Gun control and common sense!

In terms of murders per 100,000 people, Greenland is actually regularly the murder capitol of the North Western Hemisphere. Yes, it's aided by the fact that it only has a population of about 50,000; so, each murder counts as two by that measure. Still, Greenland has some of the strictest gun control laws in the hemisphere. Iceland, by contrast, has one of the highest gun ownership rates and it's experienced full years without a single murder with a position of over 350,000.

Washington DC had a handgun bag before DC vs. Heller overturned it. DC's murder rate was trending up until the gun ban was lifted; since then, it's been trending down.

Serbia and Albania border each other. Serbia has a high gun ownership rate and a murder rate on par with the UK. Albania has an effective ban on guns with a murder rate which doubles the USA. No, economic hardship isn't the problem. Both countries are almost entirely equally poor.

I'm guessing that this is all news to the gun control activists and the people who keep shouting, "Common sense!" at the top of their lungs.

Do I have the answers for how to fix violence? No. But, stop pretending that you do at the expense of freedom.

In this case, the data aren't clear. There's a lot to navigate. There are also proper and improper ways to look at the data.

What I can say with certainty is that the obsession over assault weapons is just stupid. You're five times more likely to be murdered with a knife than with an AR-15. I can also say that anybody who doesn't know the difference between "gun deaths" and "gun murders" has no business talking about this. I can also say that anybody who doesn't know the difference between "assault rifles" and "assault weapons" has no business beating the drum of "common sense." I can say with certainty that anybody who espouses Ibram X. Kendi's ideas on racial equity, who is also supporting Biden's gun control proposals is accidentally turning him or herself into a racist by their own definitions.

You see, when you understand the data and the reality of the situation, common sense becomes not-so common.