you're so full of shit On Tue, Mar 20, 2012 at 7:52 PM, Tommy News <[email protected]> wrote:
> Carrying a gun increases risk of getting shot and killed > > Packing heat may backfire. People who carry guns are far likelier to > get shot – and killed – than those who are unarmed, a study of > shooting victims in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, has found. > > It would be impractical – not to say unethical – to randomly assign > volunteers to carry a gun or not and see what happens. So Charles > Branas's team at the University of Pennsylvania analysed 677 shootings > over two-and-a-half years to discover whether victims were carrying at > the time, and compared them to other Philly residents of similar age, > sex and ethnicity. The team also accounted for other potentially > confounding differences, such as the socioeconomic status of their > neighbourhood. > > Despite the US having the highest rate of firearms-related homicide in > the industrialised world, the relationship between gun culture and > violence is poorly understood. A recent study found that treating > violence like an infectious disease led to a dramatic fall in > shootings and killings. > > Overall, Branas's study found that people who carried guns were 4.5 > times as likely to be shot and 4.2 times as likely to get killed > compared with unarmed citizens. When the team looked at shootings in > which victims had a chance to defend themselves, their odds of getting > shot were even higher. > > While it may be that the type of people who carry firearms are simply > more likely to get shot, it may be that guns give a sense of > empowerment that causes carriers to overreact in tense situations, or > encourages them to visit neighbourhoods they probably shouldn't, > Branas speculates. Supporters of the Second Amendment shouldn't worry > that the right to bear arms is under threat, however. "We don't have > an answer as to whether guns are protective or perilous," Branas says. > "This study is a beginning." > > Daniel Webster, co-director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Policy > and Research in Baltimore, Maryland, thinks it is near-sighted to > consider only the safety of gun owners and not their communities. "It > affects others a heck of a lot more," he says. > > > > > http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn17922-carrying-a-gun-increases-risk-of-getting-shot-and-killed.html > -- > Together, we can change the world, one mind at a time. > Have a great day, > Tommy > > > > -- > Together, we can change the world, one mind at a time. > Have a great day, > Tommy > > -- > Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. > For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum > > * Visit our other community at > http://www.PoliticalForum.com/<http://www.politicalforum.com/> > * It's active and moderated. Register and vote in our polls. > * Read the latest breaking news, and more. > -- Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum * Visit our other community at http://www.PoliticalForum.com/ * It's active and moderated. Register and vote in our polls. * Read the latest breaking news, and more.
