Myth13: Gun control laws are especially needed to prevent the purchase of “Saturday Night Specials
This is an old myth, but one that still is often used today by anti-gun crowds. There is some irony in this fact as well. On the one hand, the anti-gun crowd argues that assault weapons are essentially crime guns but also points to inexpensive so-called “Saturday Night Specials” as well.
The argument is that cheap handguns serve no legitimate purpose and are just guns for crime. The ATF however shoes that only about 10 to 27 percent of crimes involving these handguns fit the definition.
Of course banning these guns would also only hurt the poor, who often rely on these as a weapon for home defense!
Gun Control Myth 12: Automatic rifles and Assault Weapons are Too Dangerous to be Left in Private Hands
The root of this myth is another myth entirely – one that anti-gun types even perpetuate. This is that assault weapons are in fact fully automatic and/or military firearms. This is a myth within itself and one we’ve covered in our “Media Misinformation” posts.
But another facet of this myth is another myth as well. Movies and TV shows seem to imply that criminals mostly are armed with machine guns. Again, the truth is far from the fiction. Most criminals don’t have machine guns – although as the situation in Mexico has shown, it isn’t for lack of trying, and sadly fiction could become reality.
However, this still doesn’t let the anti-gun crowd off the hook in regards to this myth. As we’ve noted, automatic rifles and machineguns have been tightly controlled since 1934, and since 1986 all importation and manufacture of these weapons for private use has been prohibited. To own a machinegun one must go through deep background checks, and the guns are very expensive. You don’t go to a gun show to buy a machinegun as these cost tens of thousands of dollars.
Despite this fact, more than 100,000 machineguns are in private hands to collectors. And yet these guns pose little if any danger to anyone. Over the past 50 years no civilian has ever used a legally owned machinegun in a violent crime.
Likewise, the semi-automatic versions that are available are not true “assault rifles,” another point we’ve long tried to make. These firearms also fire a less caliber bullet than most hunting rifles – so they may look menacing but again there is a mystique as part of this myth. It is virtually impossible without special tools and a lot of man hours to convert a semi-automatic to fully automatic.
In other words this is about banning something by appearance and spreading fears by myths that actually are closer to outright lies!
Gun Control Myth 11: The Availability of Guns Contributes to Crimes of Passion
People kill in the heat of the moment, not because they are angry says this myth – but rather because a gun made it possible.
The myth: The availability of guns contributes to crimes of passion. In about 90 percent of “crime-of-passion” domestic homicides, the police had been called in previously to break up violence. In half the cases, the police had been called in five or more times. There is no evidence that a significant number of homicides occur simply because a lethal weapon is handy. (NCPA Policy Report No. 176, December 1992, National Center for Policy Analysis, 12655 N. Central Expressway, Suite 720, Dallas, TX 75243, (972) 386-6272.) Read more
Gun Control Myth 10: Most Murders are Committed by People Killing Friends or Family Members
Guns are dangerous say the anti-gun zealots because you’re likely to be murdered by someone you know who has a gun! But is this myth true? This is a common argument, “most murders are committed by people killing friends or family members.”
Actually fewer than a fourth of all murders involve family members or friends, and only 12.5 percent of victims are members of the same family. The vast majority of those murdered were killed by a stranger!
This myth has been reinforced by three main factors, including the media sensationalizing multiple-death family murders, and while murders actually involving family members have been on the decline the perception remains. Finally the third factor is based on the belief that someone will become irrational or angry at home and use their gun. Logic and evidence support otherwise!
Gun Control Myth Nine: Required Waiting Periods Would Prevent Some of The Most Vicious Crimes
Criminals don’t wait to commit crimes, so why should law-abiding citizens wait to be able to defend themselves? That is probably a good question, but gun control zealots will answer that there should still be waiting periods as this would some how “prevent some of the most vicious crimes!”
The truth is that “waiting periods” are actually one of the most popular forms of gun control. These could call for a “waiting” period of up to seven days to purchase a handgun. The argument is that this could deter criminals – but as with many other myths the truth is that would-be criminals wouldn’t be stopped if they don’t a criminal record or there is no public record of mental problems.
Those who couldn’t pass the background check would just to an illegal source anyway!
Additionally, while a waiting period would in theory give gun sellers time to do a check, these records are not generally accessible to gun dealers, police departments or anyone else.
Gun Control Myth Eight: Gun Control Laws Keep Criminals From Obtaining Guns
The loudest voices for gun control claim that it will keep guns out of the hands of bad people. What is generally not explained or possibly considered is that criminals don’t care about the law. If they’re going to break the law to commit a crime, then why would a law against owning a gun be a problem for them?
In fact, according to Morgan O. Reynolds in his study Myths About Gun Control, less than one percent of firearms involved in a crime and used by felons is obtained through licensed channels. In other words, criminals aren’t punished by gun control, yet law-abiding citizens are.
