Monday, June 09, 2008

Gun Control By Other Means


Evidently the locals expect that the Wisconsin Supreme Court will soon overturn local concealed-carry restrictions, as the drumbeat of 'news' stories (and fables) is beginning.


Today the Milwaukee MSM presents a 'story' which is simply silly.


Gun suicide [which is much different from homicide] and homicide rates were about 25% lower when background checks on gun buyers were performed by local authorities as opposed to federal or state agencies, according to a study by the Medical College of Wisconsin


And it carries on in that fashion until someone points out the obvious:


However, the study looked only at who was doing the background checks, not other local or state laws that might affect how easy it is to buy a gun, said Daniel Webster, co-director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Policy and Research.


It might be that when background checks are done locally, the community also has more restrictive laws and that the laws, not the background checks, are reducing the gun death rates, he said.
Uh-huh. Look at the map above (or the JS link.) Note that New York, New Jersey, and Washington State (among others) are "local-check" models. It is well-known that while CCW is legal in New York, obtaining a permit in NYCity is virtually impossible. Same can be said about some larger cities in New Jersey, as well as Seattle. And no, I am not mixing up the CCW vs. background-check issues.
What local authorities (especially in Milwaukee) would prefer to see is State legislation which permits gun purchases, but only if the local police chief authorizes them. Obviously, that will impact purchases for purpose of carrying concealed.
It's merely a different way to prevent CCW--as well as any other gun purchase.
In other words, they'd like the New York model: "Yes, we have CCW permits. But you'll be 165 years old before you obtain one."
By the way, suicides are irrelevant. Gun-suicide is merely easier than knife-suicide, car-suicide, or suicide-by-cop. Suicides will continue regardless of the method.

2 comments:

grumps said...

Everybody knows that they won't sell you a handgun if you're crying.

capper said...

While it is true that someone who is truly suicidal will follow through regardless, there are many that wouldn't attempt suicide by spoon.

Furthermore, if you try to OD, cut wrists, etc., it usually gives you time to back out. A bullet in the brain isn't as forgiving.

Please stay away from the psych stuff. You're really not good at it.