Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Some States Loosening Gun Control - Others Tightening

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States took unprecedented action this year to tighten gun laws after last year’s mass shooting at a Connecticut school, two gun-control groups said Monday. 

Indiana was among the states that moved in the opposite direction, according to the report released by the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence and the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence. 

The groups faulted Indiana for allowing firearms to be carried at schools by a school board-authorized person. And the groups said Indiana also made it tougher to prosecute someone who sells a handgun without a license. 

Still, Laura Cutilletta, senior staff attorney with the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, said the moves by Indiana and other states that weakened regulations were not as significant as the steps taken by states that toughened rules. 

“They’re not good. They’re dangerous laws,” Cutilletta said of the actions by Indiana and other states. “But they don’t revise the gun laws in a major way.” 

By contrast, the groups said, eight states enacted major gun reforms. Those included requirements that gun owners report lost or stolen guns to the police, new or tougher rules on gun and ammunition sales, and stronger assault weapons laws. 

“Many states have listened to the will of the American people . . . where Congress has not,” said Dan Gross, president of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence.

3 comments:

  1. "Pratt, with Gun Owners of America, criticized the gun control groups’ method of ranking states. Although California received the groups’ top rate of ‘A-’, the state’s gun murder rate is higher than that of many states that got lower grades.

    “Their rating really blows holes in their assumption that these restrictions are actually making people more safe,” Pratt said.

    "The Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence said it looked at all gun deaths, not just murders caused by guns, and found that many states with the weakest gun laws have the highest gun death rates. The seven states that got the groups’ top rankings had the lowest rates."

    This is a common problem with special interest groups who lobby for legislation. They want to look effective in order to attract more contributors. So they pick the statistic that works best for them.
    The firearm murder rate doesn't portray California well, so they use the total gun death rate. The problem is that for example, the firearm suicide rate could likely be more effectively reduced through improvements in the mental health support system. Plus by improving this area, you would also get a reduction in the non firearm suicides. This is called addressing the root cause.

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  2. Congress listened to the will of the people, as have many states. We don't want gun control.

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    1. Another lie from the criminal liar. Americans want background checks by 90%, yet Congress won't pass that legislation. According to the lying coward criminal Greg, that's evidence for me to take arms against my country for not passing laws Americans want.

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