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Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!cbosgd!cbdkc1!desoto!packard!topaz!josh
From: josh@topaz.ARPA (J Storrs Hall)
Newsgroups: net.politics
Subject: Re: Gun Control
Message-ID: <349@topaz.ARPA>
Date: Mon, 21-Jan-85 04:35:15 EST
Article-I.D.: topaz.349
Posted: Mon Jan 21 04:35:15 1985
Date-Received: Tue, 22-Jan-85 05:59:53 EST
References: <1192@drusd.UUCP> <2256@randvax.UUCP>
Organization: Rutgers Univ., New Brunswick, N.J.
Lines: 34

> > How do you outlaw the zip gun?
> 
> What's the lethal range of the zip gun, Phil?  How many "rounds" can you get
> off in a crowded room before someone takes you down?  What's the mortality
> rate among those shot with zip guns?

These would depend entirely on the particular instrument and the
circumstances of its use..  I will admit that the zip gun is considerably
more useful for surreptitious murder than self-defense.  Think now...

> Sheesh!  The main thrust of the pro-gun people on this net appears to be
> "People will kill each other no matter what."  

A distortion.  As I tried to show in an earlier posting, the rate at
which people kill each other is quite low compared to other causes
of death.  The argument is, if someone intends to kill beforehand,
the kind of laws you're talking about won't make any difference.

> All I know is this: among industrialized countries, the U.S. has just about
> the highest murder rate.  Now, either
> we're just an incredibly violent bunch of folks ...

Murder rates among ethnic groups in the US generally reflect fairly closely
the rates of the same groups in their countries of origin.  US murder rates
by state vary from 1/5th to 3 times Canada's national rate, as an example.

> ...  The first candidate to leap to my mind is our laws (or, more
> precisely, LACK of laws) restricting ownership of firearms. 

Funny thing.  Perhaps your mind would like to leap with the idea that
only about a tenth of violent crimes here result in prison sentences,
whereas in the other countries you're talking about, it's more like half?

--JoSH