“Two researchers, an evolutionary biologist [Dominik Wodarz] and a mathematician at University of California, Irvine [Natalia L. Komarova] have now stepped back from the emotional debate and taken a dispassionate look at which kind of gun policies would save more lives, both in a one-on-one attack (as in a homicide) and in a shooting in a crowd (as in a movie theater or mall).” Yeah, well, that’s how MIT’s Jessica Lebor at technologyreview.com sees it. I reckon the study’s assumptions are laughable (e.g., “if the gun law is enforced at a level similar to that in the United Kingdom”). “Their findings suggest that President Obama, who has said he supports the right for private individuals to own a gun, is not going far enough if he wants to prevent the greatest number of gun-related deaths . . .
The study starts by showing that the optimal survival strategies could be either of the extreme approaches: a total ban on private gun ownership, or a policy allowing anyone in the general population to get a gun.”
Choices, choices . . .
Using existing statistical data to put numbers to these factors, their model comes out squarely in favor of gun control.
And I know a model who comes out squarely in favor of the Second Amendment. Well, I’ve got a picture of her, anyway.
The comments under the Cordrea article are rather eye-opening. The idea that Dorner is a “rogue crazy cop” took a severe hit when LAPD shot up that truck with two women in it.
The “the mistaken identity” crap floated by the police chief has escalated the situation further. More than a few people are starting to see it as an “us against them” situation, because of the indiscriminate shooting by the cops.
No matter how this turns out, there are lessons to be learned.
“there are lessons to be learned.”
Yes….
The government is not your friend.
The government is your enemy.
Applying science to social issues is as utterly stupid as applying social policy to mathmatics. Comes the revolution, comrades, kill the scientists first. Please. I’m begging you.
Nothing wrong with us scientists. These ones are just bad. They’ll get corrected, fear not. It’s the lawyers that make the world suck. 😛
Damn, I’m slipping. I noticed the girl before I noticed the gun she is holding is a Thompson. Of course, once I realized the firearm is a Thompson, the girl becomes a distant second.
I wonder if they’ve done any studies on deaths as a result from falling down stairs in 2 storey homes vs. single level dwellings. I wonder how that would turn out.
These fools think they can calculate for the cruelty, creativity and desperation of those with nothing left to lose? They haven’t even touched on the good that civilian arms do.
“University of California”
And there goes the true scientific process with immediate bias.
it must be hard living in a world where reality has a leftist bias 🙂
I wouldn’t know seeing as I’m not from some strange “Mirror Universe” where communism actuality works instead of being in the dust bin of history where it currently resides with all the other failed political systems.
Get with the program Francis. Capitalism is the wave of the future and path to the stars!
The Soviets are all gone and they are renting out Lenin’s tomb for birthday parties for the kids of all the Russia billionaires. The Chicoms are all about making the yen and even the Cuban’s moving toward a free market and letting it’s people travel freely.
But don’t be sad little comrade you still have North Korea, at least until the people up there learn how good life is in the south that is.
LOL!
The end of feudalism took centuries and had many false starts, failures and retreats. Even then you had an intermediate period between feudalism and capitalism with elements of both.
History is a dialectic, a continuous give and take, not a simple narrative 🙂
Soviet Russia and communist china may be footnotes in history, but that does not mean capitalism isn’t unsustainable (it is) or that internal contradictions will ultimately destroy it (they will) or that something else entirely will exist 200 years from now.
That something will look like communism. It will be statist and collectivist, like star trek. You are on the wrong side of history, mate, you and your guns 🙂
Lenin Lover,
In the entire history of governmental systems communism is a small failed experiment . Marx and Engels were theorists and nowadays it’s mostly washed up hippies and Che Guevara t-shirt wearing college kids that actually believe communism will “triumph” let alone work.
Ah the Ukrainian, the ignorant southern hillbilly of the slavic world. They are like the Alabama of the USSR 🙂
Truthfully, punishing them for their resistance to collectivism was Stalin’s gig, but I have to respect it. Collective punishment and starvation of one of the worlds most intolerable societies was definitely one of Stalin’s great deeds 🙂
I’d LOVE to see some Stalinism applied to the American South 🙂
I don’t waste my time with arguments of relative safety, perceived public good, etc. The 2nd Amendment is evidence that the American people made a value judgment that is conclusive until it’s repealed – firearms are an INDIVIDUAL right, so arguments about collective preference and safety can be disregarded out of hand.
The same “we’d be safer if…” arguments were used to justify speech prosecutions until the SCOTUS stomped the argument into the dust, time to extend some case law if you ask me…
Public Facebook posts are, by definition, public.
You give up the right to complain about someone “snooping” through your business when you air that business in public. Just like you can’t expect the police to not arrest you when your garage is full of a weed grow and you leave the garage door open.
