5 ms·
Before curbing the "gun epidemic" I'd look up how many lives are saved vs how many are unrightfully taken. A proxy for the first number is the number of burglar
by frongpik 5y ago
Before curbing the "gun epidemic" I'd look up how many lives are saved vs how many are unrightfully taken. A proxy for the first number is the number of burglaries - about 1.5 millions per year. A proxy for the second is about 10 thousands - all gun related deaths excluding suicides and internal gang disputes.
- markc 5y agoBurglaries isn’t even remotely a proxy for “lives saved”.
- mgarfias 5y agoCDC estimates 500k defensive gun uses (DGU) per year. Others put that number up over 2M. Even by the smallest estimates it is a non trivial number.
- umvi 5y agoAgain though, defensive gun uses is not a proxy for lives saved. In general adding guns to a situation where murder is not the intent will increase the number of lives lost.
- mgarfias 5y agoIt’s a better proxy than burgs. Also, the definition implies that the firearm was used defensively, that is, it’s presence helped avoid a deadly confrontation
- frongpik 5y agoIn a situation where a criminal breaks into someone's house and brandishes a knife, the intent doesn't matter and the criminal shouldn't have agency to decide the outcome. I think this is what rubs me the wrong way about your comment: who gets to decide the outcome - the robber or the one being robbed.