Posted on 03/29/2002 9:06:25 PM PST by Drew68
VPC Launches New Web Site, www.banhandgunsnow.org, in Conjunction With Release of Paperback Edition of Latest Book, Every Handgun Is Aimed at You: The Case for Banning Handguns
WASHINGTON, DC—In conjunction with release of the paperback edition of its most recent book, Every Handgun is Aimed at You: The Case for Banning Handguns (The New Press, 2001), the Violence Policy Center (VPC) today launched a new citizen-action web site, www.banhandgunsnow.org. Each year handguns claim more than 20,000 American lives in suicides, homicides, and unintentional shootings. The unique qualities that make handguns ideally suited for violent death and injury—concealability coupled with lethality—are illustrated daily in American homes and as far away as the Paris suburbs, where yesterday eight were killed and 19 wounded by a French citizen wielding a legally possessed handgun.
Josh Sugarmann, VPC executive director and author of the book, states, "The single bloody thread that runs through our nation's gun death and injury crisis is the easy accessibility we allow our citizens to the most lethal categories of firearms, with handguns at the top of the list. After each horrific shooting a predictable pattern emerges, we quickly look for a loophole to be plugged, a limited law that could be better enforced, or other `common sense' solutions, while never stepping back to look at the big picture: the free flow of guns—and in particular handguns—in our nation. America's gun violence problem will not be solved by licensing and registration, trigger locks, or lamentations over the evil in men's hearts. Tragic shootings are America's future until we eliminate handguns, the tools that make such violence possible."
The new VPC web site—which contains studies, analyses, survey data, and useful links—will be updated continuously. Banhandgunsnow.org is launched with the recognition that more than 30 percent of the American public supports a ban on handguns, with this number rising to as high as 50 percent in the wake of horrific shootings like 1999's Columbine massacre. Adds Sugarmann, "Our goal is simple: to engage and activate dedicated gun control supporters. Banhandgunsnow.org will give voice to gun control advocates who have grown weary of limited half-measures that may offend few, but fail to accomplish much."
Every Handgun is Aimed at You: The Case For Banning Handguns covers a wide range of issues in 10 chapters, including: An Introduction to Handguns; The History of Handguns; Handguns and Suicide; Handguns and Self-Defense; Handguns and Crime; Handguns and Women; Handguns and Youth; Handguns and Minorities; Handguns in Public; and, The Case for Banning Handguns. The book is available at bookstores nationwide.
Yep, but when did logic and facts ever mean anything to the "Ban Handguns Now" crowd?
They don't want to stop suicides, only gun suicides. You can tell that I'm correct because if they cared about nongun suicides, they would have cited the number. But they didn't.
And I'm sure a lot of those deaths are gangland deaths, where they wouldn't obey the ban anyway.
...Where there are already gun bans anyway, and even though many perpetrators are under 18 and therefore already are under a ban that is presently in effect.
Meanwhile EVERY life saved by a handgun is a legitimate stat, and from my reading, there's a LOT more than 20,000 a year. ... BOTTOM LINE...Banning handguns would cause more deaths than it saved.
Hey! What do you want from these people? They're the Violence Policy Center - do you actually think they seek nonviolence?
The 1991 Tennessee Recidivism Report studied nearly 4,000 early released felons who went out and committed 1,469 new crimes, including 22 homicides within two years. The State is just as responsible for those 22 people being murdered as are those early released felons who killed them.
A 1991 parole and probation report from the US Bureau of Justice Statistics found that 45% of State prisoners were persons who, at the time they committed their offense, were under conditional supervision in the community--either on probation or on parole. Probation and Parole Violators in State Prison, 1991: Survey of State Prison Inmates, 1991 Click Here
Based on the offense that brought them to prison, the 162,000 probation violators committed at least 6,400 murders, 7,400 rapes, 10,400 assaults, and 17,000 robberies while under supervision in the community an average of 17 months.
Based on the offense that brought parolees back to prison, these 156,000 offenders committed at least 6,800 murders, 5,500 rapes, 8,800 assaults, and 22,500 robberies while under supervision in the community an average of 13 months.
That’s 13,200 homicides, 12,900 rapes, 19,200 assaults, and 39,500 robberies for a total of 84,800 violent crimes that would NOT have been committed if these UNREGISTERED, UNLICENSED GOVERNMENT SUPERVISED felons had been in prison where they belonged.
They're not???
Never mind.
Kind of dwarfs the 10 "kids" a day stat they like to throw around, especially when you figure out who most of the kids really are.
