With new mass shootings being reported an alarming rate and liberal politicians looking for immediate ways to shut down the access to guns for our nation’s people, talk about guns is becoming an everyday occurrence.
The unfortunate fact is that most people are still sorely under-informed when it comes to guns, and enter conversations with iffy facts at their fingertips. But, many Americans seem even less informed about the people that buy them.
Here are some stats about gun owners in America that might surprise you — and give you something to discuss around the water cooler next week.
Handguns and Law Enforcement
You might expect that law enforcement professionals represent the highest percentage of gun owners in America, but you would be sorely mistaken. More than 80% of guns that are not purchased by the military are owned by civilians!
Handguns are the fastest-growing segment of guns that are sold to this group of civilians and law enforcement professionals, rising significantly from 35% to 52% over the 10-year period ending in 2014. Time and time again, you will see on graphs that handgun laws are spectacularly ineffective at preventing gun-related injuries — and often are the result in a rise in crime. This is not unsurprising, as when civilians have their gun rights limited, criminals become more confident and more likely to strike unarmed citizens.
With only approximately 790,000 armed police officers in the U.S. versus 80 million armed citizens, it’s easy to see why armed citizens are able to make a difference in reducing the overall violent crime rate.
The Truth About Between Gun Control and Violence
While some individuals will attempt to draw a positive relationship between the lack of gun control and rising violence, the opposite is actually true. In countries where guns are tightly controlled and citizens have limited rights to bear arms, there are significantly more violent interactions between felons and citizens.
The dangers of gun violence in the U.K. are much greater than in the U.S., perhaps because British leadership has banned gun ownership to a great degree. Criminals are emboldened when they realize that citizens have been left unprotected by their government. Now, authorities in London are going even further by pushing for “knife control”.
What You Should Know About Guns
The next time you get into a debate with someone over gun control, here are some quick facts that will let you keep your head cool and yet still make your point:
- Police are more than 4x more likely than citizens to make a fatal mistake when shooting an individual.
- Kennesaw, GA implemented a law in 1982 requiring citizens to maintain at least one handgun per household. Instead of rising crime rates, Kennesaw continues to enjoy a violent crime rate that is 89% below Georgia and national average.
- For gun-related events in the U.S., suicides account for more than double the homicides on an annual basis.
- Americans own more guns per capita than any other country in the world.
- Central and South America are the deadliest regions in terms of gun violence, yet one of the lowest in terms of overall gun ownership.
Seeing the correlation between gun violence and ownership doesn’t take long. It’s up to every American to ensure that the truth is circulated to combat the misinformation that continues to exist in the media.
~ Firearm Daily