Some figures that Reynolds included show exactly what little impact gun control has on keeping guns from criminals:
-Just over half of the felons (compared to one-quarter of the general population) said that they owned handguns
-Fewer than one in six had purchased their guns from a retail dealer
About the only gun control law that really had an impact on gun ownership and crime was the 1934 National Firearms Act, which tightly controlled the ownership of fully-automatic or machineguns. And yet today, machineguns are legal to own with very special permits and background check. However, criminals seldom – if ever – bother with these checks and many drug cartels and other criminals do manage to obtain illegal fully-automatic firearms, suggesting that the law may have had an effect but criminals still found a work around.
Gun Control Myth Seven: Killing and other violent crimes were prevalent in the Old West because guns were so plentiful
John Wayne killed a lot of men in many Westerns, as did Clint Eastwood (although for the record the World War II film Where Eagles Dare had the highest body count of any of his films). The point is that Westerns suggest that everyone was packing guns and it was a dangerous place.
However, Hollywood and history are not the same thing. Not even close. First, about the only Eastwood film that is likely close to accurate is the film Unforgiven, where the hero can’t even hit a can without resorting to a shotgun. That’s a far cry from Eastwood’s “Man with No Name” character shooting a rope from several hundred yards away in The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.
But violence wasn’t really as common as movies and TV make it seem. Morgan O. Reynolds notes in his study Myths About Gun Control notes:
“From 1870 to 1885, the era of the Wild West when ‘everybody wore a gun,’ arrest rates per 100 residents were much lower in the West than in eastern cities.”
He adds that the Western frontier was more civilized, more peaceful and safer than much of America today. For example, Virginia City, Nevada; Leadville, Colorado and Dallas, Texas had no homicides in 1880 – whereas Cincinnati had 17.
Additionally because everyone carried or possessed firearms and was willing to resist there were few robberies, thefts or burglaries. The truth is that a few legendary exceptions are now accepted as the rule.
Gun Control Myth Six: Criminals mainly have guns in order to commit crimes
Career criminal William “Willie” Sutton, a prolific U.S. bank robber, reportedly said he robbed banks “because that’s where the money is.” In fact he never actually said that line, but it stuck. Sometimes the myth is greater than the truth. This could be why Myth Six is one that people easily believe; criminals mainly have guns in order to commit crimes.
This isn’t true. Consider how TV shows and movies about gangsters typically note that violent crimes are in fact “bad for business.”
The truth is that the number one reason why criminals acquire handguns is not to commit crime, but rather to protect themselves. In other words criminals have guns for the same reason as non-criminals, for personal protection. Now we don’t think criminals should have guns at all, but criminals feel the need for self-protection because they associate with other criminals are likely to be the victims as well as victimizers.
Gun Control Myth Five: People who buy guns are more prone to violence and crime than are other people
This myth assumes that only bad people or criminals have guns. But some facts need to be cleared up. It is noted that violence and crime are higher among black than white, lower-income than middle- or upper-income, young than middle-aged, single than married, urban than rural individuals.
However, all of those groups are contrary the pattern of gun ownership, and notably legal guns. The largest category of illegal gun owners is lower-income, young urban dwellers – suggesting that it is criminals who commit crime, not gun owners. In other words, criminals use guns but not all gun owners are criminals.
More importantly it should also be noted that gun owners disapprove of violence as much as non-gun owners, or even more. Additionally, according to Morgan O. Reynolds (Texas A&M University) and W.W. Caruth III (National Center for Policy Analysis) about 88 percent of violent crimes reported to the police are committed without the use of a firearm.
Gun Control Myth Four: Killing someone is the only reason to buy a handgun
If you believe this myth – that killing someone is the only reason to buy a handgun – then you probably would you also agree the only reason to buy a sports car is to speed and drive recklessly? But owning a handgun actually serves another purpose – it is there in case you need it. Most handgun owners don’t even need to fire it to make the point when the time comes when they need to defend themselves.
Morgan O. Reynolds notes in his study Myths About Gun Control:
“The vast majority of gun owners cite protection from crime as one of the main reasons they own a gun. And for good reason. Americans use guns for self-protection about one million times a year. In 98 percent of the cases, they simply brandish the weapon or fire a warning shot.”
Another aspect of this is that guns are collectible, as well as being enjoyable to take to the range to shoot. Both these points often are lost on gun control supports who offer the opinion “go collect something else,” and “why do you need to go to the range?”
Imagine if other hobbies or interests were so targeted (no pun intended). The simple truth is that handguns have many legitimate purposes besides just being used to kill someone. But sadly, in our violent world, there are times when the bad guys may want to do harm to the law-abiding, and the other truth is that handguns are very good for self defense. Yet, as Reynolds noted, in the vast majority of cases handguns are very good at sending a message without even firing a shot.