CRIME THE BIG DECEPTION (my title)
RECIDIVIST: A Habitual criminal; a criminal repeater. An incorrigible criminal. One who makes a trade of crime. (Black's Law Dictionary)
RECIDIVISM: REPEATED OR HABITUAL RELAPSE.
RECIDIVISM OF PRISONERS RELEASED IN 1983 Bureau of Justice Statistics Of the 108,580 persons released from prisons in 1983, representing more than half of all released State prisoners that year, an estimated 62.5% were rearrested for a felony or serious misdemeanor within 3 years, 46.8% were reconvicted, and 41.4% returned to prison or jail. Before their release from prison, the prisoners had been arrested and charged with an average of more than 12 offenses each; nearly two thirds had been arrested at least once in the past for a violent offense; and two thirds had previously been in jail or prison. By yearend 1986 those prisoners who were rearrested averaged an additional 4.8 new charges. An estimated 22.7% of all prisoners were rearrested for a violent offense within 3 years of their release.
** These findings were based on a sample of more than 16,000 released prisoners, representing all those released from prison in 11 States during 1983. These States accounted for more than 57% of all State prisoners.
**An estimated 68,000 of the released prisoners were rearrested and charged with 326,746 new felonies and serious misdemeanors, including approximately 50,000 violent offenses, with more than 141,000 property offenses and 46,000 drug offenses.
**More than 50,000 of the new offenses were violent offenses, including 2,282 Homicides, 1,451 kidnapings, 1,291 rapes, 2,626 other sexual assaults, 17,060 robberies, and 22,633 other assaults.
**More than 40% of the new charges were for property offenses. The released prisoners were rearrested for an estimated 51,268 larcenies, 36,483 burglaries and 20,233 fraud offenses.
**Nearly 25% of the new charges were for public order offenses. Of the approximately 80,000 public order offneses, 12,791 were weapons charges and 15,395 were violations of probation or parole or flight to avoid prosecution. About 14% of the new charges were for drug offenses.
**The released prisoners had been arrested in the past for more than 1.3 MILLION offenses. BEFORE their release from prison, they had been charged with an estimated 214,788 violent crimes, including 12,185 homicides, 8,922 rapes, 5,622 kidnapings, and 84,166 robberies. When combined with the number of new arrest charges, these released prisoners had been arrested and charged with approximately 1.7 Million offenses, and average of 15.3 charges each since their FIRST ADULT ARREST.
**Recidivism rates were highest in the first year--1 in 4 of the released prisoners were re-arrested in the first 6 months and 2 of 5 within the first year after their release. **approximately 5% of the prisoners had been charged with 45 or more offenses before their release and after their release from prison; 26% had been charged with at least 20 offenses.
**More than 1 of every 8 re-arrested occured in States other than then State in which the prisoners were released.
**Recidivism rates were higher among men, blacks, Hispanics, and persons who had not completed high school than among women, whites, non-Hispanics, and high school graduates.
**Recidivism was inversely related to the age of the prisoner at the time of release: the older the prisoner, the lower the rate of recidivisim.
**The more extensive a prisoner's prior arrest record, the higher the rate of recidivism--over 74% of those with 11 or more prior arrest were rearrested compared to 38% of the first time offenders.
**The combination of a prisoner's age when released and the number of prior adult arrest were very stronly related to recidivisim: and estimated 94.1% of prisoners age 18 to 24 with 11 or more prior arrest were rearrested within 3 years.
**Released prisoners were often rearrested for the same type of crime for which they had served time in prison. Within 3 years, 31.9% of released burglars were rearrested for burglary; 24.8% of drug offenders were rearrested for a drug offense; and 19.6% of robbers were rearrested for robbery.
**Released rapist were 10.5 times more likely than nonrapists to be rearrested for rape, and released murderers were about 5 times more likely than other offenders to be rearrested for homicide. An estimated 6.6% of released murderers were rearrested for homicide.
TENNESSEE RECIDIVISIM/DURATIONAL REPORT January 1, 1995 (for the period of July 1, 1989 to June 30, 1991)
In a study conducted by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigaton and the Tennessee Sentencing Commission. The survey studied 3,793 offenders released from Tennessee Jails and prisons between July 1989 and June 30 , 1991, for rearrest or recommitment to prison. This is 25% of all prisoners released during that time period, and was selected to be represenative of all those released.
Of the offenders released during the sample period, 53.5% were rearrested or recommited within 2 years for a new crime or parole violation. 39.2% of the offenders were recommited, 24.7% were recommitted as a result of a new conviction and 14.5% were recommited as a result of a techniccal violation of the conditions of their release. An additional 14.3% were rearrested but not recommited within 2 years.
