony.

      WE have allowed this to happen. But HOW can it be reversed?

      One major change would be to insist on the death penalty for any who manage to exit the crime scene alive. The crossdressing piece of work who just shot up the parade on the 4th WAS known to relevant LE, DID purchase his weapons in spite of BGC, and killed at least seven in cold blood, malice aforethought. Perfect candidate for the firing squad, but I’d lay high stakes at long odds that will never happen. I am near convinced this was one more shill performing according to a script carefully written out beforehand, in other words, a false flag event. Same with the Uvalde school “incident”.

      The most recent perp is certainly getting his mug and name out there, and the narrative is taking up a LOT of public airspace. HE is getting his reward now. SUch a strong motivation is part of what drives this behaviour. The firing squad, no hood, face the line, ten shooters, fire on command until dead. Video tape, make it availble publically for any contemplating such conduct to view. Hmmm.. so THAT is how HE ended up. Maybe I could figure out something better to do than shooting up some public place.

  10. The left now found new creative way enforce gun control buy go after mail company’s delivers firearms to gun stores.

    Five Democratic Senators recently sent ominous letters to United Parcel Service and 27 other carriers, blaming them for escalating violent crime rates.

    “We are concerned that lax shipping security measures are contributing to the epidemic of gun violence in this country by allowing criminals to use stolen firearms to commit crimes,” the letters each state.

    They were signed by Senators Edward Markey (D-Mass.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Cory A. Booker (D-N.J.), Christopher S. Murphy (D-Conn.) and Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.).

    In their letters, the Senators peppered the shippers with 20 questions and document requests, including:

    The number of firearms the carriers have shipped during the last five years.
    Policies the carriers have in place to secure firearm shipments and prevent loss and theft.
    How the carriers define firearms.
    Whether imitation firearms, frames, receivers, ammunition, and silencers are included in this definition.
    Records the firms keep and maintain about lost or stolen shipments.
    Records the firms keep and maintain regarding packages containing firearms.
    The letters were sent May 19 to UPS, FedEx, the U.S. Postal Service and trucking and rail carriers located in the United States and Canada.

    UPS targeting parts for homemade guns
    In a story published last week, we revealed UPS is terminating the accounts of some dealers, and that packages currently in the UPS system may be “seized and destroyed.”

    In a letter sent to one Florida gun dealer, Ghost Firearms, UPS said they were terminating the account because they “may be violating” laws concerning homemade firearm parts.

    “We write to inform you that UPS has learned that your company may be violating applicable laws concerning the shipment of “ghost guns” to unauthorized locations,” the letter states. “In light of our concern, UPS has determined that it will cancel your account, effective immediately.

    In the letter, UPS told Ghost’s owner Joe Zatar that all scheduled pickups will be cancelled, and that he cannot reopen another UPS account or ship anything from a UPS store or website.

    Zatar is most concerned about $30,000 worth of packages already in the UPS system, which he may have already lost.

    “Please note that any package found in the UPS system determined to have been tendered by GHOST FIREARMS may be seized and destroyed,” the letter states.

    After the story was published, one national retailer who declined to comment publicly for this story, removed UPS as a shipping option from their website.

    Other dealers specializing in 80% receivers and other homemade firearm parts also declined to comment.

    Multiple gun dealers cancelled
    The National Shooting Sports Foundation is the trade association of the firearm industry.

    Asked which dealers were being cancelled, NSSF spokesman Mark Oliva said Wednesday, “I think it’s everybody – any dealer specializing in parts.”

    The NSSF is currently trying to determine the scope of the mass cancellations.

    “It’s a blanket ban,” he said. “We’re still looking into it.”

  11. well now… i have voted since my honorable discharge in 1980. typically i held my nose voting for the lesser of two evils. in 2020, i was delighted to cast my vote for the man who had everything stacked against him from the get-go. 2000 mules explains everything. suffice to say, i have lost faith in our voting system and and unfortunately our constitutionally bound government.

    epstein didn’t commit suicide
    las vegas shooting was not what it seems, but got the bumpstock banned
    samuel alito was catholic and should never have been cremated before the autopsy.

    • Why would Samuel Alito be cremated? He’s still alive, and hopefully will be around for a very long time and continue his good work.

  12. Despite the recent Supreme Court decision affirming that the 2nd Amendment is “not a second-class right”, the Firearm Prohibitionists press on with their schemes for universal disarmament of the American Citizen. See this article:

    https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/the-new-federal-gun-law-comes-with-fatal-blind-spots/ar-AAZkbeu?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=U531&cvid=18a7aac7bfbb483594e985c0cfe4c39b

    Every word in this article is totally predictable because we have all seen it a thousand times before. It is the old, old pattern:

    1) The Prohibitionists use their media attack dogs to scream about mass murders from the rooftops. They build pressure to pass “Commonsense Gun Safety Legislation”. They promise that this new legislation will prove to be the “Silver Bullet Solution” to mass shooting and “Gun Violence”.

    2) They ratchet up the pressure until a few dish-water weak RINOs agree to vote with the democrats and the legislation gets just enough votes to be rammed through. This just occurred, literally, a couple of weeks ago. They promise that the pressure will be off once this bone is thrown to them to appease their Prohibition hunger.

    3) However, within days of the “miracle cure” bill passing and being signed into law, their media dogs declare that the new legislation won’t actually do much to prevent mass shootings or crime (which, of course, is the truth since Firearms Prohibition works no better than alcohol Prohibition did) and declare that we must press forward to the “next step”.

    Let me quote from the article, entitled “The new federal gun law comes with fatal blind spots” linked above:

    “Gun-control advocates have aptly described the new federal law as a first step in the right direction. That may be true, but the law does not go far enough. The right of children to watch parades and go to school in safety must take precedent over the right of adults to buy any weapon they choose. That safety requires more stringent gun-control laws.”

    Ah yes! We must save the World from “Gun Violence”. We must do it for THE CHILDREN! Such lies fill me with an urgent need to VOMIT!

    The old, old pattern. Take a step toward prohibition and then demand even more. This is why any Republican who voted for this latest unconstitutional outrage should be considered a Traitor to the American People and voted out of office ASAP.

    These RINOs are the enablers, in concert with the EVIL democrats, with the destruction of our constitutional rights!

  13. Blue State (IN)Justice:

    https://nypost.com/2022/07/07/citizens-have-a-right-to-defend-themselves-jose-alba-should-be-free/

    I understand that the DA has since relented and lowered the bail to an acceptable level. Isn’t that sweet? If you are a criminal in NY, you get set free without posting any bail at all. However, if you are an honest citizen who is forced to defend yourself, you get sky-high bail unless you can generate enough media pressure to bring it down to a lower level.

    I guess we know who the DA really works for! (hint – it is not the American Citizen)

    It is an outrage that this man is even being charged with murder at all. This is self-defense on so many levels. Disparity of force being one clear factor at work with a 35 year old man attacking a 61 year old (as I understand it).

    Yet for the Left, the process is the punishment. Even if he is ultimately cleared, what will it cost him in terms of his life, his time and his money? The Left, unfortunately, has all of our tax-dollars available to do their EVIL.

    • If the recently released from prison, deceased attacker of the store clerk did not pay $300 for his fancy t-shirt, maybe his girlfriend would have the money to buy that bag of potato chips which seems to be the cause of this deadly incident. From what I could see on TV, the attacker was black and the clerk was white or Hispanic, which obviously makes him guilty of malicious, racist homicide. Liberals will claim a bag of chips is not worth a valuable life and the clerk should have just allowed the woman to take the potato chips without paying for them.

  14. Texas Governor Abbott is stepping up to lead the charge on constitutional grounds to call treasonous U No Hoo out on the invasion that we have been watching unfold. Anyone with a knowledge of history can appreciate the need to stop and turn back the current, maliciously engineered chaotic influx of desperate humanity that is deliberately designed to destroy the political stability, and the economy, of our country. IMHO, every patriotic State Governor and Sheriff can stand on our Constitution and state laws to mandate cooperation of the federal government with state-level invasion control, and any misguided forces intending to attack law-abiding US citizens who are working to control the invasion chaos need to stand down or forever be condemned.

  15. In japan not allowed own gun yet this happen with handgun.

    The assassination of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Friday sent shockwaves around the globe and especially in Japan — a country with some of the world’s strictest gun ownership laws and where gun deaths are extremely rare.

    Just how rare? Despite having a population of 125 million, Japan rarely sees more than 10 gun deaths a year.

    In 2018, for instance, there were nine gun deaths reported in Japan, according to data compiled by the University of Sydney School of Public Health. There were nearly 40,000 in the United States that year.

    The recent spate of deadly U.S. mass shootings has renewed the national debate over gun control. Such discussions don’t happen in Japan.

    “It really is unheard of,” Shihoko Goto, director for geoeconomics at the Wilson Center, said on CNN. “This whole debate about gun violence — it simply does not exist in Japan.”

    That may change in the wake of Abe’s slaying.

    Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe lies on the ground after he was shot from behind during a campaign speech in Nara, Japan, on Friday. (Kyodo via Reuters)
    Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe lies on the ground after he was shot from behind during a campaign speech in Nara, Japan, on Friday. (Kyodo via Reuters)
    Abe, 67, was shot and killed on a street in Nara, Japan, by a gunman who opened fire on him from behind as he delivered a campaign speech.

    Police at the shooting scene arrested the suspect Tetsuya Yamagami, a 41-year-old unemployed former member of Japan’s navy.

    Photographers captured what appeared to be a handmade gun, and police say they confiscated similar weapons during a raid of the suspect’s apartment.

