Facts for Persuasive essay (topic gun control) side: Against the control of guns. – Flashcards

* Based on production data from firearm manufacturers, there are roughly 300 million firearms owned by civilians in the United States as of 2010. Of these, about 100 million are handguns.

* A 1993 nationwide survey of 4,977 households found that over the previous five years, at least 0.5% of households had members who had used a gun for defense during a situation in which they thought someone "almost certainly would have been killed" if they "had not used a gun for protection." Applied to the U.S. population, this amounts to 162,000 such incidents per year. This figure excludes all "military service, police work, or work as a security guard."

Based on survey data from a 2000 study published in the Journal of Quantitative Criminology, U.S. civilians use guns to defend themselves and others from crime at least 989,883 times per year.

A 1994 survey conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that Americans use guns to frighten away intruders who are breaking into their homes about 498,000 times per year.

* Since the outset of the Chicago handgun ban, the Chicago murder rate has averaged 17% lower than it was before the law took effect, while the U.S. murder rate has averaged 25% lower.

* "A gun show is an exhibition or gathering where guns, gun parts, ammunition, gun accessories, and literature are displayed, bought, sold, traded, and discussed." (I go to them all the time)

* A semi-automatic firearm fires one bullet each time the trigger is pulled, ejects the shell of the fired bullet, and automatically loads another bullet for the next pull of the trigger. A fully automatic firearm (sometimes called a "machine gun") fires multiple bullets with the single pull of the trigger.

* Firearms are generally classified into three broad types: (1) handguns, (2) rifles, and (3) shotguns. Rifles and shotguns are both considered "long guns."

A 2005 nationwide Gallup poll of 1,012 adults found the following levels of firearm ownership: Category Percentage Owning a Firearm Households 42% Individuals 30% Male 47% Female 13% White 33% Nonwhite 18% Republican 41% Independent 27% Democrat 23%

* In the same poll, gun owners stated they own firearms for the following reasons: Protection Against Crime 67% Target Shooting 66% Hunting 58%

* In 1976, the Washington, D.C. City Council passed a law generally prohibiting residents from possessing handguns and requiring that all firearms in private homes be (1) kept unloaded and (2) rendered temporally inoperable via disassembly or installation of a trigger lock. The law became operative on Sept. 24, 1976. * On June 26, 2008, the U.S. Supreme Court, in a 5-4 ruling, struck down this law as unconstitutional.

http://justfacts.com/images/guncontrol/dc-full.png (go to this link for the Murder Rates in Washington after a gun control law came into effect)

* In 2007, there were 613 fatal firearm accidents in the United States, constituting 0.5% of 123,706 fatal accidents that year.

http://justfacts.com/images/guncontrol/accidents_fatal-full.png (go to this link for a bar graph on Fatal Accidents in 2007)

* These emergency room visits for non-fatal firearm accidents resulted in 5,045 hospitalizations, constituting 0.4% of 1.4 million non-fatal accident hospitalizations that year.

http://justfacts.com/images/guncontrol/accidents_nonfatal-full.png (go to this link for the bar graph on; Non-Fatal Accident Hospitalizations 2007)

* In the Bill of Rights, the Second Amendment to the Constitution reads: A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed.

* As of 2009, the United States has a population of 307 million people.

* A 1982 survey of male felons in 11 state prisons dispersed across the U.S. found: • 34% had been "scared off, shot at, wounded, or captured by an armed victim" • 40% had decided not to commit a crime because they "knew or believed that the victim was carrying a gun" • 69% personally knew other criminals who had been "scared off, shot at, wounded, or captured by an armed victim"

* Five critical rules of gun safety from the NRA and other sources: 1) Always keep the gun pointed in a safe direction (whether loaded or unloaded). 2) Always keep your finger off the trigger until ready to shoot. 3) Always keep the gun unloaded until ready to shoot. 4) Be aware of what is behind your target. 5) When handling firearms, never use alcohol or any drug that might impair your awareness or judgment (including prescription drugs).

"Gun Control Facts." By James D. Agresti and Reid K. Smith. Just Facts, September 13, 2010. Revised 2/11/13. http://justfacts.com/guncontrol.asp