The principle of plain view applies. If the police can see evidence from somewhere that is open to the public (like public facebook posts), they can use it.
Now, if they were twisting Facebook’s arm to get them to open up private or friends-only posts, that would be different.
Can you just imagine?
You’re watching a Hickok45 video and sipping tea when lead starts flying into your home.
I dont know about all of you guys, bu I know what id do in that situation, and its not dialing 911 right away. In this state, if the local constable pulled some stupidity like that they’d be getting AIMED return fire by neighbors unconcerned with who’s shooting at them. Bad guys have impersonated police in the past.
I’m not in any way condoning violence against LE here; but if someone’s peppering your abode with live fire there’s no time to flash badges and clear bona fides. That could have ended VERY badly for cops, citizens in the truck and bystanders alike.
Robert, I like your model best.
Academic studies are popular with people who’ve made a decision and want support for it, which is not always a bad thing, but the studies are terrifyingly sensitive to the assumptions. (Being charitable and leaving the outright prejudices of those commissioning and executing the work aside…)
And as a UK resident, when I see “If a gun ban can be enforced in the U.S. at least as effectively as in the U.K” as a central assumption, then it makes the study useless in practical terms. The UK started from a much lower base of firearms owned legally, which – other than shotguns – were individually registered and tracked. There is simply no practical way that the US could achieve anything approaching the 1988 or 1997 confiscations, because there simply isn’t the data even if someone was stupid enough to try.
To put it in perspective, when I was invited to surrender my handgun, I was literally one in a thousand in the UK (57,000 handgun shooters in a population of about 57 million) while even the article admits that nearly one US citizen in three owns ‘a’ firearm, and there must be a few who own more – if nothing else, think of all those three-gun competitors.
Until you can explain *how* to quickly, efficiently and effectively achieve UK-style levels of disarmament and disinterest – a key point that confuses some US debaters is how little interest and enthusiasm many UK citizens have for personal firearms – across every state of the US at once, then holding us up as a solution to US issues is just silly.
It’s shades of the starving mouse in winter, who asked the Wise Old Owl for advice.
“Turn into a bear and hibernate until spring, then you’ll be fine.” pronounced the Owl.
“But… how do I do that?” asked the mouse.
“Don’t bother me with details like implementation, that’s *your* problem. I’m more of a policy and studies owl…”
It’s a good thing for these cops they haven’t taken aim at any concealed-carry holders yet. They’d have a few more dead cops if they had (not to mention more grist for the “Gun owners are crazy” mill..)
I have two HK’s, P2000sk and a USP 40 compact, and I love them. I’ve never had a problem with them and they shoot great. I love the LEM trigger. I’ve carried them on and off duty and they are both also fairly easy to conceal.
Also, I’ve had nothing but great service from HK customer service. Not sure if all the negative comments about customer service are from actual experiences or if people are just repeating what they’ve heard. I suspect a lot of it is just hearsay as I rarely hear the details when people complain about the service.
I love shooting in a kilt!
I knew him and his wife we shot combat rifle matches together. I even beat him once!!!!
Man I gotta get me one of those…
Which one?
2013 is about to be a banner year for Uhaul stockholders.
To buy a howitzer or a “rail gun” you would need to be rich, and since you obviously have leftist leanings I’m sure if you had that kind of money you would be spreading the wealth.. Instead of STI’s
Shows LA cops cant shoot for crap. Shows LAPD is mockery and laughing stock of US law enforcement.
Actually they got it right….
Before you start bashing, hang in and let me tell you why.
This study concentrated on gun deaths, not violent crime. Let’s put violent crime aside for a moment and fixate, like Piers Morgan on gun deaths.
Now we start the study by looking at extremes.
“The study starts by showing that the optimal survival strategies could be either of the extreme approaches: a total ban on private gun ownership, or a policy allowing anyone in the general population to get a gun.” Choices in deed!!!
Now we know stupid people do stupid things. Forget we are at a 45 year low roughly for violent crime, and that more and more people are buying firearms for self protection… Let’s just ignore all those facts for a moment. I know it is hard, have a glass of wine and relax..
If you want to reduce gun deaths take away all the guns, it is that simple, or not….
So we go door to door, and confiscate, or in some delusional outpouring of wanting to dance in a field with unicorns and fuzzy bunny’s we all turn in our guns. This should reduce the gun deaths right? Sorta…
I no doubt think that assuming they go door to door, across the nation and search every home, yard, car, dog house, and outhouse, etc we would in fact reduce the gun deaths. At least for a short while. Sure people will die, and for some untold reason lots of gang members will be reduced to room temperature in the process, but if only to save one life right?