    Under current Japanese law, the only guns permitted for sale are shotguns and airguns. In order to obtain a license to buy one, would-be gun owners must attend an all-day class; pass a written test and a shooting-range test with at least 95% accuracy; undergo a mental health evaluation and drug tests (which take place at a hospital) as well as a rigorous background check that according to CNN includes “a review of their criminal record, personal debt, involvement in organized crime and relationships with family and friends.”

    Licenses must be renewed every three years through the same process.

    And after obtaining a gun, the owner must register the weapon with police, provide details of where and how it is stored and allow it to be inspected by police once a year.

    As a result, gun ownership in Japan is rare, too.

    A person prays next to flowers laid at the site where late former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was fatally shot in Nara, Japan, on Friday. (Issei Kato/Reuters)
    A person prays next to flowers laid at the site where late former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was fatally shot in Nara, Japan, on Friday. (Issei Kato/Reuters)
    According to a 2017 survey by the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva, there were roughly 0.25 guns per 100 people. In the United States, there were about 120 guns per 100 people.

    Gun ownership in Japan is relatively new. In 1958, after World War II, the country passed a law stating “no person shall possess a firearm or firearms or a sword or swords.”

    “They [were] the first nation to impose gun laws in the whole world,” Iain Overton, the executive director of Action on Armed Violence, a British advocacy group, told the BBC back in May. “I think it laid down a bedrock saying that guns really don’t play a part in civilian society.”

    • @ Patrick

      Yes, the Firearms-Prohibitionists like to point to Japan and say “See, Firearm-Prohibition works in Japan. It is the ‘Silver Bullet Solution’ there.” The implication being, as in your post above, that it could be made to work here in the U.S.A, if we would only get “Serious Enough” (Code words for complete Firearms Prohibition) about it.

      However, let me point out that the U.S.A. is not Japan. A solution that works in Japan will not work here. Why not, you ask? Here are some critical differences:

      1) Japan is an island with very strong border controls. The Japanese can enforce firearms-prohibition and prevent the development of a large black-market for firearms via smuggling. The U.S.A. has land borders and these are practically open. We have never been able to secure our border and prevent people, drugs, alcohol, guns, or anything else from being smuggled into (and out of) the country.

      2) Japan had few firearms, in comparison to the U.S., to start with, whereas the U.S. has more firearms, in the wild, than people. These items (1 & 2) mean that a huge black-market for firearms will form and will always act to make firearms-prohibition impractical here.

      3) You quote over 40,000 gun deaths. More than half of these are suicides. It is a fact that Japan has a suicide problem even worse than ours. See this link:

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suicide_in_Japan

      So, we can conclude that firearms-prohibition does not reduce deaths by suicide and would not significantly reduce the suicide portion of the gun deaths that you quote above. It is clear that a person bent on suicide will find a way to do it. If a gun is not available, they will simply use something else. Guns are not available in Japan yet the suicide rate is sky-high.

      4) Japan is an uniform and ancient culture. This makes for harmony and means a naturally lower violence rate. On the other hand, America is a “melting pot” with numerous races and cultures. America will always be more violent than Japan for this reason. Access to firearms is not the key factor.

      5) American has a 2nd Amendment recognizing the natural right to keep and bear firearms and for self-defense. Japan does not.

      So, despite your listing of the virtues of firearms-prohibition in Japan, all of that is irrelevant and immaterial to the question of violence in America and the effectiveness of firearms-prohibition here.

      Prohibition schemes have never worked in America. They did not work for alcohol a century ago. They did not work for the “War on Drugs”. They won’t work for firearms either. Firearms-Prohibition is a “Non-Solution” for America. In fact, it is counter-productive.

      • Well Tn man here reply from few other country than Japan.

        The assassination of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is the latest incident of gun violence to make international headlines. As shootings continue, DW looks at policies covering firearms in select countries. Friday’s shooting of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Japan — a country known for its strict firearm regulations and low rates of gun violence — has sent shock waves across the world. Other countries with strict firearms laws have also experienced recent high-profile incidents of gun-related violence. DW looks at the laws in a handful of countries where gun violence is rare, but real.

        “No one shall possess a firearm or firearms or a sword or swords” is the wording of Japan’s weapons law. The country has some of the world’s most stringent regulations on private gun ownership. Other than the police and the military, no one is allowed to possess a handgun. Only shotguns and air rifles are available to civilians.

        Even buying those weapons in Japan is a long and challenging process. A prospective gun owner must attend mandatory all-day classes and pass a written test and shooting-range test with an accuracy of at least 95%.

        Applicants must also undergo a mental health evaluation followed by a police background check — including the backgrounds of their relatives — to make sure that neither the applicant nor the people in their immediate circle have criminal records.

        The license is valid for three years. After obtaining a gun, the owner must retake the class and the exam every three years to renew their license. The weapon must be registered and inspected by the police once a year.

        Japan last saw the shooting of a politician in 2007, when Iccho Itoh, the mayor of Nagasaki, was shot and killed by a yakuza member. After the assassination, the country tightened the restrictions even further and raised punishments for illegally possessing firearms.

        Gun violence is extremely rare in Japan. According to the National Police, there were only 10 shootings in 2021. In the United States, by comparison, 321 people are shot daily, and 111 of them die, according to the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence.

        Denmark

        After six people were killed in Highland Park, Illinois, on July 4, US conservatives seized on a shooting in Denmark on July 3 to argue that strict gun laws fail to prevent such tragedies. Opponents of this argument point out that Denmark has only had three mass shootings since 1994, whereas the US has already seen more than 300 mass shooting incidents in 2022.

        GunPolicy.org, an international database run by the University of Sydney, categorizes the regulation of guns in the Scandinavian country as “restrictive.” Firearms in Denmark are regulated by the Justice Ministry.

        Civilians cannot own fully automatic firearms; semiautomatic weapons and handguns (pistols and revolvers) are only allowed with special authorization. People who want to purchase firearms must provide a reason such as collecting, hunting or target shooting. Police conduct background checks to determine whether it is safe to grant an applicant a permit. A record of each privately held firearm’s acquisition, possession and transfer is retained in an official register.

        According to GunPolicy.org, Denmark’s estimated rate of private gun ownership was 9.9 weapons per 100 people in 2017.

        New Zealand
        A white supremacist gunman killed 51 people and wounded at least 40 others in 2019 in Christchurch. The government took action within a month, introducing a nationwide ban on semiautomatic weapons and assault rifles. Parliament voted almost unanimously in favor of the change, with a single dissenting vote.

        This rapid reaction to the mass shooting was a unique one. In May, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern told Stephen Colbert on “The Late Show” that the change was a “pragmatic” response, in which “we saw something that wasn’t right, and we acted on it.”

        Germany

        In the wake of the terror attacks in Paris in 2015, the European Commission drafted a reform that was incorporated into Germany’s weapon laws in 2020. Since then, authorities have had to check with domestic intelligence agencies to see if the applicant is known to be an extremist before issuing a gun permit.

        Authorities must also check every five years whether a registered gun owner has a “legitimate need” to own a weapon. This usually means that the police check whether a gun owner is a shooting club member or has a hunting license.

        Whether this measure would be sufficient to prevent extremist attacks has been a matter of debate. Tobias R., the Hanau perpetrator, who killed 9 people in 2020, and neo-Nazi Stephan E., who murdered a local governor Walter Lübcke in 2019, were both members of shooting clubs.

        Germany’s Interior Ministry revealed that as of December, 1,561 right-wing extremists still legally possessed weapons in Germany. This shows a significant increase of almost 30% compared to the previous year, when authorities recorded 1,203 right-wing extremists with legally-owned guns. At the end of 2020, 550 Reichsbürger (a conspiracy movement that rejects the legitimacy of the German state), still held weapons permits.

        The Interior Ministry is drafting a new bill to expand the scope of the background checks authorities must make before granting or renewing a gun license.

        Switzerland

        Switzerland has one of the most heavily armed populations in the world, with more than 2.3 million privately owned guns in a population of 8.5 million.

        Gun culture in Switzerland is essentially linked to its army. Military service is mandatory for all male citizens, who after finishing their service can keep the gun assigned to them at home.

        The high number of weapons doesn’t come without regulations. To own a gun, you must get a license from local authorities, which means undergoing several background checks.

        Switzerland is not a member of the European Union, but is in the Schengen Area and has a close relationship with the EU, governed through a series of bilateral agreements. Consequently, a referendum was held in 2019 to tighten the country’s gun laws to conform with new EU regulations. Almost 64% of voters agreed to tougher restrictions on semi-automatic and automatic weapons.

        Although the strong gun culture and rates of firearm ownership in Switzerland bear similarities to those of the United States, the number of mass shootings is incomparable. The last mass shooting in Switzerland took place in 2001, whereas Gun Violence Archive recorded 692 mass shootings in the US in 2021 alone. This is the highest figure since the nonprofit research group started tracking shootings in 2014.

        UK and Norway

        The UK has come a long way in restricting gun ownership, now having some of the strictest firearms laws in the world. Shortly after the devastating Hungerford massacre in 1987, which left 16 people dead, the government took a big step in banning ownership of semi-automatic rifles and introducing new restrictions on the use of shotguns.

        The 1996 Dunblane massacre, in which 16 children and one teacher were killed at a primary school, led to further reforms on gun laws in the United Kingdom. The Firearms (Amendment) Act of 1997 prohibited civilians from possessing all but the smallest-caliber handguns, which were then also banned under Prime Minister Tony Blair’s Labour government the following year.

        According to GunPolicy.org, the United Kingdom has one of the lowest rates of gun ownership (five guns for every 100 residents). The majority of the UK police also do not carry guns.

