Posted on 09/29/2011 6:31:23 AM PDT by marktwain
Despite increases in gun sales, gun crimes continued to decrease in the United States for the fourth straight year in 2010, according to the FBI.
The FBI recently released its Crime in The United States statistics for 2010. Overall, murders in the U.S. have decreased steadily since 2006, dropping from 15,087 to 12,996. Firearms murders — which made up 67 percent of all murders in the U.S. in 2010 — have followed this trend, decreasing by 14 percent.
At the same time that firearms murders were dropping, gun sales were surging. In 2009, FBI background checks for guns increased by 30 percent over the previous year, while firearms sales in large retail outlets increased by almost 40 percent. The number of applications for concealed carry permits jumped across the country as well.
“There was a huge spike,” NRA spokesperson Rachel Parsons said. “It’s probably mellowed out and gone back to normal now.”
There is no national registry of guns, but based on sales-tracking and other figures, the National Rifle Association estimates there are 80 to 90 million gun owners in the U.S.
Naturally, there is dispute over the significance of the surge in gun sales. The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, for instance, says gun ownership in America is actually declining.
“While there are more people with concealed carry permits and there has been an increase in gun sales, the research indicates overwhelmingly that the same people are simply buying more guns and that there has been a sharp decline in the percentage of Americans who own guns,” Brady Campaign spokesperson Caroline Brewer said. “So while there may be more guns, they are in the hands of a smaller percentage of Americans.”
Pro-Second Amendment advocacy groups have used the decrease in gun crime, and crime in general, as a counter to gun control advocates’ claims that more firearms lead to more gun violence. They also point to the statistics as evidence of the ineffectiveness of gun control laws. (RELATED: Widow of ‘Whitey’ Bulger victim suggests foul play in payment of $2.1 million FBI reward)
The top three states for gun murders in 2010 were, in order, California, Texas and New York. While Texas has lax gun control laws, California and New York are among the strictest gun-control states in the country.
“California is in a category of its own as far as gun control laws there,” Parsons said. “New York is a little bit better, but they still have discretionary concealed carry laws.”
According to FBI data, California had the most gun murders last year —- 1,257, which is 69 percent of all murders in 2010.
Nevertheless, California gun murders are still down by 8 percent from the previous year.
Broken down by firearms murder rate per 100,000 people, the District of Columbia is number one, with 16 firearms murders per 100,000 people in the District.
D.C. also topped the list of firearm robberies per 100,000 people with 255.98.
Yet D.C. arguably has the tightest gun laws in the country. Although an outright ban on handguns was struck down by the Supreme Court in 2008, legislators ensured the new regulations for obtaining a registered handgun would be anything but easy.
Like California, the number of firearms murders in D.C. — 99 in 2010 — dropped by 12 percent from the previous year.
However, the Brady Campaign argues cities with high rates of gun crime, yet strict gun laws, suffer from being next to states with more lax gun control.
“You’ve got states with weaker laws right at the border and have populations that are constantly coming in and out,” Brewer said. “Chicago is right next to Indiana, which has almost no gun laws.”
Likewise, Washington, D.C. is sandwiched between Maryland and Virginia.
The Brady Campaign also points to the Brady Law, which was enacted in 1993 and requires background checks for firearms purchases, as a reducer of gun crime.
Assigning causes to increases or decreases in the national crime rate is a notorious fool’s errand because of the amount of variables at play, but what the numbers don’t suggest is any clear correlation between gun crime, gun ownership and gun-control laws.
It bears noting that the FBI’s data, based on reports from local law enforcement, is far from comprehensive. There are no numbers for Florida on firearm murders, and the data for Illinois is “incomplete.”
The FBI also warns against using the data to rank areas against each other, noting that rankings “are merely a quick choice made by the data user; they provide no insight into the many variables that mold the crime in a particular town, city, county, state, region or other jurisdiction.”
“Consequently, these rankings lead to simplistic and/or incomplete analyses that often create misleading perceptions adversely affecting cities and counties, along with their residents,” the FBI continued.
The number of gun owners has been estimated at 80 to 90 million for several decades and I think the numbers are incorrect.
Based on my experience and the interest expressed by many women in owning guns I suspect that the real numbers are 100 to 110 million.
