Inside the Beltway: Gun Myths
Interesting little Gun Myth blurb in the Inside the Beltway - Nation/Politics at the Washington Times (reg required or bugmenot):
Don’t tell anti-gun crusader Sarah Brady, but firearms sales in the United States remain on the rise, while contrary to popular belief, gun-related crime, suicide and gun accidents are on the decline.
Figures released by the Treasury Department show that retail sales of firearms and ammunition rose almost 3 percent in 2005. All told, 4.7 million new guns were sold during this past year.
Yet government figures and independent statistics reveal that firearms crimes, suicides and accidental fatalities, including among youth, all trend downward.
According to the National Shooting Sports Foundation, the estimated number of privately owned firearms in the U.S. now stands at more than 290 million, while American households with at least one firearm is estimated at nearly 110 million.
Foundation President Doug Painter says that although reductions in gun crimes and accidental fatalities have been documented for many years, “today’s anti-gun organizations rake in lots of cash by perpetuating the myth that more guns equals more bad news.”
Notice this is stuck as a blurb in the back “insider” section when, considering the anti- bombardment over the years it ought to be on the front page. Still, I’m just happy to see it actually in print…. But this is also why future anti-gun pushes, including recent ones, are based on attempting to demonize a particular segment of the fireams market; “assault” rifles, “plastic” pistols, “sniper” rifles and the .50 caliber BMG are just recent examples.