Unfortunately they lack any form of critical thought in this matter. They stop at gun deaths. They are so fixated on the idea of ballistic destruction they forget how or why we deal with societies ills with a gun. Perhaps they also forget that you can die by any other method which could be deemed homicide. I can hit someone with a bat and it is considered assault with a deadly weapon. Just sayin..
I agree gun deaths will be reduced, but not forever. The Iron river will form coming from Mexico, Canada and any number of other places. Once the criminals are sufficiently armed they will run roughshod over the citizens. Gun use in crimes and gun deaths will increase. Remember that 12,000 deaths a year include bad guys too. We can look at data from the UK, that they love to reference and see this happening right before their very eyes, but remember they lack critical thought, so they are fixated on that single number of gun deaths.
They also talked about letting everyone have a gun. I will assume for a minute that we would say this means constitutional carry across the nation. It means if you are not nuts, or a criminal you get one.. It means we train our citizens at tax payer expense, it means all children learn gun safety and marksmanship in school. Not that sounds utopian to me doesn’t it!
In this instance I think we would see a sharp spike up in gun deaths. However this would not last. Criminals would learn people are armed and it isn’t worth it. They would be reduced to begging on the street corner, rather than face justice at the hands of an armed citizen. Long term violent crime would decrease, and even gun deaths would decrease. Since we train and teach safety to all, AD deaths also drop. People stop on the side of the road to help others. We talk nicely even when we are in disagreements, and learn the value of civil discourse. Cats and Dogs living together oh my!!!!
Sure you would have dumb people thinking they can get away with it, but they all would learn soon enough that it isn’t possible. So in their statement of choices, I go with choice number two..
See how easy it is to understand their logic..
I assume they mean literally everyone has a gun and carries it.
Well, according to their model there would be no gun deaths because there would be no guns. With more guns in the general population you would have more gun deaths, which is a tactic Piers Morgan likes to do comparing gun deaths in the United States with countries that have one tenth of the population on a 1:1 ratio. It’s just simple math,
(0)360,000,000 = 0
(.0005)360,000,000 = 180,000
Zero guns times the entire population equals zero gun deaths.
Everyone with guns times a 0.05% death rate equals 180,000 gun deaths.
Of course that ignores crime entirely, but who needs to pay attention to crime when creating measures to decrease crime? Common sense measures.
Unfortunately, we know that’s not how the world operates. No matter how much and in how many different incarnations they push the idea of the wild west or the perfectly peaceful gun-less utopia it isn’t true or even possible.
About the UK, let me say this; there are few gun deaths because criminals don’t have to shoot, they can just take whatever they want at gunpoint because citizens can’t defend themselves. In the UK their violent crime rate is astronomical compared to the US. Their policy is also to give a warning if they personally witness a mugging because the stations are so backed up with paperwork. They have a real nice system over there, for the criminals and rapists.
This “study” is ridiculous on its face. They didn’t even come within a light year of getting it right. This subject is so complex that all of the variables can never be known. One would have to assume, guess and just plain make stuff up. An equation that can mean anything means nothing at all.
Great logic Mr. Silverman. It’s good to see someone using his mind.
RECOIL is still around… last time I saw a newstand, they put out a pack of targets (fun and practical) to use at the range. Picked it, but I’ve been so busy (and short on ammo) I haven’t used it yet.
As for the big flap over RECOIL, given the current crisis over 2A rights, I think folks finally understand how minor that was in the grand scheme of things considering what our community is facing now – the loss of not only our right to a magazine bigger than 7 rounds (NY, WTF!) but the loss of the right even own a semi-auto rifle.
Hopefully the public will finally realize what we here have known all along. Now if we can just break the false security of gun control.
So it’s guns for everyone or guns for no one?
The guns for no one approach would have to include the government. As the history of mankind has shown governments to be the most murderous.
An example for the guns for everyone approach would be the current LAPD situation. The police feel as they can do as the please, even murder, their leaders (police chief) agree.
That should be enough for a logical person to want the guns for everyone approach. Otherwise…
The majority are or will be like this…
Emreyville sits between U.C. Berkeley and the mud flats. Not sure which this guy came from, but he has set the bar higher for inane mout-running.
ok. identify the pistol please. i’m stumped.
It doesn’t even have a grip. It may be the least ergonomic firearm made since matchlock muskets.
The only real-world purpose I can imagine for this thing is for spies/undercover Air Marshals/etc.
They’ll be going through the airport security lineup, or being frisked outside the hostile country’s embassy.
“what’s this?”
“it’s certainly not a gun. Can’t you see that it looks nothing like a gun?”
“Yes, it looks very un-gun-like. But what is it?”
“uh, it’s a, uh, stapler.”
