Priorities

Jul 20, 2012 23:57


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yes_justice July 21 2012, 07:27:17 UTC

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madscience July 21 2012, 08:53:03 UTC
"Intentional homicides" is slightly misleading because it includes justified homicides by both police and private citizens. According to the FBI's data, there were 617 justified firearm homicides in 2010 (about 5.5% of all firearm homicides).

I just did the math on the FBI's murder statistics for 2010 and came up with a firearms murder rate of 32.5 per 1 million. (The overall murder rate is 48 per 1 million, and 67.5% of all murders are committed with firearms.) Coming up with exactly what the chart says is probably just an odd coincidence, though, because the murder rate has been steadily declining for years. The figure from 2002 should have been significantly higher, especially if it's supposed to be intentional homicides and not just murders.

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yes_justice July 21 2012, 14:49:14 UTC
Blowing up 2000 Afghans in 2002 didn't count I suppose.

Thanks for the tip on "intentional".

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carlalute July 25 2012, 14:40:10 UTC
That and this only counts homicides commited with guns. It leaves out other weapons like knifes, pipes, barehands, etc.

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kadaria July 21 2012, 11:30:42 UTC
You'd think with all the paperwork a psych. Check would be included.
And I can agree with this sentiment. I live in a state that is really tough on guns but I still feel like I spent more time getting my driving lisence than my Ltc. Meanwhile for the first time in 6 or 7 years I'm finally on insurance that actually covers mental health care specifically.

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lilenth July 21 2012, 11:55:40 UTC
Except psych checks would do fuck all to affect such violence.

A mentally ill person is no more likely to shoot someone than any other person is. The true vector for violence is alcohol.

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joshthevegan July 21 2012, 14:17:36 UTC
The true vector for violence is alcohol.

Oh shut up.

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lilenth July 21 2012, 14:55:07 UTC
Why? Scared of the truth?

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lafinjack July 22 2012, 01:32:45 UTC
Healthcare isn't in the Constitution!

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miss_peg July 25 2012, 10:16:53 UTC
This is the most honest/true comment I have read in this whole thing...and that's including the stats.

Why do people insist upon going to a piece of writing to justify keeping/banning certain things? Instead of looking at modern day and the figures which suggest things need to change.

Can someone change the meaning of the right to bear arms and make it something to do with healthcare? That would be better, if you ask me.

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lafinjack July 25 2012, 14:42:43 UTC
Some people just need to scratch the religion itch in their brain.

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carlalute July 25 2012, 15:06:14 UTC
No, but the Constituation was made amendable for a reason. So it could adapt to the needs of the society.

I'm wary of government run healthcare for other reasons. But the fact it is not in the constitution does not mean it isn't a desirable goal.

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carlalute July 25 2012, 15:03:40 UTC
While I don't think gun violence is necessarily linked to mental illness (mental illness is an over applied term), I think the main point is made ( ... )

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tigron_x July 26 2012, 01:21:17 UTC
I see, so if we increase gun control, then health care will go down!

The only irony here is that there is a law in the US that prevents infringement on the right to bear arms, so it's a lot harder to bottle neck the market with legislation. But, there are mountains of laws that make the health care market an artificial market, thus increasing costs. And somehow subsidizing the costs is the solution.

I don't know why comparing the security/ outdoor recreation market to health care makes any sense at all. I guess I would have to indulge myself into the left/right paradigm to go along with these straw man arguments.

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deborahkla July 27 2012, 02:14:57 UTC
The constitution clearly states that the right to bear arms is a part of the right to maintain a militia. There is no indication that everyone has the right to own arms.

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tigron_x July 27 2012, 17:57:13 UTC
That's because it's implied. Take away the right for ordinary citizen to own arms and you contradict the clause. And, it would be redundant to spell it out the way you assume it should.

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deborahkla July 27 2012, 19:42:23 UTC
Oh, and I suppose it was "implied" that slavery was constitutional as well.

Banning guns for ordinary citizens would in no way contradict the clause, which specifies the right to maintain a militia. In other words, those citizens who are members of the militia would have the right to bear arms. This is as clear as crystal to anyone who knows proper English.

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