Mass Shootings

Two mass shootings within 24 hours, leaving 31 people dead, has once again brought the spotlight on gun ownership and gun control in the United States.

An attack on a Walmart store in El Paso, Texas on Saturday left 20 dead, while nine died in a shooting in Dayton, Ohio on Sunday.

The above is from a BBC News Article Dated August 05, 2019.  I will be using more information from this article in this post.

Of course, in America, when 4 or more people are injured or killed by a gun it is classified as a “Mass Shooting.”

The latest Mass Shooting reported in the news was on August 31st when some IDIOT in the Odessa and Midland area of Texas killed 7 and injured 25 while shooting from his car and being chased by police.  Including himself there were 33 killed or injured in this incident.

Wikipedia.org has a pretty good article about Mass Shootings (as called “mass” by some) and I found these stats through August.

Based on this information there have been 335 killed in the U. S. so far this year in Mass Shootings.  There have been a total of 1,219 wounded in these Mass Shootings.  All total there have been 297 Mass Shootings so far in 2019.  This does not include September (which we are currently in).

Please take note that 7 of these shootings occurred at schools or universities while only 2 occurred in, of all places, places of worship.  That’s about 3% so far this year that we know of that occurred in “Gun Free Zones.”

However, so far this month this is what we find in the Wikipedia Article mentioned:

• September 02, 2019 – Elkmont, Alabama – 5 Dead:  A 14 year old boy shot dead his five family members – two adults and three children – in an Alabama Residence.  He confessed the crime to the police.
• September 02, 2019 – Greensboro, North Carolina – 2 Dead, 2 Injured:  Two men were killed and a woman and small child were injured during a home invasion.

No, I am in agreement with you, I think.  I don’t agree that these latest two incidents should be classified as Mass Shootings (nor should many of the 297 reported so far in 2019), but that is how our government, educational institutions and media look at it.  Any time more than four are injured and killed it is classified for statistic purposes as a Mass Shooting.

According to the BBC Article referenced at the outset of this Blog, 40% of Americans say they either own a gun or live in a household with someone that does – based on a 2017 survey by Pew.  Pew Research found that one-third of those over 50 said they own a gun.  The rate for gun ownership of younger adults is less – about 28%.  White men are especially more likely to carry a gun based on this research.

Over the years, attitudes of the younger people have been changing as it relates to Gun Control Ownership vs. Protecting Gun Rights that can be seen in the chart below.

You can clearly see that Controlling Gun Ownership has been declining over the years while Protecting Gun Rights has been increasing.  However, there was a big shift in 2016 and that was due mainly to the Orlando Nightclub Shooting.

I have to admit there are more homicides by gun in America than most other countries if you look at the graphic below … but that is because there are more people owning guns (legally and illegally) in America than most other countries shown.

According to this chart 73% of the homicides in America (which includes what is known as “man slaughter” and “Suicide”) is caused by a gun.  It appears the next closest country (in this graphic anyhow) would be Canada.  England is way down there.

I just love how the writer of the BBC Article slants his story to call for more Gun Control.  Sure the chart above is compelling … but here’s another fact from some research I have done:

• America is not #1 in Gun Deaths.  Check out some of these numbers based on Gun Deaths per 100,000 people …
  • Honduras = 60
  • Venezuela = 49.22
  • El Salvador = 45.6
  • Eswatini = 37.16
  • Guatemala = 34.10
  • Janaica = 30.72
  • Brazil = 21.9
  • Colombia = 20.38
  • Panama = 15.11, and finally
  • United States = 12.21

Notice that most of the countries that exceed America on Gun Deaths is located in South America.  Isn’t it funny that President Donald Trump is trying to do something about stopping the influx of murderers coming from South American Countries into the U. S. and people on the other side of the isle is hindering his efforts – yet they are the same people who want Gun Control.

This chart below is from a few years ago before some of these numbers were updated … but you get the picture:

And this chart from 2010 shows High-Income Countries death rates by gun including suicide rates.

Based again on the BBC Article, America is the #1 Country ranked on civilian gun ownership as shown in the Top Ten Chart below:

Based on this chart there is more firearms in American civilians hands than there are people in America.  That’s almost 121 per 100 people or 1.21 per person.  I own 4 guns myself …

• Smith & Wesson shoots 9 MMM
• Taurus Judge shoots Colt 45 and 410 Shot Gun Shells
• AR 15 shoots 5.56 or .223 (and AR does not stand for assault rifle – see below) – mine is classified as a pistol because it does not have a stock and only a 7 inch barrel.
• 12 Gauge Shot Gun – shoots 12 gauge shot gun ammo

The above shows just how much our left-winged politicians know.  I’m still trying to figure out why we pay them when they leave office and why we pay them so much while they are in office.

