There's scientific consensus on guns -- and the NRA won't like it
One survey asked whether having a gun in the home increased the risk of suicide. An overwhelming share of the 150 people who responded, 84%, said yes.
This result was not at all surprising because the scientific evidence is overwhelming. It includes a dozen individual-level studies that investigate why some people commit suicide and others do not, and an almost equal number of area-wide studies that try to explain differences in suicide rates across cities, states and regions.
widespread confidence that a gun in the home increases the risk that a woman living in the home will be a victim of homicide (72% agree, 11% disagree) and
that a gun in the home makes it a more dangerous place to be (64%) rather than a safer place (5%).
There is consensus that guns are not used in self-defense far more often than they are used in crime (73% vs. 8%) and
that the change to more permissive gun carrying laws has not reduced crime rates (62% vs. 9%).
Finally, there is consensus that strong gun laws reduce homicide (71% vs. 12%).
Of course it's possible to find researchers who side with the NRA in believing that guns make our society safer, rather than more dangerous. As I've shown, however, they're in the minority.
Scientific consensus isn't always right, but it's our best guide to understanding the world. Can reporters please stop pretending that scientists, like politicians, are evenly divided on guns? We're not.
http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed...423-story.html
More Guns = More Gun Violence ( = More Gun Business Profits and $250B in gun violence medical costs )

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