**Offenders released to parole were more likely to be recommitted or rearrested than any other group. 55.1% of the offenders released to parole were either recommitted or rearrested within 2 years of the date of their release. 41.2% were recommited and an additional 13.9% were rearrested but not recommited.
**The highest rates for recomitments and rearrest were for offenders age 21 or under 68.2% of all offenders who were 21 or younger when released from incarceration werer either recommited or rearrested within 2 years of the date of their release from incarceration; 57.9% of offenders of those 22 and 30; 48.9% of offenders between ages 31 and 40; 18.3% of those between 51 and 60.
**During the period of release July 1, 1989 to June 30, 1991 the 3,793 released prisoners were rearrested and recommited for the followning offenses:1,469 Total new offenses:
22 Homicides; 14 sex offenses; 5 kidnapings, 1 arson. 90 assaults, 132 robberies; 373 drug offenses; 220 burglaries, 67 frauds, forgeries, embezzlements; 89 other felonies, 225 misdameanors, 559 technical violations of parole.
**Offenders released during the sample period served on average 29.3% of their sentences. Offenders convicted of First Degree Murder served 25.8%. Class A felons served 29.7%, Class B felons 31.6%, Class D 31.8% and Class E felons 34.3%, of their sentences.
**67.5% were released to parole supervison. These offenders served 23 months on a average sentence of 83 months.
**Offenders released from incarceration during the sample period, 10.6% were released at the expriation of their sentences. Offenders convicted of less serious felonies were more likely to serve to the expiration of their sentences than offenders convicted of more serious offense. Of those offenders who expired thier sentences, 36.5% were convicted of a Class E felony. Only 7% of offenders convicted of a Class A felony served to the expriation of tehir sentences, compared to 16% of the Class E offenders.
**Of the offenders released to parole supervision, 29% were released under "safety valve." Offenders under "safety valve" served 20.8% of their sentences and offenders released under regular parole served 31.2%.
**35% of offenders released had previously been incarcerated for another offense. This offense may have been either a misdemeanor or felony. Those previously incarcerated served a greater percentage of their sentences than those offenders serving their first period of incarceration.
**Offenders convicted of crimes agains a person served longer than offenders convicted of a non-violent or drug offense. Offenders convicted of drug offenses served the least percentage of their sentences 22.1%. Drug offenders had the same average sentence as an offender convicted of a non violent offenses but served 5 months less. Offenders convicted of crimes against a person served 20 months longer than offenders convicted of non-violent crimes.
**Offenders released during the sample period were sentenced from counties in 4 Grand Divisions. Offenders from East Tennessee served 7 months longer than offenders from West Tennessee and 2 months longer than offenders from Middle Tennessee.
Where Sentenced: 49.4% West Tennessee; 26.6% Middle Tennessee; 24.0% East Tennessee; Race: 58.6% Black; 47.8% White; Sex: 43.6% Female; 54.4% Male
**Females released served an average sentence of 57 months, compared to 70 months for males. Females also served a lesser percentage of their sentence prion to release. Males served 29.6% and females 25.2% of their sentences.
**The average sentence for black offenders 65 months(28.9%) was 10 months less than for white offenders 75 months (29.7%). Black and white offenders served almost identical percentages of their sentences.
A lot of big bookstores will soon be pressured to do away with the "gun" section. I suggest putting NRA membership info, etc, inside the books.
I see this phony book as another attempt to establish an attitude that laws and the Constitutuion be damned. They want to pick up where klinton left off.
They want their president to get on TV some day and say "We can't wait a day longer. Everybody knows the Constitution doesn't say anything about handguns. Due to [insert latest zombie mass killing], we will not tolerate anybody talking about 'rights' when innocent people are dying. I'm instructing all federal agencies to set up a table tomorrow where the good citizens of our country will surrender their handguns. At the same time, I'm ordering federal and state law enforcement agencies to establish plans to check every house, room, and desk drawer to make sure all hanguns have turned in. I know the vast majority of our citizens will welcome them with open arms, and even point out their neighbors that are less than enthusiastic about these visits. We can no longer let them hide behind such false niceties like 'the Bill of Rights'. We know this is the only right and humane thing to do, and we're starting tomorrow."
Not the ones I'm holding.
you kill me, figuratively of course. LOL
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Woman's Best Friend? A Warm Gun
"A woman shot and killed an armed man who broke into her West Seattle home and began beating her roommate early yesterday morning."
- Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 4/26/02
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Just think if you anti American communistic gun grabbing scum had your way, that woman's roommate would either be dead or severely screwed up.
ALL OF YOU THAT WANT TO DISARM THE REST OF US,
www.rapeandkillwithimpunity.org
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