On Guns in Missouri

This is floating around on the internet today, this week, after the state legislature passed their ignorant, very loose gun law.

I imagine not enough Missourians are aware of the statistic in that 2nd panel. It's true. Our murder rate did increase. I only hope that last frame doesn't come to pass but feel pretty certain it will.

On Guns

Then and now.

Guns and Killings in America: Have We Reached a Tipping Point?

With the shooting yesterday in yet another theater where 2 people died, along with the shooter, the following statistics are finally, finally coming out:

--In the last week, there were 5 "mass shootings" here in America. A mass shooting is defined as 4 or more people being killed.

--A mass shooting occurs, on average, approximately once per 2 week period, every month, every year in America now, according to FBI statistics.

--Since 2006, there have been more than 200 mass killings in the United States.

--The FBI counted 172 cases of mass killings between 2006 and 2011.

--30,000 Americans die every year in America to gun violence.

--People are far more likely to be killed by someone they know than by random assassins. Public massacres like Newtown, Massachussetts account for 1 in 6 mass killings. Breakups, estrangements and family arguments make up the majority of cases, though unrelated victims may be caught in the crossfire.

--The majority of mass killings are family related.

--Approximately 57% of victims knew their killier, even if they weren't the main target. 1 in 4 victims were close family members -- children, siblings, spouses, etc.

--77% of mass killings involve a gun.

--Nearly 3 out of 4 of the guns used in mass killings were handguns. 72.9% of the weapons used were handguns.

--A killer wielding a multiple-magazine assault rifle is the exception. More typically, the closest available weapon is used.

--Many mass killers do not face prosecution. About a quarter commit suicide after the crime, and others are killed by police. Still more are deemed incompetent due to mental illness. When cases do go to trial, they can often take years because of the death penalty or other complications.

--Often, a mass killing involves a failed safety net. Ineffective protective orders, gaps in the mental health system, immigration bureaucracy and other lapses have been implicated in many cases. 

So the question becomes, once again, have we finally reached our "tipping point", America? Are we finally ready to address the shootings, the killings, the huge numbers of guns and weapons that are in our society and available to and for people who may well be mentally unstable and/or who have or may have a criminal history?

How many people will we allow to be killed until we act?

Are we there? Are we there yet?

Links: The Untold Story of America's Mass Killings

Deadly July: Five mass killings in 10 days

Why is it so difficult to stop mass shootings in the U.S.?

President Obama---and Statistics---On Guns in America

Seen yesterday:

"I've had to make statements like this too many times," Obama said. "Communities like this have had to endure tragedies like this too many times. We don't have all the facts, but we do know that once again, innocent people were killed in part because someone who wanted to inflict harm had no trouble getting their hands on a gun.

"Now is the time for mourning and for healing. But let's be clear, at some point we as a country will have to reckon with the fact that this type of mass violence does not happen in other advanced countries."

For proof?

Gun crime is more prevalent in the US than in other rich countries

In 2012, Max Fisher compared gun homicide rates in wealthy countries, using UN data. The US was far ahead of the non-Mexico members of the OECD, with only Chile anywhere close:

A big part of this is that the US just has many more guns per capita than any other country:

(Reddit/The Guardian/Phillybdizzle)

That doesn't explain all the variation in homicide rates; lots of poor countries, particularly in Central America, have gun homicide rates many times that of the United States. But among developed countries, homicide is much, much higher in the US, even after the great crime drop of the 1990s, and even including non-gun methods, as this chart from Duke sociologist Kieran Healy illustrates:

The President is right, of course. So many statistics show and prove it, again and again, in so many ways.

It would be nice if finally, finally, this horrific incident out of Charleston, North Carolina brought us to the point where we do a few simple, intelligent things about guns. Things like requiring background checks for mental stability and criminal history for ALL weapons purchases in this nation.

Hey, we can hope.

