Gunman Opens Fire During "The Dark Knight Rises"

[AOII Angel]

Originally Posted by DrPhil

No. Bad analogy.

And opinions are opinions. Unlike insurance and fire extinguishers, data does not suggest that it is better to have a gun and not "need it" ("need" is relative) than to need it and not have it. Rather, the data finds that owning or having access to a gun increases likelihood of victimization among law abiding civilians and the rate of offending for certain offenses. "Having it and not needing it" does not reduce the likelihood and rate of victimization.

As for what someone said about suicide and gun access, gun access does increase the rate of lethal violence in cultures in which lethal violence is correlated (not caused) by gun access. Men, for example, tend to have a higher rate of gun suicides than women. Again, there is a correlation which means that guns make lethal violence "easier". The higher rate of suicide in Japan as compared to the United States of America has been studied in comparison with other forms of lethal violence such as homicides and vehicle deaths. Yes, Japan has this higher rate of suicide without the gun access. That is only a testament to people using whatever means necessary in the absence of "easier" means. If Japan was a culture in which gun access was more highly regarded, and they lacked proper social control mechanisms in a similar fashion as the United States of America, they would most likely have a homicide rate more comparable to the United States of America (we have the highest rate among "industrialized nations"). The suicide rate in Japan could possibly increase in line with the greater access to quicker and more lethal forms of harm if, again, guns were thrown into the equation without the proper control mechanisms. It would also shift suicide attempts to completed suicides. There is absolutely no debate that guns truly are the "quickest" and "easiest" form of harming oneself and others for those who are motivated to engage in such behaviors.

Thank you.