Virginia gun crime drops, as state's firearms sales soar

[dan_bgblue]

With just a little honest research, they would have seen the numbers prove this a long time ago

[CitizenBBN]

A study in stupidity, or more accurately stupidity combined with an agenda:

Josh Horwitz, executive director of the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, said that the real question is how many guns are sold without a background check.

"In other words, if people who buy those guns and have a background check, and keep those guns and don't sell them, then you would not expect that those guns would affect the crime rate," Horwitz told the newspaper. "The important analysis is not the total number of guns sold with a background check, but rather the number of guns sold without a background check."

Uh, crime went DOWN 5%, and we know the number of guns being sold without a background check in Virginia also rose (it has risen everywhere as gun sales have risen), so how is that the "important analysis" as if somehow it will conclude something other the fact that gun sales going up and crime is going down, the same exact conclusion in either case?

The DOJ's own study data shows most crime guns are being obtained through theft and from "family and friends", and even among the "family and friends" most are either stolen from them or loaned, not sold. Private sales are no more the problem than dealer sales. The #1 problem is theft, #2 is people GIVING or otherwise allowing access to their guns by family or friends who use them for crimes, #3 is straw purchases. that covers better than 85% or 90% of crime guns iirc. Background checks impact none of those 3.

There have been and will be more than enough guns available to criminals who are willing to pay for them. The difference is more and more of the law abiding public is becoming armed, making it a lot harder for those criminals to accomplish their goals.

[KeithKSR]

Gun limiting regulations and crime rates have a positive correlation. The more limits placed on firearm ownership the greater the crime rate. Simple arithmetic.

[ukblue]

Richmond has the strictest gun laws on the east coast but also has the highest murder per capita as anyone in the country.