But, how bad really are the so-called Mass Shootings?  Again, based on the BBC Article which I believe was written to encourage America that we needed tighter gun control, here are the facts – you will find it is a small number overall.

Only 71 died in Mass Shootings in 2016 – yet every time there is a Mass Shooting in a public place you have people on the left screaming to tighten up on gun control and do away with the Constitutional 2nd Amendment.

The Bogus Wal Mart Approach

A report was recently released that Wal Mart is no longer going to sell handguns or small gun ammunition in their stores.  The report was not bogus … but the move certainly was.  It came at a time when the American Left (primarily) is pushing for greater gun control.  Believe me … if Wal Mart was making much of a profit on their ammunition and hand guns … they would not stop selling them.  They are not making that big of a profit so they thought it was the politically correct thing to do.

Personally, I don’t know of anyone who purchases ammunition or guns at Wal Mart.  There are too many other stores that specialize in these that can cut you a far better deal.  As for ammo … most of it now-a-days is being purchased on the internet at huge reductions in cost.

I can tell you this, however, there are less deaths in America today than there were from 1989 to 1998 from Handguns and Other Guns.  Actually there are less deaths today from Other Guns than there were from about 1976 to 1994.  Check out the graphic below:

Here are some more facts by the FBI:

• In 2016, there were 11,004 gun homicides (65% handguns, 6% rifle/shotgun, 30% other/unknown type)
• In 2014, there were 8,124 gun homicides (68% handguns, 6% rifle/shotgun, 25% other/unknown type).
• In 2010, there were 8,775 gun homicides (68% handguns, 8% rifle/shotgun, 23% other/unknown type).
• In 2001, there were 8,890 gun homicides (78% handguns, 10% rifle/shotguns, 12% other/unknown type).

 

So why was Wal Mart selling guns back in the early 90’s, when the gun problem appears to be worse, and not today?  I guess that would be a good question to ask Wal Mart’s Board of Directors.

Now it is also interesting who’s doing all the random killing.  The very same people who recently want to focus on Controlling Gun Ownership than on Protecting Gun Rights.  Look at the graphic below (see figure 2 first).

Isn’t it interesting that the ones screaming most about gun laws are also the ones that are committing the largest amount of gun violence based on this graphic.

If we consider the worst Mass Shootings since 1991 this is what we find:

Then we have all this hoopla about Assault Rifles.  I’m a firm believer that any weapon used to kill is an Assault Weapon (Rifle or not).  But the people attempting to change our laws want to classify rifle with a pistol grip (like an AR-15 or AK-47) as an assault rifle, while the only real assault rifle is a fully automatic one (a machine gun).  With a machine gun or fully automatic weapon the gun continues to fire after you pull the trigger until you release the trigger.  With a semi-automatic weapon (like an AR-15 or AK-47) you must pull the trigger each time you want to fire the weapon.

So what kind of guns are actually committing all these killings in America?  This may surprise you:

Only 4% of the deaths are known to be from Rifles.  I have no idea how the FBI can come up with 28% of the deaths being caused by an unknown gun … unless 28% were through and through wounds and there was no trace of the bullet.  For argument sake, if we call this 28% from “Assault Rifles” and add that to rifles … it is clear that is still only 50% of the hand gun percentage … so why has the politician and entertainers on the left not jumped on Hand Guns.  Why are they hanging onto “Assault Rifles” as the leading culprit in all of this?

Some states have taken steps to ban or strictly regulate ownership of assault weapons. Laws vary by state but California, for example, has banned around 75 types and models of assault weapon.  Yet clearly 64% of all gun deaths are caused by hand guns and not rifles.

The BBC Article should have called this next graphic “Political Opinion” rather than “Public Opinion.”  However, you will see that the Democrats and Republicans are not very much different in two areas and very different in the other two areas.

My Enhanced Carry License

I have what is known as an Enhanced Concealed Carry Permit in Mississippi, as does my son Jeffrey.  David, my other son has the same thing for Louisiana.  I chose the enhanced carry permit because it allows me to carry my gun (concealed or open) into ALMOST any place a police officer can carry his/hers.

Here’s a listing of what is illegal for me to carry in … all other places not mentioned are legal:

• An area declared a place of nuisance.
• A police, sheriff or Highway Patrol station.
• A detention facility, prison or jail.
• Any place where carrying a firearm is prohibited by federal law (such as a federal courthouse or post office).
• A private business or property that properly posts (see below) notice that firearms are banned. An enhanced permit holder could face trespassing charges, but not a violation of concealed carry law.
• A courtroom while court is in session.
• While one section of state law says an enhanced permit holder can carry on school, community college or university property, another says it’s illegal. An AG’s opinion from 2012 says campus carry is allowed for enhanced permit holders.
• State law says someone not attending or working for a school can possess a firearm in their vehicle, but federal law would require a state-issued permit for it. Mississippi’s IHL recently adopted a policy expressly permitting enhanced permit holders to carry on campus, subject to some exceptions still being worked out.

