Quote:
Originally Posted by Michaelangelica
If you feel so threatened that you need to buy a gun then something is sick in your society.
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I don’t this inference is valid. Feeling threatened is, I think, more a matter of individual psychology than the health of a society as a whole.
People who feel so threatened that they feel compelled to keep a gun falls into 2 subclasses:
- Those who actually are at risk, for whom having a gun may actually reduce their chance of being harmed;
- Those who are not actually at risk, for whom having a gun does not reduce their chance of being harmed, and may actually increase it.
Although unusual, there are many people in the US and other countries who fall into the first subcategory - former spouses of dangerously violent people for example example. Such people may be at hundreds or thousands of times greater risk of injury or death than the average (which, on average and rounding to the nearest power of approximately 1 in 10,000). Responsibly having a gun, or a hoshold member having a gun – which includes training and properly securing the gun – can dramatically reduce the likelihood of such at-risk persons being injured or killed.
People in the second subcategory are, by definition, suffering from a disorder of rational thinking. This particular disorder is easy to succumb to, due in part to a lack of understanding of probability on the part of a large majority of even well-educated people nearly everywhere. Even if presented with an accurate, statistically sound analysis of the change in likelihood of significant events - such as being robbed, raped, or murdered, or having same happen to a household member – showing that various modes of gun ownership – in ones dwelling only, concealed at all times on ones person - does not reduce or even increases the likelihood of these events, in addition to introducing new risks – such as being robbed
for ones guns, or a gun falling into the hands of an unqualified child - the emotional nature of considering such scenarios tends to cause people to discard even information they acknowledge is accurate and statistically sound, and make decisions based on “gut” emotional instinct. The image of one or one’s loved ones being under the power of a reprehensible criminal, even if exceeding unlikely, is so powerful that many people allow it to override their reason.
The unbalancing effects of emotionally intense images are not alone in contributing to this disorder. Information sources ranging from books and movies (including those appropriate for young children), print and television news reports, commercials for self-protection products and services, peers, and even internet threads like this one, can contribute to the forming of irrational beliefs about real-life risks.
Importantly, I think, these internal and external factors leading to the inaccurate and irrational assessment of risk affect not only ordinary people seeking only to protect themselves, but criminals and law enforcement agents who have guns, increasing the likelihood that they will use them to unnecessarily injure or kill.
By addressing the factors that contribute to the disordering of reason in choosing to have and use guns, I believe gun-related and other violence can be reduced far more effectively than simply lowering the rate of gun ownership.
Data measuring gun ownership and gun-related death rates are encouraging. The following data, compiled from
Lists of countries by gun ownership - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia and
List of countries by firearm-related death rate - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia shows that while the US does have the highest gun-related death rate of nations for which data is available, it does
not have the highest household gun ownership rate, and suggest that, while there is a rough correlation between these two data, other factors significantly affect the risks and benefits of guns.
Code:
Gun-related Household gun
deaths/100000 ownership/100 Country
------------- ------------- -------
15.22 32.00 United States
14.15 NA Brazil
12.74 NA Estonia
12.07 NA Mexico
9.19 NA Argentina
6.86 24.00 Finland
6.82 8.40 Northern Ireland
6.40 35.70 Switzerland
6.35 18.60 France
4.78 19.10 Canada
4.56 14.30 Austria
4.39 31.50 Norway
3.72 13.80 Portugal
3.48 16.50 Belgium
3.07 NA Slovenia
3.00 NA Israel
2.95 16.00 Italy
2.94 10.00 Australia
2.66 26.20 New Zealand
2.60 12.40 Denmark
2.36 16.90 Sweden
1.57 9.20 Germany
1.50 NA Greece
1.25 NA Kuwait
1.21 NA Ireland
1.21 NA Hungary
0.90 12.70 Spain
0.70 1.90 Netherlands
0.58 3.30 Scotland
0.46 3.40 England and Wales
0.42 NA Taiwan
0.24 NA Singapore
0.19 NA Mauritius
0.19 NA Hong Kong
0.13 NA South Korea
0.07 0.60 Japan
This data in mind, I’m better equipped to respond to other points.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Michaelangelica
But neither of us live in the crazy world of the USA.
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Though we do top the list for gun-related death rate, the rate – 15.22/100,000 – is still very low compared to disease and other less scary causes. At least with regards to gun violence, for the large majority of people, the USA’s not that crazy a place.
Quote:
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Compare the States with Canada.
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Forget Canada, with its gun death rate only 69% lower than USA’s – if you want to minimize your risk of gun-related death, Japan’s - with one 99.5% lower - the country for you!
Though you Aussies and Kiwis have reason to be proud of your 81% and 83% sub-USA gun death rates – especially the Kiwis, who have only a 18% lower rate of gun ownership!
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Gun story
Re: Do You Own a Gun ??
Re: Do You Own a Gun ??
I haven't killed anyone!