        The situation looks slightly different in Norway, where 77 people were killed in a terrorist attack in 2011. In 2021, a decade after the attack, semiautomatic weapons, which had been used in the attack, were banned. Norway still has a high firearms ownership rate compared to other European countries (28.8 guns per 100 people, according to the Switzerland-based Small Arms Survey), but gun-related violence is very low.

        Copyright 2022 DW.COM, Deutsche Welle. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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  16. Firearm suicides are rising in the US despite declining globally
    In the past three decades, suicides involving guns have steadily dropped around the world. While down overall in the US since 1990, they began to climb in 2006 – coinciding with increased access to firearms

    HEALTH 25 May 2022
    By Grace Wade

    Participants light candles ahead of the sixth annual Bridge Of Life Suicide Awareness/Prevention candlelight vigil organised by YEG Mental Health, a group dedicated to raising awareness about mental health issues in the greater Edmonton area. On Friday, September 10, 2021, in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. (Photo by Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
    In the US more than 23,000 people died by firearm suicide in 2019

    Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images

    Rates of suicide using a firearm have declined globally in the past three decades but remain high in high-income nations. In the US, rates are lower than they were in 1990, but they have been climbing since 2006.

    Irena Ilic at the University of Belgrade in Serbia and her colleagues analysed data from 204 countries and found that, between 1990 and 2019, the global rate of firearm suicide decreased by 2 per cent a year on average.

    That fits within a broader global trend of decreasing suicide rates, says Paul Nestadt at Johns Hopkins University in Maryland. But the specific drop in gun-related suicides probably reflects increased firearm restrictions around the world. “There have been a variety of countries recognising the role of guns in suicide, and that is likely contributing to decreasing rates,” says Nestadt.

    Higher rates in wealthier countries
    Each year, more than 700,000 people worldwide die by suicide, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). More than three-quarters of suicides occur in low and middle-income countries. But for those involving a firearm, rates are greatest in high-income countries, including the US, France, Canada, Switzerland, Finland and Norway.

    In 2019, there were nearly 53,000 firearm suicides worldwide.

    Currently, Greenland has the highest rate of firearm suicides. According to estimates from the Global Burden of Disease study, about nine people in Greenland died from this cause in 2019. That is 14.11 deaths per 100,000 people when you include both sexes, but 24.52 deaths per 100,000 men and boys.

    In the US, 23,365 people died from firearm suicide in 2019. That works out to 5.76 per 100,000 people, but just looking at men and boys, it is 10.13 deaths per 100,000. China, Japan and Singapore have some of the lowest rates, with less than 0.05 firearm suicide deaths per 100,000 people.

    What prevents firearm suicides?
    Several studies have shown that stricter gun control laws are associated with lower rates of firearm suicide.

    For instance, before Australia passed legislation restricting firearm access in 1996, gun-related suicide rates were declining by an average of 3 per cent a year. After the introduction of gun laws, the rate dropped by 7.4 per cent a year.

    Austria saw a similar decline after the introduction of gun controls in 1997. Such measures have been shown to reduce firearm suicide rates in the US too.

    Although firearm suicide rates are lower in the US than they were in 1990, they have been on the rise since 2006, coinciding with increased access to guns.

    Since 2000, the number of firearms produced by manufacturers has nearly tripled, according to a recent report from the US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

    Read more: Gun violence rose 30 per cent in the US during the covid-19 pandemic
    Because suicide attempts are often impulsive acts, access to guns increases the risk of death. A 2020 study that followed 26 million California residents for 12 years found that men who owned handguns were eight times more likely to die from firearm suicide compared with those who didn’t. For women who owned a handgun, the likelihood increased to 35 times.

    Of all suicide attempts, 8.5 per cent result in death. That rate rises to 90 per cent when a gun is used. Gun access doesn’t just mean someone will die by gun versus another method, says Nestadt, “it means someone will die by gun instead of surviving. And, importantly, for people who survive a suicide attempt, the vast majority never go on to die by suicide later.”

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    Firearm suicides are rising in the US despite declining globally
    In the past three decades, suicides involving guns have steadily dropped around the world. While down overall in the US since 1990, they began to climb in 2006 – coinciding with increased access to firearms

    HEALTH 25 May 2022
    By Grace Wade

    Participants light candles ahead of the sixth annual Bridge Of Life Suicide Awareness/Prevention candlelight vigil organised by YEG Mental Health, a group dedicated to raising awareness about mental health issues in the greater Edmonton area. On Friday, September 10, 2021, in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. (Photo by Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
    In the US more than 23,000 people died by firearm suicide in 2019

    Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images

    Rates of suicide using a firearm have declined globally in the past three decades but remain high in high-income nations. In the US, rates are lower than they were in 1990, but they have been climbing since 2006.

    Irena Ilic at the University of Belgrade in Serbia and her colleagues analysed data from 204 countries and found that, between 1990 and 2019, the global rate of firearm suicide decreased by 2 per cent a year on average.

    That fits within a broader global trend of decreasing suicide rates, says Paul Nestadt at Johns Hopkins University in Maryland. But the specific drop in gun-related suicides probably reflects increased firearm restrictions around the world. “There have been a variety of countries recognising the role of guns in suicide, and that is likely contributing to decreasing rates,” says Nestadt.

    Higher rates in wealthier countries
    Each year, more than 700,000 people worldwide die by suicide, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). More than three-quarters of suicides occur in low and middle-income countries. But for those involving a firearm, rates are greatest in high-income countries, including the US, France, Canada, Switzerland, Finland and Norway.

    In 2019, there were nearly 53,000 firearm suicides worldwide.

    Currently, Greenland has the highest rate of firearm suicides. According to estimates from the Global Burden of Disease study, about nine people in Greenland died from this cause in 2019. That is 14.11 deaths per 100,000 people when you include both sexes, but 24.52 deaths per 100,000 men and boys.

    In the US, 23,365 people died from firearm suicide in 2019. That works out to 5.76 per 100,000 people, but just looking at men and boys, it is 10.13 deaths per 100,000. China, Japan and Singapore have some of the lowest rates, with less than 0.05 firearm suicide deaths per 100,000 people.

    What prevents firearm suicides?
    Several studies have shown that stricter gun control laws are associated with lower rates of firearm suicide.

    For instance, before Australia passed legislation restricting firearm access in 1996, gun-related suicide rates were declining by an average of 3 per cent a year. After the introduction of gun laws, the rate dropped by 7.4 per cent a year.

    Austria saw a similar decline after the introduction of gun controls in 1997. Such measures have been shown to reduce firearm suicide rates in the US too.

    Although firearm suicide rates are lower in the US than they were in 1990, they have been on the rise since 2006, coinciding with increased access to guns.

    Since 2000, the number of firearms produced by manufacturers has nearly tripled, according to a recent report from the US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

    Read more: Gun violence rose 30 per cent in the US during the covid-19 pandemic
    Because suicide attempts are often impulsive acts, access to guns increases the risk of death. A 2020 study that followed 26 million California residents for 12 years found that men who owned handguns were eight times more likely to die from firearm suicide compared with those who didn’t. For women who owned a handgun, the likelihood increased to 35 times.

    Of all suicide attempts, 8.5 per cent result in death. That rate rises to 90 per cent when a gun is used. Gun access doesn’t just mean someone will die by gun versus another method, says Nestadt, “it means someone will die by gun instead of surviving. And, importantly, for people who survive a suicide attempt, the vast majority never go on to die by suicide later.”

    ic

  17. I detect the stench of paid trolls in the above posts by Patrick and Drake.

    Notice the similar “cut-and-paste” and “pile of statistics” approach between the two?

    It reminds me of an old saying: “If you cannot dazzle them with diamonds, then befuddle them with bull$h!t”. Their posts sure are not diamonds! I won’t exclude the other category.

    Patrick, in his second post, completely ignored my point. In case it is still not clear, the U.S.A in not Japan. Neither are we Denmark, Germany, Switzerland, or any of the other numerous other countries listed in his confusing pile of statistics.

    As for Drake, he claims that firearm-related suicides are down everywhere except in the U.S. where they are climbing. I take that claim with a grain of salt. Why?

    Well, clearly suicides overall are up since COVID-19 was unleashed on the World. See this link:

    https://www.psycom.net/covid-19-suicide-rates

    So, I find it strange that misery, drug overdose deaths, and suicides are climbing everywhere but firearm-related suicides are falling except in the U.S. Who is doing the counting for those figures? Also, why limit it to firearm-related suicides? What about suicides by other methods? It seems to me that Drake is trying to cherry-pick statistics to prove some kind of gun control claim.

    Sorry, Patrick and Drake. The readers of this blog are not the “stupid idiots” that you assume us to be. Many of us have those critical-thinking skills that your kind are trying to stamp out of our education system. We are not swayed by a word-salad mix of propaganda and statistics.

    Which brings me back to a final old saying which, it seems to me, applies to both of your posts above:

    “There are lies, damned lies, and then there are statistics”.

    • Well Tn man want data well here is from FBI and CDC on issue.

      FEBRUARY 3, 2022
      What the data says about gun deaths in the U.S.
      BY JOHN GRAMLICH
      More Americans died of gun-related injuries in 2020 than in any other year on record, according to recently published statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). That included a record number of gun murders, as well as a near-record number of gun suicides. Despite the increase in such fatalities, the rate of gun deaths – a statistic that accounts for the nation’s growing population – remains below the levels of earlier years.

      Here’s a closer look at gun deaths in the United States, based on a Pew Research Center analysis of data from the CDC, the FBI and other sources. You can also read key public opinion findings about U.S. gun violence and gun policy in our recent roundup.

      How we did this
      How many people die from gun-related injuries in the U.S. each year?
      A pie chart showing that suicides accounted for more than half of U.S. gun deaths in 2020
      In 2020, the most recent year for which complete data is available, 45,222 people died from gun-related injuries in the U.S., according to the CDC. That figure includes gun murders and gun suicides, along with three other, less common types of gun-related deaths tracked by the CDC: those that were unintentional, those that involved law enforcement and those whose circumstances could not be determined. The total excludes deaths in which gunshot injuries played a contributing, but not principal, role. (CDC fatality statistics are based on information contained in official death certificates, which identify a single cause of death.)

      What share of U.S. gun deaths are murders and what share are suicides?
      Though they tend to get less public attention than gun-related murders, suicides have long accounted for the majority of U.S. gun deaths. In 2020, 54% of all gun-related deaths in the U.S. were suicides (24,292), while 43% were murders (19,384), according to the CDC. The remaining gun deaths that year were unintentional (535), involved law enforcement (611) or had undetermined circumstances (400).

      What share of all murders and suicides in the U.S. involve a gun?
      Nearly eight-in-ten (79%) U.S. murders in 2020 – 19,384 out of 24,576 – involved a firearm. That marked the highest percentage since at least 1968, the earliest year for which the CDC has online records. A little over half (53%) of all suicides in 2020 – 24,292 out of 45,979 – involved a gun, a percentage that has generally remained stable in recent years.

      How has the number of U.S. gun deaths changed over time?
      The 45,222 total gun deaths in 2020 were by far the most on record, representing a 14% increase from the year before, a 25% increase from five years earlier and a 43% increase from a decade prior.

      Gun murders, in particular, have climbed sharply in recent years. The 19,384 gun murders that took place in 2020 were the most since at least 1968, exceeding the previous peak of 18,253 recorded by the CDC in 1993. The 2020 total represented a 34% increase from the year before, a 49% increase over five years and a 75% increase over 10 years.

      The number of gun suicides has also risen in recent years – climbing 10% over five years and 25% over 10 years – and is near its highest point on record. The 24,292 gun suicides that took place in 2020 were the most in any year except 2018, when there were 24,432.

      How has the rate of U.S. gun deaths changed over time?
      While 2020 saw the highest total number of gun deaths in the U.S., this statistic does not take into account the nation’s growing population. On a per capita basis, there were 13.6 gun deaths per 100,000 people in 2020 – the highest rate since the mid-1990s, but still well below the peak of 16.3 gun deaths per 100,000 people in 1974.

      A line graph showing that U.S. gun suicide and gun murder rates have increased in recent years, but remain below past highs
      The gun murder and gun suicide rates in the U.S. both remain below their peak levels. There were 6.2 gun murders per 100,000 people in 2020, below the rate of 7.2 recorded in 1974. And there were 7.0 gun suicides per 100,000 people in 2020, below the rate of 7.7 measured in 1977. (One caveat when considering the 1970s figures: In the CDC’s database, gun murders and gun suicides between 1968 and 1978 are classified as those caused by firearms and explosives. In subsequent years, they are classified as deaths involving firearms only.)

      Which states have the highest and lowest gun death rates in the U.S.?
      A map showing that U.S. gun death rates varied widely by state in 2020
      The rate of gun fatalities varies widely from state to state. In 2020, the states with the highest rates of gun-related deaths – counting murders, suicides and all other categories tracked by the CDC – included Mississippi (28.6 per 100,000 people), Louisiana (26.3), Wyoming (25.9), Missouri (23.9) and Alabama (23.6). The states with the lowest rates included New York (5.3), Rhode Island (5.1), New Jersey (5.0), Massachusetts (3.7) and Hawaii (3.4).

      How does the gun death rate in the U.S. compare with other countries?
      The gun death rate in the U.S. is much higher than in most other nations, particularly developed nations. But it is still far below the rates in several Latin American countries, according to a 2018 study of 195 countries and territories by researchers at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington.

      The U.S. gun death rate was 10.6 per 100,000 people in 2016, the most recent year in the study, which used a somewhat different methodology from the CDC. That was far higher than in countries such as Canada (2.1 per 100,000) and Australia (1.0), as well as European nations such as France (2.7), Germany (0.9) and Spain (0.6). But the rate in the U.S. was much lower than in El Salvador (39.2 per 100,000 people), Venezuela (38.7), Guatemala (32.3), Colombia (25.9) and Honduras (22.5), the study found. Overall, the U.S. ranked 20th in its gun fatality rate that year.

      How many people are killed in mass shootings in the U.S. every year?
      This is a difficult question to answer because there is no single, agreed-upon definition of the term “mass shooting.” Definitions can vary depending on factors including the number of victims and the circumstances of the shooting.

      The FBI collects data on “active shooter incidents,” which it defines as “one or more individuals actively engaged in killing or attempting to kill people in a populated area.” Using the FBI’s definition, 38 people – excluding the shooters – died in such incidents in 2020.

      The Gun Violence Archive, an online database of gun violence incidents in the U.S., defines mass shootings as incidents in which four or more people are shot, even if no one was killed (again excluding the shooters). Using this definition, 513 people died in these incidents in 2020.

      Regardless of the definition being used, fatalities in mass shooting incidents in the U.S. account for a small fraction of all gun murders that occur nationwide each year.

      How has the number of mass shootings in the U.S. changed over time?
      A chart showing that active shooter incidents have become more common in the U.S. in recent years
      The same definitional issue that makes it challenging to arrive at an exact number of mass shooting fatalities comes into play when trying to determine the frequency of U.S. mass shootings over time. The unpredictability of these incidents also complicates matters: As Rand Corp. noted in a research brief, “Chance variability in the annual number of mass shooting incidents makes it challenging to discern a clear trend, and trend estimates will be sensitive to outliers and to the time frame chosen for analysis.”

      The FBI found an increase in active shooter incidents between 2000 and 2020. There were three such incidents in 2000; by 2020, that figure had increased to 40.

      Which types of firearms are most commonly used in gun murders in the U.S.?
      In 2020, handguns were involved in 59% of the 13,620 U.S. gun murders and non-negligent manslaughters for which data is available, according to the FBI. Rifles – the category that includes guns sometimes referred to as “assault weapons” – were involved in 3% of firearm murders. Shotguns were involved in 1%. The remainder of gun homicides and non-negligent manslaughters (36%) involved other kinds of firearms or those classified as “type not stated.”

      It’s important to note that the FBI’s statistics do not capture the details on all gun murders in the U.S. each year. The FBI’s data is based on information voluntarily submitted by police departments around the country, and not all agencies participate or provide complete information each year.

      Note: This is an update of a post originally published on Aug. 16, 2019.

    • Well Ten man speaking of good old USA. Here few states that have gun control.

      ort by Everytown for Gun Safety:

      California, 8.5 gun deaths per 100,000 residents. California has all five foundational policies in place, and is the only state in the nation that requires all new handgun models have microstamping technology — which makes it easier to trace firearms used in crimes. California ranks 44th in gun death rate, according to the Giffords Law Center.
      Hawaii, 3.4 gun deaths per 100,000 residents. In addition to implementing all foundational policies, Hawaii is one of only five states to limit the legal sale of all guns to those age 21 and older. Hawaii has the lowest rate of gun ownership and the lowest rate of gun deaths — ranking 50th according to the Giffords Law Center.
      New York, 5.3 gun deaths per 100,000 residents. New York was the first state in the country to adopt gun industry liability laws, with the goal of holding gun manufacturers and dealers responsible for dangerous business practices. New York ranks 46th for gun death rate.
      Massachusetts, 3.7 gun deaths per 100,000 residents. Massachusetts is one of only two states to require locked storage of any firearm not in the owner’s immediate control. Second only to Hawaii, Massachusetts has the lowest rate of gun ownership and ranks 49th in gun death rate.
      Connecticut, six gun deaths per 100,000 residents. After the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in 2012, Connecticut expanded a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. The state has a strong illegal gun removal program and passed a law in 2020 to limit qualified immunity for police officers who abuse civilians. Connecticut ranks 45th for gun deaths.
      Illinois, 14.1 gun deaths per 100,000 residents. Illinois has a higher-than-average rate of gun deaths. A large share of trafficked guns recovered in the state are originally purchased out-of-state. The state has fewer laws to ensure industry and product safety, but checks nearly every box when it comes to limiting guns in public and keeping guns out of the wrong hands. Illinois ranks 27th in gun death rate.
      Maryland, 13.5 gun deaths per 100,000 residents. Out-of-state guns make up nearly 65% of the guns recovered by police in Baltimore. The state recently expanded its background check requirement to include rifles and shotguns, and repealed its Law Enforcement Bill of Rights. Maryland ranks 33rd in gun deaths.
      New Jersey, five gun deaths per 100,000 residents. New Jersey requires background checks both when applying for a permit and at the point of sale, and requires permits for all concealed firearms. The state ranks 48th in gun death rate.
      Washington, 10.9 gun deaths per 100,000 residents. Washington recently passed laws requiring background checks on all gun sales, but the state is lax when it comes to allowing assault-style weapons and public carry. Washington ranks 39th for gun deaths.
      Colorado, 15.4 gun deaths per 100,000 residents. Colorado has strengthened gun laws since the Aurora movie theater shooting in 2012, mandating background checks and requiring that domestic abusers relinquish guns when a restraining order is in place. Colorado ranks 22nd for gun death rate.

      • When you parrot anti-gun stats from the Bloomberg folks like that, you ignore things like the statement that microstamping “makes it easier to trace firearms used in crimes.” Research and critical thinking would have shown you that microstamping is essentially unproven “vaporware.”

  18. Well Mas when ignore fact most mass shooting took place where buy people who should been allowed to have one ar 15 feel through cracks legal system got one. That new mass shooting took place from some one who came from blue state that did allow him own rifle red state which allowed buy rifle in which took back blue state witch used in mass shooting there. Lets talk about hunting for second if your not allowed have more five rounds when go hunting why do need ar 15 more than that???