Do I Agree with More Gun Control?

I do not feel we need anymore gun control laws to be passed in America.  We have enough.  That being said, while I realize mentally ill people should not have guns and something needs to be done about that, I also believe that anyone who kills another or many in cold blood is somewhat mentally ill.  Also, you can screen for this all you want to … but just because they are not mentally ill before purchasing the gun does not mean they won’t become that way after purchasing the gun.

In addition, you may be able to stop a purchaser of a gun from buying one at a legitimate store … but you are not going to be able to stop the purchaser from buying one on the so-called “black market” or from some individual wanting to sell theirs.

We need to understand that it is bad people that kill with a gun.  It is not the fault of the Gun nor is it the fault of the victims in most cases.  It’s just the fault of the idiot that holds the gun.  Just because people are killed with Guns is no reason to outlaw guns.

• in 2016 – 14,415 were murdered by guns … we want to outlaw them.
• in 2017 – 37,133 people were killed in automobile accidents … we are not outlawing automobiles.
• one out of four – vehicular accidents in America is caused by texting and driving … we have not outlawed cell phones.
• in 2017 – 218,000 died from opioid prescriptions … we have not outlawed opioids.
• the 3rd Leading cause of death in America – Medical errors … between 250,000 and 440,000 per year in America die from mistakes made by the medical profession … we have not outlawed doctors.
• in 2015 (the most recent information available) there were 638,169 babies killed by abortion … we have not outlawed abortions nationally nor doctors performing abortions.

The point is you don’t get rid of gun violence by outlawing guns.  If you do … only the military, criminals and cops will have guns.  I don’t mind cops and the military having guns … but I’d hate to think a criminal would not shoot me if he had one and I didn’t.  The military will not come to my aid and a cop is only minutes away when seconds may be what counts.

Let me tell you a story …

On October 1, 1997 – two years before Columbine Colorado – Luke Woodham fatally stabbed and bludgeoned his mother, Mary Ann Woodham.  Of course, Luke did not remember this at his trial.

After killing his mom, he took her car to Pearl High School in Pearl, Mississippi and wore a trench coat to conceal the rifle (not a so-called assault rifle but a 30/30).  He went into the school and killed two girls (one being a former girlfriend) and proceeded to wound 7 others.

The school’s assistant principal retrieved a .45 Caliber semi-automatic pistol from his truck and, spotting Woodham in the parking lot trying to flee  in his mother’s car shouted for him to stop.  Realizing what Woodham was doing another student used his own vehicle to block Woodham’s escape.  Seizing his opportunity the assistant principal ordered Woodham out of the car at gun point and detained him until the police arrived at the scene.  The “bad gunman” did not die even though he could have gotten away if there was not a “good gunman” holding him.

Minutes before the shooting, Woodham had given the following message to one of his friends:

I am not insane, I am angry. I killed because people like me are mistreated every day. I did this to show society, push us and we will push back.  All throughout my life, I was ridiculed, always beaten, always hated. Can you, society, truly blame me for what I do? Yes, you will.  It was not a cry for attention, it was not a cry for help. It was a scream in sheer agony saying that if you can’t pry your eyes open, if I can’t do it through pacifism, if I can’t show you through the displaying of intelligence, then I will do it with a bullet.

This 16-year old kid at the time ended up being convicted of all the crimes and was sentenced to Life in Prison for the murder of his mother.  He was sentenced to Life in Prison two more times for the murder of the two girls and he was given 7 twenty year sentences for the attempted murder of the 7 students he wounded.  UNFORTUNATELY, he will be eligible for parole in 2046 when he is 65 years old.  With a small estimated cost of just $30,000 per year to keep him in prison that is going to cost tax payers about $1.5 million if paroled at 65.  What a waste.  They should have simply executed him.

In any event the point is this … HE WAS STOPPED BECAUSE OF A STUDENT WITH A CAR AND AN ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL WITH A GUN.

What we need rather than stricter gun laws is simply fewer, or better yet, no gun-free zones.  If a bad guy thinks there may be 10 or 20 people armed in a movie theater, shopping mall, school or church … they will think twice before going in shooting up the place.  And, if they do turn out to be total idiots and go in anyhow … chances are they won’t come out and chances are good that fewer will die because of them.

Self Defense Laws:

All states have self defense laws.  Laws that allow you to defend yourself against an attacker.  Even Illinois, a state with severe gun laws, has solid self defense laws.  However, here is the question that one must ponder.  How do you defend yourself against an attacker with a gun if you are not allowed – or are greatly restrained – in owning a gun?  The answer:  You can’t … you can only get prepared to meet your maker.

That’s it for this blog … I’d love to get your comments below.

Thanks for reading,

Jerry Nix, (c) Freewavemaker, LLC