Link to original posts for above graphs:  Obama on the Charleston shooting

Obama is right: gun violence is much worse in the US than other advanced countries

Links to more articles:

• Obama has said that his biggest frustration in office is his failure to stop gun violence
• 44 states could prosecute the Charleston shooting as a hate crime — but not South Carolina
• Shaken Charleston mayor: 'Far too many guns out there'

The Victims of the Charleston, SC, Church Massacre

Open Carrying Weapons in the US

For anyone, anyone, in the United States to feel they need or want to "open carry" a weapon or weapons anywhere in the nation, one of two things in their body is too small.

Man Decides World's Busiest Airport Is A Good Place To Openly Carry A Loaded AR-15

Man Walks Into a 7-Eleven Carrying an AK-47

And one of those two things that's too small is his brain.

Wear Orange Tomorrow

Weapons Supporters: If You Really Believe in America...

What No Background Checks on Guns Gets Us

Indeed, thanks, NRA!

What People Are Saying About Kansas Now

I saw this last evening, on Facebook. And it's very fair:

Kansas and Social Media Just Now

I just saw this on Facebook today.

Congratulations, Kansas. This is who and what you are and what people are learning about you--on top of the fact that you give tax breaks to the wealthy and corporations and have no budget for schools and a downgraded bonds because of it:

The NRA, like the US, used to make more sense

What the gun people don't get

Quote of the day -- on guns

After 2 horrible shootings here in America, so tragic, still on our minds, thoughts on the 2nd Amendment, from a Supreme Court justice:

L

Quote of the day--after yet another gun attack at a school

It happened yet again, yesterday:

Nevada school shooting: Teacher killed, two students wounded

The weapons supporters and enthusiasts and NRA disavow and/or ignore this, however:

 

What does he know, right?

He was only on the Supreme Court.

And studied law his entire career.

Missouri in the national news last evening

And not in a good way:

Gun-totin' property owner kills a guy trying to defend his cousin, who urinated on a gravel bar

Seems fair, right?

A "pit stop" on a float trip in Southern Missouri shouldn't be a problem, should it?

What could go wrong?

From The Daily Kos.  It was actually the urinater's cousin who was shot and killed. He was defending the urinater. True.

...Yesterday, a man who owns a piece of property along Missouri's Meramec River, was pissed off when a guy on a casual canoe trip pissed in the woods behind "his" gravel bar. He then threatened the urinater with a gun. When the urinater's cousin tried to get between him and the property owner, the property owner shot the cousin in the head and killed him.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch covered it first, like this:

Meramec float trip ends in fatal shooting after dispute over property rights along waterway

Yeehaw.

Gotta' have them guns, huh?

At least this time the shooter isn't going to walk as they do in Florida, "Stand Your Ground" laws not being in Missouri, thankfully.

So far.

Perspective

Yay, guns.

Yay, us.

Imagine what would be possible for America

Can you imagine what not just what the Republicans but America could accomplish if they didn't focus so much on trying to legislate on guns, abortion and women's reproductive rights?

PBS hits it out of the ballpark yet again

What a great thing.

PBS has done/is doing it again.

They are going to do a full week's worth of news programs on gun issues:

PBS Special

After Newtown Special Programming

In the wake of the Newtown tragedy, PBS continues its coverage with a series of specials from PBS NewsHour, FRONTLINE, Washington Week, NOVA, Need to Know and more, looking at gun laws, mental illness and school security. The weeklong "After Newtown" programming starts Monday, Feb. 18, on PBS

We all, the entire country, need to examine ourselves and our gun laws so we can see what, if anything, we can do to reduce the numbers of innocents shot and/or killed in the country.

We need to do what we can to reduce those numbers.

More here:  After Newtown Special Programming | After Newtown | PBS

Weapons statistics and opinions

More guns will keep us safe?

Evidence to the contrary:



Part II:



So the NRA's and Wayne LaPierre's claim or suggestion we arm teachers and/or have volunteer guards at schools is at least laughable.

What Right Wing, Conservative Republican is going to help pay for that big program, anyway?

You got it. There won't be any.

More here: http://www.bradblog.com/?p=9792