    • To answer your last question, deer don’t open fire on you. We are not hunting criminals, but criminals hunt innocent victims every day. Do a google search for “Homeowner with AR15 Defeats Home Invaders.”
      On your first point, reports are that he bought the rifle in Illinois, where he used it. Fell through the cracks of reporting.
      Patrick, is it your position that everyone is an incipient mass murderer? Do you think you are, for example?

      • Assault Weapons Are Not Protected By the Second Amendment, Appeals Court Rules.
        The Fourth Circuit decision is the first to expressly reject a right to bear an AR-15 or other “weapons of war.”
        Afederal appeals court on Tuesday upheld Maryland’s ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, ruling that Second Amendment protections do not extend to what it called “weapons of war.”

        Writing for the 10-4 majority, Judge Robert King of the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Virginia, said that the landmark Heller v. District of Columbia decision rendered in 2008 explicitly allows governments to regulate firearms similar in design and function to those issued to members of the military.

        “We are convinced that the banned assault weapons and large-capacity magazines are among those arms that are ‘like’ M-16 rifles — ‘weapons that are most useful in military service’ — which the Heller Court singled out as being beyond the Second Amendment’s reach,” the decision reads. “Put simply, we have no power to extend Second Amendment protection to the weapons of war that the Heller decision explicitly excluded from such coverage.”

      • In light of SCOTUS’ recent Bruen decision, that Fourth Circuit ruling is unlikely to stand. It’s hard to say an AR-15 is “most useful in military service” when no military service on the face of the earth issues them as infantry rifles. Too many people conflate the fully automatic M16 and M4 military rifles with the semi-automatic AR-15.

  19. Here whole story about microstamping Mass not telling you about. New York and Ca are going to be use it.

    California
    Microstamping legislation was passed in California AB 1471 and signed into law on October 14, 2007, but specifically exempts law enforcement.[4] The law has generated controversy.[2][3]

    This technology was to be required in California starting in 2010, but requirements in the law that the technology be available unencumbered by a patent put it on hold. Law enforcement agencies are specifically exempt.[4] One group, the Calguns Foundation, paid a $555 fee to keep the patent active in order to delay implementation.[5] On May 17, 2013, California Attorney General Kamala Harris announced that micro-stamping had cleared all technological and patenting hurdles and would be required on newly sold semiautomatics, effective immediately. However, handguns already approved for sale but lacking this technology may still be sold as long as they remain on the Roster of Not Unsafe Handguns.[6]

    In January 2014, the two largest handgun manufacturers in the U.S., Smith & Wesson and Sturm, Ruger & Co., announced their intent to stop selling new semi-automatic handguns in California. They cited the microstamping law as their reason.[7]

    Two trade groups, the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) and the Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers Institute (SAAMI), have filed a lawsuit seeking both declaratory and injunctive relief against what the groups perceive as an attempt to ban semi-automatic handguns in the state.[8] In February 2015 a federal judge upheld the microstamping requirement, ruling that it does not violate the Second Amendment.[9]

    On December 1, 2016, a California Appellate Court reversed the Fresno Superior Court’s dismissal of the NSSF and the SAAMI lawsuit seeking an injunction to block enforcement of the state’s ammunition microstamping law and remanded the case back to the lower court to hear arguments.[10]

    On June 28, 2018, in the case of National Shooting Sports Foundation v. California, the California Supreme Court upheld the state’s microstamping law. The court wrote, “Impossibility can occasionally excuse noncompliance with a statute. But impossibility does not authorize a court to go beyond interpreting a statute and simply invalidate it.” A spokesman for the NSSF said that no new models of semiautomatic handguns will be marketed in California.[11]

    The United States National Research Council released a report in 2008 that endorsed the investigation of microstamping as an alternative to ballistic markings. It had concluded that a national database of ballistic markings is unworkable and that there is not enough scientific evidence that, “every gun leaves microscopic marks on bullets and cartridge cases that are unique to that weapon and remain the same over repeated firings”. It described microstamping as a “promising method” that could “attain the same basic goal as the proposed database”.[16]

    Yes lest pro and cons microstamping.

      • First Mass look up story La cop who killed little girl in La because he fired Ar 15 rifle in department store 223 round went through wall of her dress room killed her. I think La Pd still in middle of that law suite. I am tell truth sucks.

      • I am familiar with that tragedy. Patrick, are you saying police shouldn’t have AR15s? Or that private citizens shouldn’t because a police officer’s bullet went through a wall (which would have been penetrated just as easily as a bullet from his service pistol) and struck an unseen innocent? Your message is not quite clear.

  20. I am saying no one should own weapon war meant for war for any excuses give other be use in war. I am saying police can not use firearms like there train to they should be arm. That pour excuse tell dead girl family well your kid would been just dead if she shot through wall with handgun. The cop did not use handgun used ar 15 girl in department story end up dead.

    • Patrick, I am not sure what you mean by ” I am saying police can not use firearms like there train to they should be arm.” Can you please clarify?
      Also, are you saying police should not have handguns either, given the fact that a service pistol bullet would have followed the same trajectory and done essentially the same thing in the tragic case you mention?

  21. I am saying if cops can not use there firearms like they been train to than they should be cops. Not to long ago there was case of female police lady killed unarmed suspect because she reached for handgun instead of her taser. She went court was found guilty of killing that suspect. Lets put face on fact little girl was killed with ar 15 round went through her dress room will try on dress. Lets admit what lame excuse is say If cop who shot her had used handgun instead of rifle she been just dead. Where was home invaders in both of story’s???Where was home invaders in last two mass shooting using ar15???? Dead people who where killed with Ar 15 used in two mass shooting according to your logic would been just dead if suspect would use some else. So according to your logic does matter if people commit murder with weapons makes easier for them do so long you can have it. Would tell family’s who where killed in last mass shooting that lives did matter to you because no one stop jerk got his hands on Ar 15 that used.

    • Your logic seems confused, Patrick. Are you saying that the AR15 killed the young woman in that tragedy and a policeman’s pistol wouldn’t have? You seem to be trying to indicate a problem with police training: what does that have to do, exactly, with law-abiding citizens owning autoloading rifles?

      I told you what to look for in terms of documented cases of armed citizens defending their homes with AR15s. The stories are there. Did you have trouble finding them, or simply choose not to look for something that might contradict your worldview?

      As to your last statement, look for the incident that occurred in Charlotte, W.V. within hours of the atrocity in Uvalde. In Charlotte, a nut case with an AR15 opened fire on a crowd, and before he could hit anyone was shot down and killed by a female armed citizen with a pistol and a concealed carry permit. Do you not think that is a better outcome than the death of the valiant teachers who died helplessly and hopelessly defending the child victims?

  22. Sent want talk about teachers now let talk about them. They would of had die if some one would stop young adult who got two ar 15 sent to him buy factory he used kill them with. This happen in one those red states Texas. So guess still label teachers and kids die now from ar 15 home invaders now. I did do some thing I looked up all mass shooting guess what all but one happen with Ar 15 bought from gun stores. The weapons have been used kill more kids and teachers where all bought from gun stores not stolen expect one rifle. In most cases all 233 ammo came from gun shops. How many people would still been alive if mass murder’s had got there hands on Ar 15???? May be should ask question from people who got killed in Las Vegas from guy used ar 15 shoot at them from country western event from hotel??? Why does mass murder need Hi cap mags other kill as many people as they can??? May be can explain to victims who have been kill with ar 15 why they die from them. One arm female stop one nut job from killing bunch people does excuse fact other nut jobs used ar 15 kill bunch other people with them.

  23. I fully support everyone on this blog to air their opinions. However, please try to use proper grammar and spelling in your statements so other readers can understand what you’re saying and avoid confusion which could cause unnecessary conflict. We should communicate with each other clearly and logically.

  24. Let talk about rest world sent want go there. In all most ever country round world even in some place like Canda and Mexico your now not allowed to own any firearms if private person. Place like Japan most other country like all ones list above have less gun deaths per year than USA because not allowed to own one. I well be fair South America not one those country’s. Mass shooting with firearms have all most gone down none in those country ban firearms compare 300 of them that happen USA so far according to FBI. Do want explain why all most ever country round world does allow own firearm in recent study are have fewer none mass shooting murder’s than USA???? The murder rate and suicide rate buy firearms has been climb to high peeks that have been seen sent FBI CDC have been keeping track of them. There my world view.

    • Drake, you’ve gotten some bad information. Guns are widely owned in Canada, for example, though not so widely as here. You also ignore cultural differences: most other countries do not publicize mass murderers and give them the fame their twisted minds seek, but here Time and Newsweek put school murderers on their covers, and one of the “Boston Bomber” terrorists wound up on the cover of Rolling Stone. It apparently does not occur to you and your alter ego Patrick that some of these mass murderers bought AR15s because the mass media TOLD them it was the ideal tool for mass murder.

      • That funny mass now blame media not nut jobs who have commit mass murder with ar 15. None mass media told any nut jobs they should go out buy ar 15 kill people with them have no proof of that. Infact you support young man name Kyle Rittenhouse who used ar 15 kill some people in riot when had no reason to be there at all. Yes I know he found not guilty buy court law. Yet there one collage so for in country that want any thing do with him even pro gun states. Canda just ban all private owner ship of firearms. Now all handgun in Canda are now ban so does matter how many handguns they used have all private owner ship firearm is over in Canda. Ready see your proof any mass media told world ok go buy ar 15 kill people with them. Infact most media I have seen not Fox News or News Max have pushing for assault rifle ban hi cap mag bans strong longer back round checks. So blame mass media for mass killing is another fail excuse from you and NRA that does pass smell test.