“Well, that’s perfectly reasonable, carrying a stapler in your pocket. I know I often feel the need for a stapler when I am walking down the street. Just this morning I saw a handbill posted on a telephone pole that was about to blow away. If only I’d had a stapler.”
“May I board the airplane?”
“Certainly.”
Gun Buyback: When one gets their firearm out of pawn.
That’s the only definition that should exist.
In order to “buy something back” aka: “buyback” you have to have OWNED it in the first place…? How is this a “buyback” anyway?
Just feel good propaganda for the gun grabbers…
LOL! Emeryville, CA Police Chief Ken James, just another in a long line of degenerate fools from the lowest common denominators in the homo sapien sapiens gene pool.
These political hacks under the thumb of respective city mayors and/or city councils who are nothing more than political lapdogs/Pavlovian dopes who jumps and ask how high, vs. popularly elected County Sheriffs, the highest peace officers in any local American jurisdiction, as per Mack-Printz vs. US affirmation, will play out throughout the 2A battle of 2013.
Getting so sick and tired of all these political assholes that parade servicemen, LE, and now even children as press conference backdrop props, AS IF, we ALL don’t know that they are trying to make it seem as if those standing behind them, literally, are ‘standing behind them,’ as a pure PR socially engineered propaganda tool.
Simply pathetic.
Then again, this is a Kardashianized sheeple populace-d nation; it’s more pathetic that this retarded dime store psychology Propaganda 101 still works against ‘grown ups’ in America.
It would be funny if it weren’t so pathetic. A fired cop writes a letter (aka ‘Manifesto’, makes it sound nuttier). He complains of brutality and rascism. Then he goes Postal (also a government agency, though privatized). So, having called their outside PR consultants, what does LAPD do? Start emptying a few mags full auto into random Hispanics without any attempt to command their surrender (remember, this was about brutality and racism in the beginning). But wait, there’s more: Then they claim it was a mistake because, “Really, it’s only Dorner we were intending to empty a few mags into without any command to surrender!” Oh, I see. Well, that’s different.
I really dont want to sound stupid , but what the hell are they calling a bullet button ? i realize i’m from the south and we are a tad bit odd at times , but the gun banners can come up with some really stupid stuff and I’ve never heard of a bullet button in all my life .
After less than 200 rounds, my LCR .357 locked up at the range. the trigger was stuck back and the cylinder wouldn’t turn, nor could I pop the cylinder out. I had three rounds left in a revolver that I couldn’t unload. I finally worked the trigger loose and forward, which allowed me to unload it. I tried to dry fire it unloaded and it bound up again after the first trigger pull. I’m very disappointed. This revolver is my first Ruger; I guess I’ll get to find out how good their customer service is.
3D printing is definitely cool and is the high tech approach to making your own mags/parts. But magazines are just stamped sheet metal. Most towns have a shop that could easily manufacture mags and gun parts. We could all do it as home with basic tools and patience.
This state sucks! I have to figure out how to get out of here and move to a free state. Did you all know that nj taxes people who move out of nj. Wtf!
Remove online ammo sales in the state and force people to pay sales tax on it. Doesn’t sound like a solution to the disease, sounds like a convenient way to quick revenue in a failing economy.
I have fun with, result in I discovered exactly what I
was looking for. You have ended my four day lengthy hunt!
God Bless you man. Have a great day. Bye
I gotta agree with obama, I think he should take dorners gun. Remember, if only one life is saved. So you have my blessing grabber in chief, sic em. Either that or feinswine will show her bare arms, I know I’d turn myself in, Randy
It’s CITIZENS, not CIVILIANS.
Also, if these “cops” want to act like murderous, violent, rampaging robots, don’t be surprised if the citizenry starts treating them as the threats that they are.
The “Blue Brotherhood” gang is the most vindictive and dangerous out there.
It’s a gun rag for the Obama crowd, especialy aimed at ex LAPD serial killers
I know it sounds stupid but on a purely human level I can’t believe Cuomo or anyone like him can sleep at night.
The only “War” this country has successfuly waged since WWII has been a war on poor people (i.e. ethnic minorities). The main weapons of which are not guns, drugs or AIDS; but the perpetuation of failed social programs. It looks like the person quoted has fallen for some war time propaganda.
As much as I love my ancestral homeland, Norge can stuff it. I prefer the model where I go to the LGS and walk out 10 minutes later with a pistol.
This is the first time I’ve ever read a review that seems to be written by an unemployed food critic. “It’s great for what it was designed to do, but whine, whine, whine, huge exaggeration, whine.” Before your uncle got you this job, what did you do?
The danger here is that there is almost no ridiculous suggestion we can make that might not someday become reality! While we might not see an actual rope ban, a background check and 10-day waiting period for a rope purchase is only common sense!