Gun Statistics -UPDATED with correction

Correction: Yikes. The stats were Richard Florida's, not Klein's. Klein just parroted them.
Original post below.
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Last week, Geoff of The Chart™ fame, over at Innocent Bystanders took Ezra Klein to task for his misleading stats on gun crime, here.

You will especially like the part where Geoff helpfully points out that trigger locks are maybe not so helpful for preventing most suicides and homicides, which Klein's 'analysis' would absolutely imply.

Either Klein cannot properly construct a statistical analysis, or he is integrity-challenged and actively trying to deceive his readers.

Geoff follows up this week with an item from The Washington Times that examines the correlation between gun laws and gun crimes.

Follow the link-through to the WT. It may not be all that you think.

One bit that I found surprising was the statement that poor folks who live in crappy neighborhoods benefit the most from the enhanced personal safety provided by gun ownership. I wasn't surprised by the fact -I have known this since I used to live in a crappy 'hood. I was surprised to see that fact published, in English, in an American newspaper.

If you claim to care about poor people trapped in dangerous neighborhoods, then tightening gun restrictions is the last thing you should do. And pricing ammunition or guns out of the reach of the poor is bad practice as well.

And yet, most urban mayors think that loosening gun restrictions is for the country folk, and not for themselves.

Think again, guys.

posted by Laura. at 11:38 AM

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