      • Drake/Patrick, twisting what we said (the way you twist your own words) doesn’t help your case. No, Canada has not banned all private ownership of firearms. It’s hard to tell whether reading comprehension is your problem, or willful ignorance of the facts. About your two personae, “Drake” and “Patrick”: why do you feel the need to deceive, if you think the truth is on your side?

  25. Quote of the Day:

    Proverbs 12:15 – “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise.”

  26. Buy way Ten man quote proverbs offer up prayer has stop any nut job from kill people with firearms. You ask the people in NRA about that has work so well for them.

  27. Sent want blame media let talk about Media news coverage on Kyle Rittenhouse case. How Fox news made Kyle Rittenhouse some kind strange hero for being 17 year old with ar 15 rifle that not old enough at time to own that killed some people with. Let talk about how right wing news seem gloss over fact Kyle Rittenhouse got ar 15 from some one not allowed sell him one because he was 17 at time not old enough own one at time. I think you where sleep at in part court Mas in case when asked owner building he was guard did want or need Kyle Rittenhouse to guard there building with rifle he said no fact. Let talk about how you most right wing media betray the people he killed with rifle that young to own at time as some strange bad guys that got what come to them. Who allowed Kyle Rittenhouse be cop judge and executioner that night with rifle???? Did you forget that right wing media you support glorified a 17 old kid ar 15 rifle was old enough have one. Yes went court he was found not guilty. There cold fact if Kyle Rittenhouse followed the law he would have been allowed to own ar15 he used kill some people in state was not own.

    • Patrick/Drake (you really need to bring your two personalities together, by the way) you don’t understand the English Common Law principle of the Doctrine of Competing Harms, known in Wisconsin as the Doctrine of Necessity. It translates here as follows: you’re allowed to break the rules in a situation where following the rules would cause more human injury than breaking them.

      In the Rittenhouse case, the kid didn’t even break the rules. The judge threw out the charges of illegal gun possession, a fact you conveniently ignore. He was attacked by four violent law-breakers, each using deadly force; he prevailed against all of them, shooting three and killing two. This is why he was acquitted by a jury of his peers.

      You still haven’t explained why you needed to create a separate persona of yourself to support your claims here. That sort of falsehood, quite apart from your confused arguments, really hurts your credibility.

      Opposing views are welcome here: that’s why your posts appear in the first place when I could have simply deleted them.

      This would be a good time to use your real name (as I do), but that’s up to you. It would also be a good time for you to answer the questions you have pointedly avoided in this dialogue: Why did you bring up the case of the officer’s rifle shot, fired to rescue an innocent victim, going through a wall and striking a bystander? Do you feel police shouldn’t have guns either, whether AR15s or even pistols?

      You can’t bring these things up and then not defend your position, and expect people to think you have credibility.

      • Frist of all have no reason to use my real name like any body else on web site. Like Tn man or any body else who does care us real name write here. I brought the cop killed little kill girl Ar 15 prove that 233 round sucks use in your home because over penetrate walls. In case little girl in La 233 round did just that bounce of floor went through wall killed her well trying on dress. You have given any proof none that if used handgun instead of rifle she would been just dead. I stand but what said if cop fire weapon with out no what he shooting at he should be cop. The suspect that La PD killed with ar 15 first before little girl was only arm with bike chain well four cops that killed him where all arm with ar 15. Care explain why four cops killed crazy person who only arm bike chain than killed a little girl who only crime was she try on dress when 233 round hit her chest??? Buy way cop killed little girl had special training in how use ar 15 witch he did use when killed little girl. As for my credibility I stand buy ever thing I post here do not care what other think of my credibility based who I am because truth does matter who I am only matters credibility what write here. Once upon time I was on pro gun side I even used work at two indoor firearms ranges even collect firearms. How ever my view change when some one in my family was killed handgun sleep in there car on Ca free way . Never found the person who killed that person in my family and still cold case file. I well never forget first person who killed them self in first indoor gun rang where I worked he rent 3 handguns wait to gun rang was empty he shot him self in head was discover until later in day. I like say end that story but same indoor firearms rang had four such events. If wonder what talking about go look up history of little know indoor gun rang use be in Escondido Ca know as Shooters Emporium. Once upon time friend your Larry Renter work there as firearms teacher before closed down in late 1990.

  28. Here again what Ma not telling you truth about Canda.

    NEWS
    Canada moves to ban sale of handguns in sweeping bill introduced after Uvalde shooting
    By Jesse O’Neill
    May 30, 2022 9:33pm Updated

    Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
    Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is taking immediate action against gun control.
    Reuters/Blair Gable
    MORE ON:
    GUN CONTROL
    Biden says Parkland school shooting took place in 1918 in latest gaffe
    Biden tells heckling dad of Parkland victim ‘Sit down!’ at White House event
    Statesman Biden’s politicized condolences for Japan leader’s assassination
    Shinzo Abe’s shooting death shocks nation with some of world’s strictest gun laws
    Canada moved to make the sale of handguns illegal under a sweeping new bill introduced in Ottawa Monday in the wake of the Uvalde, Texas school shooting.

    Flanked by government officials and advocates, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a “national freeze” on firearms in the country as he referenced increasing homicides in Canada and alluded to recent mass shootings south of the border.

    “It will no longer be possible to buy, sell, transfer or import handguns anywhere in Canada. In other words, we’re capping the market for handguns,” Trudeau said.

    “People should be free to go to the supermarket, their school or their place of worship without fear.”

    The legislation is all but assured to be approved by Canada’s Parliament, and is expected to be enacted this fall. The country has already unveiled plans to ban 1,500 types of military-style firearms and implement a mandatory buyback program of high-capacity weapons.

    Trudeau has long said capping gun violence in the country was a political priority, but his new legislation came less than a week after the Robb Elementary School shooting and soon after a Buffalo supermarket rampage near Ontario’s border.

    • Gee, Patrick/Drake, first you say all guns were banned in Canada, then you say it’s only handguns, then you say it didn’t happen yet. Try to make up your mind instead of cutting and pasting.

  29. I ask you for proof that media told nut jobs world that they should go buy ar 15 commit murder with them. What do Mas change subject on how Canda can own handguns when guess what not allowed to all ready proven that. When asked about you Fox News support for Kyle Rittenhouse who used ar15 that got from illegal means being only 17 years old at time was allowed to own one. Well accuse me twisting my words well I accuse you of change subject not answering my questions. Here facts that not going talk about you support 17 year old man who you glorified his actions for kill some people at riot with Ar 15 not allowed to own. I well be honest Fox news that covered story did same thing. You want blame media than you should blame yours self for Kyle Rittenhouse story. Because according to you support 17 old killer with ar 15 that found not guilty do fact Da in case sucked.

    • Patrick/Drake, what I said was that the media told nut jobs that the AR15 was the tool of choice for committing mass murder. Do you actually dispute that obvious fact?

      I didn’t change the subject. You said that Canada had banned guns. They didn’t. Fact.

      Rittenhouse, the evidence showed, went to Kenosha to clean up damage and aid injured people, both of which the evidence clearly showed he did. He found himself in a war zone where, as the State’s own police witnesses said, more people were carrying guns than weren’t. The judge correctly determined that Wisconsin law allowed him to have the rifle. The facts, on video, showed he only fired when he was attacked with obviously deadly intent, and stopped shooting as soon as each attack stopped. You and I agree on one thing: the lead prosecutor sucked, because the prosecutor obviously didn’t understand the law of self-defense.

  30. I’d suspect that Patrick/Drake is just an AI trollbot…except that trollbots generate much better spelling and grammar.

    In any case, the lack of actual thought in all these comments suggests that no amount of engagement from thinking and caring people will change the dogma being regurgitated. It is important to engage with people who legitimately (and coherently) disagree. But these comments are so hard to understand that I’m not even sure there’s value in refuting them “for the record”; when an argument is barely intelligible, there’s not much to refute.

    So, while you’re doing a great job of pointing out the obvious lack of coherence in the comments, Mas, I consider your time and energy extremely valuable. And although it’s probably selfish of me, I hope you don’t spend too much more of your valuable time trying to engage with someone who’s as unlikely to change as he is to communicate effectively.

  31. You said that media told nut jobs that ok use ar 15 in mass murder. How ever you still have explain witch Media out let said that. Infact you have proven that any body at cnn abc or nbc or any other news out let said that fact. Tell me who invite Rittenhouse take part in riot??? Other than self. Was all proven at Rittenhouse court case that he was not licensed medic lied about fact he was not to people came help . So in your option arm 17 year old with ar 15 who was train cop licensed medic had ever right show up at riot shoot people who where unarmed witch proven fact at his case because he felt scared. So Mas your saying now ok shoot unarm people with ar 15 because well all they where try save was there own lives from 17 old point ar 15 rifle at them shooting at them. Who put Rittenhouse in war zone he did him self fact. Who glorified actions for being in Kenosha you did and Fox news did that fact. Yes well be debatable for many years come why he was in Kenosha in first place. I question if was there help people why did need bring long ar 15 rifle??? He came to state was own killed very same people try help over weak excuse that scared of them. Yes friendly judge Rittenhouse case dismissed most of evidences that Da had in case on Rittenhouse witch affect case.

  32. Lets talk in door gun ranges second one you should know it called American Shooting Center once based in San Diego now in El Cajon. Yes once work for guy name Mark when American Shooting was based San Diego. Reason why Mark moved great city of San Diego Ca to El Cajon is because San Deigo has now turn self in very ant firearms free gun zone. Why is American Shooting Center so important well if you read american handgunner magazine or guns magazine both are based out San Diego. Hear little fact most people do not know all gun prize that given away from those two magazines come from American Shooting Center. Yes ever handgun and ever rifle that given away goes from American Shooting Center to people who won them. That all can tell about American Shooting Center yes once work there not friends with owner Mark and have no idea how American Shooting Center doing El Cajon.

