I am not sure if anyone here has picked up on this yet.

CDC exposes gun-control myths

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR August 2, 2012 6:52PM

Updated: August 3, 2012 9:10AM


CDC exposes gun-control myths

The Centers for Disease Control, an agency of the federal government, has conducted studies of many of the gun-control laws in place, such as waiting periods, registration, and bans on certain types of firearms. The results showed that the idea that gun control laws have reduced violent crime is simply a myth. The CDC is hardly a shill for the NRA. Political trends throughout the country have reflected the growing realization by the majority of Americans that restricting the rights of law-abiding citizens is not only ineffective as a means of combating crime, but counter-productive. All of the research over the last few decades bears this out. (One of many excellent sources is “More Guns; Less Crime” by former University of Chicago and current Harvard professor, John Lott).

As uncomfortable as it may be for the Chicago Sun-Times editorial board to understand, the 2nd Amendment is not about hunting, target shooting or even self defense. It is first and foremost, as intended by the Founding Fathers, a means to keep government in check. Gun-ban advocates may wish to dismiss as paranoid fantasy such notions, but any honest study of history supports this fact. The fact that a totalitarian regime in America seems far-fetched today is precisely because the 2nd Amendment has had the intended and desired effect, and it gives teeth to the rest of our great Constitution. The founders would be considered NRA “extremists” by the Sun-Times editorial board.

James E. McNally, Clearing

URL: http://www.suntimes.com/opinions/letters/14160460-474/cdc-exposes-gun-control-myths.html

Dave

I am not sure if anyone here has picked up on this yet.

URL: http://www.suntimes.com/opinions/letters/14160460-474/cdc-exposes-gun-control-myths.html

Dave

well at least that's one federal agency that supports what gun advocates have been saying all along.

I'm not sure this fellow writing to the editor has his facts quite straight.  This is the first time I've ever heard of the CDC putting out any facts that support a robust Second Amendment; and I'm pretty sure that the NRA successfully lobbied to have Congress refuse funding to them for any study of gun stuff.  Perhaps I'm wrong, but I could swear that the CDC can't do any research/studying of this stuff at all, for or against.

CDC has done at least one study on gun control.  Bush the Elder commissioned it, telling them "give me a study that supports gun control."  The best that they could come up with was to say "absence of evidence isn't evidence of absence."  The study was available on the website for several years.  It was broad and comprehensive, with data from all 50 state police and the FBI.

CDC has done at least one study on gun control.  Bush the Elder commissioned it, telling them "give me a study that supports gun control."  The best that they could come up with was to say "absence of evidence isn't evidence of absence."  The study was available on the website for several years.  It was broad and comprehensive, with data from all 50 state police and the FBI.

Interesting. Why did the NRA raise such a row about blocking their funding to conduct such research?

Maybe cuz it's not a disease?

Maybe cuz it's not a disease?

You've obviously never heard of the Black Rifle Disease!? 

Ohh yeah. I hear it's an epidemic

Maybe cuz it's not a disease?

The CDC's charter is much wider than diseases.  You really should be familiar with their work.  They, for example, list the top causes of premature death in Americans every year.  For 2011, there are more than 100 causes of premature death more common than firearms.  Alcohol, cars, cigarettes, and swimming pools are all more lethal.  They break firearms death down in a number of interesting ways.  You can see, for example that males are 9 times as likely to die from firearms-inflicted wounds than females.  Or that of all firearms-caused deaths, 59.8% were suicide.

If you're going to look for useful, government-sanctioned facts to bandy about firearms, the CDC is a mighty fine resource.

You've obviously never heard of the Black Rifle Disease!? 

From what I've been seeing at X-Ring, OGC, and all the other dealers on Oahu, BRD is spreading like fire! Probably will be a pandemic soon..

Interesting though that wasn't the question.
The question was why did the NRA
want to block research. My quick ignorant answer to that question was "maybe cuz its not a disease?"
Yah I know that's a lame answer but...


NRA lobbyist Chet Walker told a reporter for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution at the time that CDC-funded research was being used to promote gun control legislation, and that the CDC ought to stick "to fighting infectious disease and illness."


There obviously a lot more to this.

Interesting though that wasn't the question.
The question was why did the NRA
want to block research. My quick ignorant answer to that question was "maybe cuz its not a disease?"
Yah I know that's a lame answer but...


NRA lobbyist Chet Walker told a reporter for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution at the time that CDC-funded research was being used to promote gun control legislation, and that the CDC ought to stick "to fighting infectious disease and illness."


There obviously a lot more to this.

CDC does provide funding to the Harvard School pf Public Health for research, and their studies do tend to be aimed at promoting gun control.  However, the things that come directly from the CDC are pretty balanced.

Been browsing the site for a little while now. Lots of cool stuff. LOTS!!


http://www.cdc.gov/

Thanks

From what I've been seeing at X-Ring, OGC, and all the other dealers on Oahu, BRD is spreading like fire! Probably will be a pandemic soon..

I'm your pusher man....

I'm your pusher man....

Bro, um...I need a fix...see you ah...at the normal spot in uh...in Kalihi?

I'm your pusher man....

And now I have to go listen to Pusher Man on youtube to get it out of my head!  Good thing I like that song...