125
votes
If "more guns less crime", how do gun advocates explain that the EU has less crime than the US?
They don't.
While there are a lot of half-assed arguments (on both sides, to be fair), any serious statistical analysis that actually controls for variables comes down on the side of gun control. A ...
- 4,894
116
votes
Why is there no effective anti-gun lobby in the United States?
There definitely are organizations that are counter. Brady is nearly as famous.
The reason it's not as seemingly effective is due to the fact that - due to political structure of the United States - ...
- 91.2k
112
votes
Why do proponents of guns oppose gun competency tests?
In America gun ownership is a right with enshrined protections from government infringement established in the constitution. Now pause for a moment and consider how you might feel if something you ...
- 3,176
105
votes
How many mass shootings does Japan have per year?
In 2019 Japan had 3 gun deaths. The USA had 39707.
Let me repeat that. Three gun deaths. That's total deaths, not homicides. Less than 0.03% of the figure for the USA after adjusting for population.
...
- 14.6k
100
votes
What do gun control advocates mean when they say "Owning a gun makes you more likely to be a victim of a violent crime."?
As I understand it, the statistical breakdown (which I don't have handy, but should be easy enough to find online) is that people who own guns are significantly more likely to see those guns used ...
- 65.1k
97
votes
Accepted
Why are gun restrictions based on terror watch list and mental health so controversial in the US?
Americans hold that they have a right to bear arms. This is codified in the Second Amendment to the Constitution (the first ten amendments are called the "Bill of Rights")
A well regulated militia ...
- 6,570
91
votes
How easy is it to get a gun illegally in the United States?
That's a somewhat specious argument, because the ability to illegally obtain weapons is made easier by lax gun laws, and the guns that make it to the illegal market, by and large, start out as ...
- 20.8k
84
votes
Accepted
Why are Weapon Restriction Laws considered Liberal?
Labels like "conservative" versus "liberal" or "left" versus "right" are often applied to larger-scale political movements, parties or ways of thinking, without every single detail being thrown into ...
- 1,704
82
votes
If "more guns less crime", how do gun advocates explain that the EU has less crime than the US?
The real problem with questions like this is in assuming that gun ownership is a cause rather than a symptom.
I answered a similar question a year or two ago, but comparing Canada and USA, and mass ...
- 2,994
75
votes
Why do proponents of guns oppose gun competency tests?
Whenever there is a test, there is someone who will administer the test. And there is a long history of abuse of such tests, e.g. literacy tests to restrict the franchise. How do you stop Jim Crow ...
- 104k
74
votes
Accepted
What is the meaning of $1.05 as seen at March For Our Lives?
As Vox explains it is directed at Senator Rubio, who has opposed the March and their movement, representing the value they believe he has placed on their lives by dividing the number of dollars he has ...
- 70.9k
71
votes
What is the argument for preventing tyranny that avoids gun violence?
First things first… The original intention of the second amendment was to preserve the capacity of the individual states to easily muster militias. It was thought that a balance of power between ...
- 65.1k
65
votes
Why is there no effective anti-gun lobby in the United States?
The short cynical answer? There is money to be made selling Guns. There is no money to be made by not selling guns.
Money is what lobbyists are all about.
63
votes
Why is gun control associated with the socially liberal Democratic party?
Since Ronald Reagan, the Republican party has had three main pillars:
A low tax, somewhat libertarian group.
A pro-military group.
A moral majority, pro-life group.
The moral majority group ...
- 89.2k
60
votes
How easy is it to get a gun illegally in the United States?
It is very easy to get a gun illegally.
Be a non-citizen/resident, minor, felon, or have been adjudicated to be insane
Go to Texas
Look for "deer stick", "bangs", "outdoor toy" on craigslist.
Meet ...
- 2,167
53
votes
When was the Second Amendment last used to fight against the US government to protect people's freedom?
This has happened as recently as 2014 in Bunkerville, Clark County, Nevada.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bundy_standoff
The 2014 Bundy standoff was an armed confrontation between supporters of ...
- 743
51
votes
When was the Second Amendment last used to fight against the US government to protect people's freedom?
It hasn't happened.
The Second Amendment is a doomsday provision. It exists to protect the American people from government tyranny and oppression.
The U.S. government has not exercised its power ...
- 10.4k
49
votes
What percentage of mass shootings in the USA are actually stopped by ordinary gun-bearing Americans?
From the details in the The Violence Project database. The following can be seen.
In six incidents, armed civilians were present at the location. (Armed
Police were present in 19 Incidents) out of ...
- 1,613
46
votes
Why are Weapon Restriction Laws considered Liberal?
This mostly had to do with (as usual, confusing) political terminology and branding.
"Liberal" in USA has several meanings, mainly, either (1) "classical liberal" (which in USA is typically branded ...
- 91.2k
45
votes
Why are gun restrictions based on terror watch list and mental health so controversial in the US?
Other answers addressed watchlist, but not "mental health" initiative.
Basically, because "mental health" is entirely too subjective, politicised, and also fails due process.
Examples:
Up until ...
- 91.2k
45
votes
Accepted
Could the second amendment be, well, amended?
Yes, the constitution can be amended. In fact the second amendment is just that: an amendment. You can continue to add new amendments, even on existing amendments.
This has actually already happened....
45
votes
How easy is it to get a gun illegally in the United States?
I think you actually asked the wrong question. What you really want to know isn't how hard is it to get an illegal gun in the United States, but how hard is it to get a gun in a country with strict ...
- 471
44
votes
When was the Second Amendment last used to fight against the US government to protect people's freedom?
The most recent event I can identify is the Battle of Athens. It was a direct confrontation with the corruption of the local government and efforts to rig the election to ensure the continuity of ...
- 10.2k
44
votes
What percentage of mass shootings in the USA are actually stopped by ordinary gun-bearing Americans?
Unfortunately, statistics based on actual events are not able to answer this question.
A working hypothesis is that a higher rate of gun ownership among targets will discourage potential shooters from ...
- 13k
42
votes
What is the meaning of $1.05 as seen at March For Our Lives?
The printable PDF on marchforourlives.com explains the meaning behind this symbol:
There are 3,140,167* students enrolled in Florida. Marco Rubio has received $3,303,355** from the NRA. That comes ...
- 3,007
42
votes
Accepted
Why was there such a significant increase in firearms background checks in March 2020?
There's a lot of panicked buying going on in general
It's become a joke how much people are hoarding toilet paper (in the US, in particular, it wasn't hard to find before this). But hoarding things is ...
- 44k
41
votes
Accepted
Why can't President Biden sign an executive order on the gun laws he wants congress to pass?
For one, executive orders only govern the actions of the the Executive Branch. The president cannot commandeer state governments, nor can he order private citizens to do, or not do, anything.
Second, ...
- 525
40
votes
If "more guns less crime", how do gun advocates explain that the EU has less crime than the US?
If you compare the European Union to the United States, the EU has less crime, including crimes that have nothing to do with guns. For example, there are fewer domestic knife assaults. These are ...
- 89.2k
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible