Posted on 05/15/2003 1:24:37 PM PDT by jdege
5/15/2003
Press Release
Handgun-Free America
1600 Wilson Blvd.
Arlington, VA 22209
www.handgunfree.org
Contact:
Chris McGrath
Phone: 703-465-0474
A new report released by Handgun-Free America finds that, by the time they reach college, many students nationwide have experienced gun violence first-hand and continue to see it as an immediate threat that needs to be addressed. The report analyzes the results of a nationwide survey of college newspaper editors conducted by Handgun-Free America, a national grassroots organization working to ban handguns in America. More than 100 editors from 35 states participated in the survey, which asked about their attitudes on a variety of gun control measures.
35% of all respondents know someone who has been shot, and 14% personally encountered a gun when they were in high school. The report also found that 86% of respondents believe that gun violence is a problem in the U.S., and 77% believe it is a problem in their state.
The survey found that half of all students believe handguns are carried on campus by other students. Chris McGrath, executive director of Handgun-Free America, noted: "This survey should serve as a red flag to college administrators, educators and parents that with an increase in guns on campus, the likelihood of incidents involving guns increases significantly."
The survey found that most editors support the vast majority of gun control measures, with over 80% in favor of closing the gun show loophole, supporting mandatory registration of handguns, renewing the Assault Weapons Ban, and regulating guns similar to other products. Over 60% of editors think that gun sales through classified ads should be prohibited and that only law enforcement should be allowed to carry a concealed weapon. These results reflect a National Gun Policy Survey taken by the National Opinion Research Center, which found that the majority of Americans endorse additional measures to regulate guns and reduce gun violence.
The report notes that students currently in college are the "Columbine" generation - the youth who survived shootings at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado and other schools across the country. "College students of today lived through tragic school shootings when they were in high school, and it is crucial for colleges to prevent gun violence from being a major problem on campuses nationwide," McGrath said.
Funds provided by the Joyce Foundation. The full text of the report can be found on the web at: www.handgunfree.org.
Date of Release: May 8, 2003
Their webpage www.handgunfree.org is a hoot! They way they twist their statistics to attempt to prove their point is hilarious and wickedly entertaining.
Example: Because more people are for banning handguns (roughly %30 on average) than have purchased handguns (roughly %25 on average) then the American public has spoken out for banning handguns!
Quite impressive methodology!
They're not even good liars. My 8- and 10-year-old nephews know I shoot and recently asked me, "Uncle, how come neither us or anyone else we know has ever seen anyone with a gun except a policeman?" I had to tell him about professional liars like the group that created these "statistics" out of whole cloth.
Yes, indeed it does. The more women who are carrying guns, the more the number of armed would-be-victim/peed-in-their-pants-would-be-rapists, or armed-would-be-victims/perforated-would-be-rapists "gun incidents" is likely to increase. And that would be a good thing.
Molon Labe!
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