Effects+on+Crime

__Gun Control effects on crime__

//most people think....// -Criminals could no longer purchase guns to commit crime
 * **More gun control means less guns**
 * 1) Less guns means less crime
 * 2) Stock of guns available to decreases

-If there were tighter gun control, these homicides never would have happened -During 1994 Assault Weapons Ban, crime rates dropped in half.
 * **Majority of homicides are are committed using firearms**
 * 11,457 of the 16,137 homicides in 2004 committed using firearms

It's a good idea to keep guns out of the hands of people who are mentally unstable. But be careful about how far the calls for gun control go, because the idea that gun control laws lower gun crime is a myth. Might stricter gun laws result in more gun crime? It seems wrong but makes sense if we consider one simple fact: Criminals don't obey the law. Strict gun laws, like the ban in Britain, probably only affect the actions of people who wouldn't commit crimes in the first place.

//People needs guns...//

__Defense__
 * **Important for defense of family and property in high risk areas**
 * 1) Taking access to firearms could leave citizens at risk
 * **Three quarters of handguns purchased for protection against crime**
 * 1) 71% of violent crime victims make an effort to defend themselves.
 * 2) An estimated annual average of 62,000 violent crime victims, used a firearm in an effort to defend themselves.



//crime really comes from..//

__Poverty__ -Wyoming and Louisiana have almost identical laws, but murder rate in Louisiana is about 6x higher -Maine has much tighter laws than California, yet it has a 1/5 of the murder rate of California
 * **Poverty has a stronger correlation with crime than gun control**
 * 1) 8 out of 10 states with the highest murder rates are below national poverty level
 * 2) 9 out of 10 states with the lowest murder rates are above national poverty level
 * 3) Majority of these states share the same gun laws

__Crime rates decreasing__
 * **Violent crime involving firearms has drastically decreased**
 * 1) About 1,250,000 crimes in 1993 to about 400,000 in 2003
 * 2) Only 6% of rapes,sexual assault, robbery and assault involved firearms
 * 3) Only 17% of violent crime victims involving firearms are injured during the crime
 * 4) Attackers with handguns are less likely to injure victims than attackers armed with anything else


 * Stricter Gun Control will not change our crime whatsoever
 * Provides defense for both citizens and law enforcement
 * Poverty is a greater cause for concern regarding crime
 * Although the US has light gun laws compared to other countries, the US has noticeably lower armed robbery rates
 * Crime is Already drastically decreasing in the US, and not due to any gun laws in effect

Political scientist Earl R. Kruschke states, regarding the fully-automatic firearms owned by private citizens in the United States, that "approximately 175,000 automatic firearms have been licensed by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (the federal agency responsible for administration of the law) and evidence suggests that none of these weapons has ever been used to commit a violent crime. With the exception of two, which were used by law enforcement officers