2009 14 million sold by FFLs
2010 12.8 million sold by FFLs
2011 Estimated sales are 15 million by end of the year.
The numbers are still going up and if it racks the way I think it will there will have been very close to 60 million guns sold during the adminisration of Sparky. That is going to be a lot of new shooters. This has occurred during a heavy recession and it may take a jump after the economy turns around.
I know I have my eye out for a new one, a rolling block, and I will be getting out my credit card when the economy begins to show signs of life.
“She’s 16 now and no longer afraid of guns.”
I was hoping that it would have been “She’s 16 now and loves her guns.”
You need to correct this ASAP.
The number of gun owners has been estimated at 80 to 90 million for several decades and I think the numbers are incorrect.
Based on my experience and the interest expressed by many women in owning guns I suspect that the real numbers are 100 to 110 million.
2009 14 million sold by FFLs
2010 14.8 million sold by FFLs
2011 Estimated sales are 15 million by end of the year by FFLs.
The numbers are still going up and if it racks the way I think it will there will have been very close to 60 million guns sold during the adminisration of Sparky. That is going to be a lot of new shooters. This has occurred during a heavy recession and it may take a jump after the economy turns around.
I know I have my eye out for a new one, a rolling block, and I will be getting out my credit card when the economy begins to show signs of life.
“Brady Campaign spokesperson Caroline Brewer said. “So while there may be more guns, they are in the hands of a smaller percentage of Americans.”
Total BS. Thousands of people are purcasing weapons for the first time. These gun grabbers just love to lie.
I'm tryin', even though she's 2,000 miles away. There's also BOYS! :-)
In general, boys regard a girl who can shoot as a prize to be treated well. This is one of the ways I convince younger ladies to learn to shoot.
So try it on her. Think of it as a “dating skill”.
How very.... unexpected.
Absolutely. Not only will it attract boys, it will attract the right kind of boys. Men that beat up women do not give their women guns.
When a single woman joins a shooting club, if she wishes to be married, she will be married within two years, usually to a professional who likes guns. Women who like guns and shoot are greatly desired.
That is just my observation, I have no statistics to prove it.
I recently saw a sign on a guy’s lawn that read:
My Next Door Neighbor on
The Left wants to BAN all GUNS!
Their house is NOT ARMED!
Out of Respect for their opinions
I promise NOT to use MY GUNS
To PROTECT THEM.
Sorry, I posted this before I saw the real picture!
The surrounding suburbs have pretty strong gun laws. In order to even touch a gun, a person has to qualify for a Firearms Owner ID card, which involves a background check. If you buy guns as a straw purchaser, you face felony jail time.
Pearls of wisdom. That last is my gut feeling as well.
IIRC and I think I do, those same statistics were being used when the Clinton Regime undertook their attempted gun grab.
Way back then gun sales were going off the charts and memberships in the NRA shot up as well. People here on FR were asking the advice of then current gun owners what they, as about to be new gun owners, should buy.
According to your 2009—2011 gun sales (which don’t include 2000—2008), that’s 43.8 million more guns sold since the Clintons. What’re chances they don’t include any new gun owners?!
No kidding.
“Government Scientists are shocked when they discovered the sun rises in the east all over the world.”
Idoits.
After hurricane Ike, Governer Perry was asked by a media goof about looting in Galveston Country, Texas. A DPS trooper spoke up and told him that there was no looting in that county.
Galveston County Texas has the highest per capita CCW licence holders in the state.
Criminals do stupid things, but not that stupid.
“that’s 43.8 million more guns sold since the Clintons. What’re chances they don’t include any new gun owners?!”
the probability is zero. That is why the numbers they have used are wrong. I don’t know that anyone has a legitimate number as most gun owners are not talking to anyone about their guns.
The non ffl sales are not tracked and a non ffl sale can be a simple as this scene:
At the shooting range, Bob and mary are shooting....
Mary: This revolver shoots really well and it fits my hand exactly.
Bob: Well for a beginner you are really doing well. I am really impressed with your own version of “Gun Control”.
Mary:(laughs) I love this gun. What do you want for it?
Bob: Well...I’ve been looking to add an XD-40 to the collection.....say 200?
Mary: Sold! I’ll take it.
Bob: Pay me when you can, it’s yours.
We don’t have any idea how many guns have been sold or given to others over the last 3 years, but it could be a large number.
And that is why I think the “gun owner” numbers used are way off.
As the woman who authored “Chicks with Guns” says:
“Outside the blue cities, everyone owns a gun”.
Not quite right, but truer than most know.
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