    • Patrick/Drake, there’s a lot of confusion in your last three rambling posts here, but I’ll do the best I can to sort them out. In no particular order:

      — I would expect someone who once worked in the gun business, as you claim for yourself, would know that the AR15’s ammunition is .223, not “233.”
      — It has long been known, going back to FBI decades ago, that police service pistol bullets and police .223 rifle rounds have similar penetration through construction materials. Deadly force incidents such as the one involving the LAPD officer you cite do not occur on ranges with backstops. The young woman who was shot was not visible to the officer, who was doing his best to put the bullet into a violent offender.
      — CNN and numerous other outlets constantly describe the AR15 as designed to kill many people quickly, and as the choice of recent mass murderers, which is the whole reason they wish to ban them. Are you seriously telling us you have not noticed this?
      — No one is at all surprised that an entity giving out prize firearms would ship them from an FFL near them to the FFLs of the various winners. Can you tell us what that has to do with anything under discussion here?
      — I realize that it galls you that Rittenhouse got a fair trial, but a jury that spent many days reviewing the actual evidence and testimony found him not guilty. Each man he shot was either pointing a gun at him (Grosskreutz) or attempting to injure and disarm him (Rosenbaum, Huber) and were therefore deadly threats, not unarmed men.
      — Finally, you haven’t explained why you pretended to be two different people here. If truth is on your side, why do you practice that sort of deception?

  33. Frist all Mas shooting with cop killed little girl took place indoor shopping mall. Second all facts in case show police man killed little girl with ar 15 rifle had no idea where he shooting at until found little girl dead in dress room from rifle round went through wall and through chest and fact. You ignore fact cop who killed girl in story went through special training avoid what did happen. I do not have explain to you why not using my real name here . Colion Noir you know black guy lawyer who defends second amendment on YouTube twitter well guess what Colion Noir is real name he explain why does go round use real name better than I can so not ask why he does not use real name defend second amendment????I asked you what news media out let said ok kill people with ar15 . I am still wait hear witch new reports said that ar 15 was best weapon to kill people with you still have offer any proof any one in main stream media said that. Buy way point about ar 15 rounds stupid any one in gun industry know you can shoot 223 rounds in ar 15 because one same round just like 308 round can fire any rifle chamber for like m14. With your own words policemen shot little girl had no idea what shooting at until she found dead in dress room try on dress buy her own mother. Would care explain why such highly train cop in case use ar 15 take shoot with out know where round went??? When going through armed guard classes we where train no matter where we shooting we be held accountable for what round did when hit there target. If target was some one like girl in dress room we could be charge with murder or sued over fact there was no policemen protection act save us from those events. Because there no good excuse for what happen with girl who got shot in dress room. Yes was arm guard for short time and when had negligent discharge with used defect police trade in Glock 17 I was charge with misdemeanor that end my arm guard days. Lucky point used police Glock 17 at door frame that 9mm hollow point did go through door frame. I got told buy cops if been cop in department that issue Glocks I would been fired if round hit some one I would been charger.

      • That writen in 2017 if your looking for apology you right not gone bet one. That written 7 years ago do you know what year is???

      • It’s been going on for a while. You sound desperate, “Patrick.” Don’t feel bad, it’s not the first time anti-gunners have been proven wrong, here and elsewhere.

      • LOL, do you realize it’s proof that what you said never happened has been going on for a long time? And, I’m sure, you didn’t look for the million plus other hits where prohibitionists claimed the AR15 was the mass murderer’s weapon of choice.

        By the way, we are still waiting for you to tell us why you posted here under two different usernames, and how you connect a tragic death from a policeman’s patrol rifle bullet striking an unseen person, with your opposition to law-abiding private citizens owning AR15s.

        We’ll wait. 🙂

  34. You said some one at CNN report that ar 15 where best rifle use in mass murder. I went CNN web site guess what no one report that are make shit up because you can not name one reporter that said that ????I check all other news out let abc nbc msnbc. No body at those web sites I have said that Ar 15 best rifle for mass murder. What all most ever one those web site have state may be time return to 1994 assault weapons ban hi caps mag ban red flags longer back round check for ever state. I know must scare death Joe Bidden all ready said that before leave White House gone try restate 1994 ban on assault rifle semi auto handguns hold than ten round. Only person claim media and Cnn said that ar 15 are best rifle kill people is you Mas. So far your proof that media and Cnn claim what they said about ar 15 would fall part in court law you know it. Any lawyer out law school pick apart your claim buy ask when did CNN report that ar 15 where best rifles kill people witch reporter at CNN said that???? You claim all other media out lets have said same thing yet can not prove date or time when they said it. You should know be pro gun witness when make statement with out sold facts or proof it get toss out in court law conjecture.

    • Google “AR15 Choice of Mass Murderers” and in less than a second you get one and a quarter million hits, including CBS, NPR, and more.

      Research isn’t your long suit, is it, “Patrick”?

  35. Nice try “AR15 Choice of Mass Murderers” was another story written in 2016. Do you have thing written in 2022??? Wait no you do not Mas. So cut paste very old news story is more proof that your claim is bull shit about the mass media saying the pick ar 15 rifle as firearm for mass murder. So only thing you can base your claim on some two storys written more five year ago. Maybe you should stick being in dead tree magazines where no one questions out data info which you provide in them.

    • You seem to be pointedly avoiding the other million and a quarter citations of people (and media) calling the AR15 the weapon of choice for mass murderers. The rest of us find that telling, and pathetically deceptive on your part.

  36. Well tell truth make far to easy prove my case Mas. Frist you and supports keep provide data that is so old that does stand up test time. Second when ask you questions that do want reply to you dodge change subject reply with some bull shit I did ask about. When ask why did use my real name here I told you that why should because Colin Nor well know ex NRA spokes person well know gun rights activist, lawyer, does use real name at Youtube or Twitter or any where else for matter. All of sudden stop asking who real was. What matter Colin Nor did tell real name was??? Good luck find not list any where on enter net.

    • I happen to know Colin and know his real name. The issue is not you using a username here; the issue is you using two of them, a deceptive technique associated with creating a false illusion of support you obviously do not have.

  37. Let put face name on little girl who got killed buy cop ar 15 her name was Valentina Orellana. She dream of becoming an American citizen and studying robotics ended days before Christmas on the dressing room floor of a Los Angeles clothing store, where she was fatally shot by police. A day after video released by the Los Angeles Police Department raised new questions about the fatal shooting Thursday, Valentina’s mother described clutching her daughter and praying in the dressing room moments before the girl was struck by a round from a police rifle. A distraught Juan Pablo Orellana Larenas, who flew to flew to Los Angeles from their native Chile, told reporters Tuesday that his daughter had once assured him the US was “the safest country in the world. In tears, Valentina’s mother, Soledad Peralta, described taking cover after hearing screams while shopping for a Christmas dress for the girl. So Mas when talk about unseen target about being shot killed buy La police your talk about 14 year old girl not some unknow strange. I know easy for you dehumanize 14 year old girl just because she was shot and killed with favorite rifle Ar 15. State some old FBI study say 14 girl would been just dead if cop used handgun instead of rifle to dead girl family very cold statement as well refer girl some unseen target. What prove in story simple why does any one need ar 15 with more 25 rounds in it that can go through walls of person home kill some on other side there walls. The cops in story where respond to one guy yes one crazy guy not whole Russian army who arm with bike chain yes he shot dead to. Here my question what part country are living at where not safe enough stop home invasion with handgun or shotgun have drag out ar 15 100 mags for stop home invasion??? If some people miss using your favorite rifle to kill class room full kids and teachers why should be allowed for private owner ship in first place??? Most mass shooting in country would have take place if people who gotten there hands on favorite rifle had no way to get them. It been proven in country you dismiss that do not allow you own Ar 15. I want clear up story you state that because Ukraine’s hand out bunch old Ak 47 to there people that help them stop Russian from invade there country. Here cold hard fact only thing stop Russian from smash Ukraine dust is fact arm with missiles artillery supple buy us. The war is far from over there when Russian take country over no ak47 small arms gone to save them when happens. I have all ready state you might well wait until hell freeze over before I tell what my real name is. Your not gone get I have no reason to give to you.

    • We already know the name of the child who tragically lost her life in the Los Angeles incident. You are being patently evasive. The officer fired to stop someone from being beaten to death with a chain and his bullet went through a thin wall that would have been penetrated by a pistol bullet as well. You are attempting, weakly, to avoid the question: if you don’t think the officer should have been armed with an AR15, do you also believe he should not have been armed with a service pistol either? You have still not explained what this has to do with armed citizens owning AR15s. You have had ample time to research and discover what you’ve already been told: police-type pistol bullets and police-type AR15 ammunition have similar penetration characteristics through thin wallboard and such.

      I answered all your questions and gave you the citations you requested, to which you could only reply “bullshit” with no countering facts, because of course you have none.

      Patrick/Drake, you seem invested in the Ukranian situation. Nothing personal, but you don’t sound as if English is your native language. What country are you from? What are the gun laws there? Could your inability to understand the information you’ve been provided have to do with some cultural difference?

      Finally, I don’t care what your name is. But it is telling as to your honesty and credibility that you refuse to explain why you posted here under two different names, obviously attempting to make a false impression through intentional deception.

