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ablib:"But now let's see you back up that post with some proof of your facts Mr. Greene _____________________________________________________________ From "Gun Control Comes To Cowboy Country": 1995
EXHIBIT "B" DOMESTIC GUN VIOLENCE STATISTICS
It should be noted here there were more than 26,000 homicides and 31,000 suicides in 1990. Almost without exception, the non-firearms murders (just as the majority of firearms deaths) were caused as a result of domestic violence.
* 37,198 persons lost their lives to firearms in 1990, 34,462 (92%) of them killed in domestic violence or self murder (suicides) * Fewer than 1% of the victims were criminal assailants killed by civilians in self defense. * Fewer than 1% were killed by law enforcement officers. * Fewer than 4% were firearms accident victims * Fewer than 4% died at the hands of "real" criminals. * 41%, or 15,377 of the 37,198 deaths were "criminal' (domestic violence) homicides, 12,489 by handgun * 51%, or 18,885 of the 37,198 deaths were "criminal" suicides, 13,030 by handgun. * Most (92 of every 100) persons killed by firearms were not strangers to their murderers or killed themselves. * Of the 41 of 100 firearms homicide victims in 1990, the common thread in each? The murderers in most of the 41 homicides were not violent street "criminals" but the spouses, children-cousins-in laws, friends-next door neighbors or co-workers of the victims. ____________________________________________________ EXHIBIT "C" 1990 NATIONAL SUICIDE FIREARMS STATISTICS
* 51 of every 100 persons who die from firearms trauma in any given year kill themselves (suicide). * Suicide among adolescents age 15-24 tripled since 1970, making suicide the third leading killer of adolescents. * Guns are the method used in 60% of teen suicides. Many persons who commit by suicide are also accountable for a number of the persons criminally murdered; that is: some suicides criminally murder their spouses, friends or co-workers-then commit suicide. The gun lobby fails to mention suicide as a part of the nation's escalating domestic firearms violence. Of the 18,885 firearms suicides in 1990, nearly 1,500 were children under the age of 18. Almost without exception, most of the minors were white! Even here published facts ignored by the gun lobby can be enlightening: More whites killed themselves in 1990 than the total number of whites killed by Blacks or "criminals" in the same year. The gun lobby fails to inform Americans that persons who commit suicide (51% of all firearms deaths) are counted twice in federal crime statistics: first as "victims" of criminal violence then as "criminal murderers"! EXHIBIT "D" 1990 CHILD DEATHS DUE TO FIREARMS TRAUMA
4,871 children under the age of twenty died due to firearms trauma in 1990. Of those ages 1 thru 19, 431 deaths were unintentional, 1,476 were suicides and 2,874 were murdered. source: Centers For Disease Control, National Center For Health Statistics, data from the vital statistics system. Rates based on population for July 1, 1990
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The real reason for the continuing drop in serious crimes, to include murder, was the reduction in the number of FFL (Federal Firearms License) holders. When the National Crime Control Act of 1993 wsa enacted, there were more than 388,000 persons holding the licenses. With the Crime Control Act and the enactment the "Brady Law" in March, 1994, ATF (Alcohol, Firearms & Tobacco) agents had the tools to reduced that number. One of the tools was that a FFL dealer had to have a "Hardtop" (A business with a front door) business, with liablity insurance, safes, fire equipment, sprinklers, burglar alarms, bank accounts in the business name-etc.
They could not sell guns from their homes (since they were residential and not zoned for commerical businesses), within 1,000 of a school, and other means "Tests". They had to strictly conform to local ordinances, pay taxes, keep records-etc.
Since most of them were selling guns in a questionable fashion, they were known by the ATF as "Kitchen Table" dealers for the obvious reason. Ultimately, more than 95% of the FFL holders could not meet the new minimum requirements to hold an FFL license, the ATF simply walked into those houses, cinfiscated their licenses and walked out. Subsequent investigations of some of the holders of the coinfiscated licenses turned up wanted criminals, drug dealers, street criminals, "Shadow" owners (people who owned a firearm bought legally by someone else) and other riff-raff. In two years, the number of "Kitchen Table" dealer had fallen sharply. By 1998, the former 388,000 FFL dealers ahd been reduced to under 50,000. AS fewer and fewer new FLL licenses were issued (the new license requirements meant the applicant had to pass background check), the thugs and criminals who had been license holders dropped to nearly zero.
The real import of the drop in "illegal" gun dealers meant that young black males, who had been killing each other like it was the Wild Wild West, dropped off the table so to speak. (Don't go there. Sure they (like everyone else) are still killing each other, but nowhere near the numbers of the early and mid-nineties)
As the bogus dealers disappeared, so did the number of illegal and "trash" guns on the streets. By 2000, the number of legal FFL gun dealers had fallen to under 35,000.
As for the drop in murders in 2003? Suicides are no longer counted in the "murder" statistics. 51% of all people who die from firearms trauma are suicides.
I get it done with YAHOO-DSL!
I get it done with YAHOO-DSL!
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