      • I think police men used over amount deadly force with ar 15 witch Valentina Orellana 14 was killed from it. Come Mas let say her name again Valentina Orellana 14 not some unknow target like keep claim . According to you Valentina Orellana 14 years old would been just dead if she got shot buy cops with there handguns I guess firearms training buy La pd is what used be if that true. Yes in case in your own words I do think Ar 15 where right firearm for what happen there. I never said cops should have been arm with handguns like you claim I did put words in my mouth with out facts. Sorry Mas nice try been live in USA sent 1971. I am happy gave up silliness try get use my real name here. You based your facts on old FBI study well does account for fact new made ammo from this year for Ar 15 is more powerful than ammo that test in study took place . Until some one comes along does brand new FBI I test going question results of that old test. I have prove all ready that agree Joe Bidden that no one should own ar 15 who is not allowed to own one. Here issue I have with you on case first keep try dehumanize little girl because just happen gotten killed buy Ar 15 shot buy cop. Accord to case round killed little girl did go through suspect like you claim bounce off floor went through dressing room wall killed Valentina Orellana 14. So may be you can explain to her family why La pd need fire rifle round faster deadlier than there handgun rounds result in her death. The cop who killed Valentina Orellana 14 was specials train how use Ar 15 so he should have take shot that killed her. Fact are he did save her with Ar 15 he killed her with it. I have all facts in case that I need I have dead girl Valentina Orellana 14 who trying on dress when a cop shot her dead with rifle that over penetrate wall of her dress room. All have old FBI study has up date. The facts on case could be clear. I am sure when law suite over well know witch one of right on case.

      • Do you hear yourself, “Patrick”? In one sentence you write, “I do think Ar 15 where right firearm for what happen there.” Yet throughout our dialogue, you have been blaming the cop for the child’s death, along with the AR15. Your claim that I or anyone else is dehumanizing that child’s death is utterly contemptible: it was a tragic confluence of circumstances that no reasonable officer could have foreseen when he fired to save the life of a third party under murderous attack.

        You write, “I have prove all ready that agree Joe Bidden that no one should own ar 15 who is not allowed to own one.” Fortunately in this country, all law-abiding citizens are “allowed to own one,” though a couple of states require they be modified from original design (NY, CA). So, what’s your point, again? (Except that you STILL can’t spell President Biden’s name correctly?)

        The ballistics of .223 versus service pistol bullets are well known to those who do the research, which apparently does not include you since you ignore any facts which contradict your uninformed, predetermined mindset.

        You remain unable to explain why you conflate a police shooting with your belief that law-abiding private citizens should not own AR15 rifles.

        While I answered every question you put to me, you pointedly avoid answering the ones I asked you, such as why you posted under two names to falsely create the impression of another party sharing your beliefs.

        Don’t stop now, “Drake/Patrick.” You are showing impartial readers here how people with your beliefs on law-abiding gun owners’ civil rights think. Refusal to answer relevant questions, straw man arguments, apples and oranges and all of that.

  38. Here little e-mail I got from Joe Bidden.

    Thank you for writing to me about gun violence in America—an epidemic that has plagued our Nation for far too long.

    We have seen mass murders in places where we live, learn, work, and pray. We have seen far too many lives lost to community violence and suicide by firearm. Gun violence is a stain on our character as a Nation, and we must do everything we can to save lives.

    My first priority is to protect the American people, and I will use every resource at my disposal—consistent with our Nation’s laws and the Second Amendment—to keep our families, friends, and neighbors safe from gun violence. That is why I have taken action to rein in the proliferation of homemade and modified guns, collect more data about firearms trafficking, and help states keep guns out of the hands of dangerous individuals. I am also implementing a zero-tolerance policy for rogue firearms dealers who willfully violate federal laws, and I am pushing for more investment to help address and prevent gun violence in local communities.

    My Administration is taking action, but we need Congress to act, too. Common-sense bills that require background checks and close loopholes have already passed the House of Representatives, and I am urging the Senate to send those bills to my desk. I have also called on Congress to ban assault weapons and high capacity magazines and to repeal gun manufacturers’ immunity from liability.

    This isn’t a partisan issue. Most responsible gun owners will tell you that they support reasonable reforms, and that they—along with the vast majority of the American people—believe that anyone who tries to purchase a gun should have to go through a background check.

    Our country has lost too many lives to the gun violence epidemic, and it is in our power to stop it. I will not stop fighting until we do.

    Sincerely,

    • Your ability to cut and paste has already been noted. Now we note that you can’t even spell “Biden,” but that’s neither here nor there.

      Tell us how you think AR15s will be banned. Do you see soldiers going door to door to confiscate them, as Russian soldiers will undoubtedly do to the Ukranians you cite in your other post?

      Do you believe criminals will voluntarily surrender their guns if they are banned? Do you think President Biden believes that?

  39. They ban all assault rifles 1994 they did have go house to house collect them. They enforce Hi cap mags ban not allow own or use any brand new or old hi cap mags in your gun held more than ten round at time no one declare war over that they just got ten round mags. All they have do enforce assault rifle bill was make register them with police if own one or go to jail for not. Just like assault rifle ban in Ca first make register them all with police than when ban all had give simple choices give up your assault rifle or go jail for have one. Yes they still do this in Ca amazes how well work. You can be arrest for shooting own firearm that not allowed have there happens all time there. You keep forgetting Biden draft 1994 assault rifle ban got passed as law at time. As letter states from him he more well pass new 1994 ban on assault rifles. If have any doubt to that fact read letter again he states krystal clear.

    • Yet the overwhelming majority of analyses of the ten years of the “assault weapons ban” showed that it had no measurable effect on the crime rate or the homicide rate. Please break out of the echo chamber and do some research.

      Patrick/Drake/whoever you are, do you really think people bent on murder will obey an AR15 ban, a higher than ten-round magazine capacity ban, etc.? Do you understand that criminals are, by definition, breakers of law? Only the law-abiding — who, again by definition, are no problem to society — will obey such laws. There are twenty million plus AR15 owners by most estimates: do you want to see them all made felons? Where will you incarcerate them?

      And, sadly, what the man you cite says is not “crystal clear.” It is absolutely rife with misunderstanding of reality, as anyone who actually works in the criminal justice system should know.

      • It crystal clear what must be done you ban all new assault rifles you can keep the one all ready own. How ever your not gone be allowed buy any new parts or hi cap mags for them and all must be store under lock and key . That should take care any of the mass shooters did steal firearms who bought them from gun store. Well make all enter net firearm sale no more sent bad guy seem be getting there gun from enter net. Mas who retire no longer work in justice system ding ding that you. Before say does work most country’s round world that have take measure all have lower crime rates lower murder rates lower crime rates in USA.

  40. Patrick Drake has clearly overdosed on the liberal Kool-Aid and his mind is closed to other sound and logical opinions. Best we ignore him and hope he goes away.

    Mas, you have done your best. Mr. Spock would advise you it’s illogical to waste more time on Patrick Drake as it’s obvious his mind is set and will not change. Put your valiant efforts into something more useful such as teaching shooting, preserving our gun rights, or just spending more time with the E.P.

    • I hear you, Tom, but I think it’s important to engage in conversation with those who think differently on these issues.

      Patrick/Drake is exposing how altogether too many prohibitionists think, and for that reason, the dialogue with him or her here is all the more important.

  41. Well according to this study from 2004 when ever was allowed to own assault rifle again.
    From 2004 onward:

    The data shows an almost immediate – and steep – rise in mass shooting deaths in the years after the assault weapons ban expired in 2004.

    Breaking the data into absolute numbers, between 2004 and 2017 – the last year of our analysis – the average number of yearly deaths attributed to mass shootings was 25, compared with 5.3 during the 10-year tenure of the ban and 7.2 in the years leading up to the prohibition on assault weapons. So you said 1994 had no effect all well that is true accord to this study.

    • You need to look for more studies, not just the ones which appear to bolster your opinion. You also need to include links to the studies you do cite. Your sloppy cut and paste has rendered your post irrelevant.
      Oh, and for the record, I still work in the criminal justice system. I’ll be giving a lecture to a gathering of criminal defense lawyers in a few days.

  42. The poorly written English, used in the above posts of Patrick/Drake, indicate a non-native American. Clearly, the posts of Patrick/Drake indicate the work of one or more foreign nationals.

    Yet, their widespread used of “Cut-and-Paste” techniques, and their ability to easily locate statistics to attempt to bolster their arguments, indicates the work of skilled propagandists.

    While I can’t be certain, the sentence structure and their inability to properly spell English names, makes me think that Patrick/Drake is a Chinese National.

    This is possible. There are reports that the American Left has imported Chinese Nationals to act as propagandists. In effect, our home-grown Marxists are getting help from their ChiCom Brothers and Sisters. See this news report for example:

    https://nypost.com/2020/10/20/meet-your-chinese-facebook-censors/amp/

    Big tech has long since outsourced tech-support to places like India. It is interesting that they are now outsourcing their big tech propaganda efforts. Wonder what this means?

    Are they having difficulties getting native Americans to support their propaganda efforts?

    Or, is the scale of their propaganda effort grown so huge that they need the labor of foreign Nationals to supplement it?

    Or, is this simply a cost-savings effort. Are foreign-National propagandists cheaper to hire, to do this work, than Americans? Similar to the situation with standard tech-support.

    Any way you cut it, it shows that the American Left is traitorous. Bringing in foreign Nationals, to help undermine your own country, is the very definition of being a Traitor to America!

  43. Ah soo, TN_MAN. You may be right about the Dark Side using foreigners to do their dirty work. On the other hand, Patrick Drake may be a very clever dude/dame/trans attempting to conceal their identity by deliberately mangling the English language and misspelling people’s names to mislead us. Velly sneaky!

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