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I looked for a state that’s taking gun violence seriously. I found Massachusetts.


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Massachusetts has the lowest amounts of gun deaths in the nation with its permit-to-purchase program.

 

How to get one:

 

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Drive a few miles south to Massachusetts, though, and the process is very different. First off, it doesn’t begin at a gun shop; it begins by obtaining a permit to purchase a gun from your local police department — basically, a gun license. Obtaining this permit is a potentially weeks-long process, which requires paperwork, an interview, a background check, and, even if you pass all of that, the police chief has some discretion to deny the license anyway — if he or she, for example, knows something about your past that may not necessarily show up in your criminal record.

 

Only once you clear that entire process can you go to a gun store. Then, you have to show your license and pass additional background checks. If you do that, you can get your gun, which will have to be registered in a database of all the state’s firearms, the Massachusetts Gun Transactions Portal.

 

There are also rules for private sellers: Even if your dad gives you a gun, he has to make sure you have a firearm license and that the transfer of the gun is recorded in the state database — or seriously risk legal troubles of his own, since police may notice he’s not in possession of a firearm the database indicates he owns.

 

Gun death stats in Massachusetts versus states with higher gun ownership:

 

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The system, experts said, is one of the major reasons Massachusetts consistently reports the lowest gun death rates in the US. Based on Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data, Massachusetts had 3.6 gun deaths per 100,000 people in 2016. In comparison, New Hampshire’s gun death rate was 9.9 per 100,000 people, and the top three worst states for gun deaths in the country — Alaska, Alabama, and Louisiana, all of which have loose gun laws — each had more than 21 gun deaths per 100,000 people.

 

Police chiefs like the system:

 

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Arlington Police Chief Fred Ryan cited the example of a domestic violence case. If the police are called in, “we can, on the spot, temporarily suspend someone’s gun license and remove the firearms from the home if there’s any information leading us to believe that there’s domestic abuse going on.”

The police chiefs I spoke to were generally positive about the state’s system. Brooks called it “excellent.” Chelsea Police Chief Brian Kyes said the system is “balanced” and that “we have a good system in place.”

 

Data supports gun laws such as Massachusetts' laws:

 

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The big studies so far come out of Connecticut and Missouri. In Connecticut, researchers looked at what happened after the state passed a permit-to-purchase law for handguns — finding a 40 percent drop in gun homicides and 15 percent reduction in handgun suicides. In Missouri, researchers looked at the aftermath of the state repealing its handgun permit-to-purchase law — finding a 23 percent increase in firearm homicides but no significant increase in non-firearm homicides, as well as 16 percent higher handgun suicide rates.

 

A lot of laws have to work together:

 

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Webster cautioned, though, that “it’s not just having a bunch of gun laws; it’s having the right ones.” He cited measures that seem to be particularly effective: licensing systems, background check systems that are truly thorough and comprehensive, restrictions on concealed carry in public, and stricter regulation and oversight of gun sellers.

 

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10 minutes ago, CitizenVectron said:

Well, duh. Make it harder to get a tool, and uses of that tool will drop. You'll never stop all gun violence, but you can stop a huge percentage of it (crimes of passion).

While I agree with you, I'm also still surprised that it makes so much of a difference when you're pretty much never more than an hour away from a more lenient State.

 

I wasn't aware of Massachusetts' gun licencing system. I like it. It makes sense and seems to work. I doubt we'll see federal systems like it anytime soon, but hopefully the idea can spread elsewhere.

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3 minutes ago, Chris- said:

Smoking is a choice, therefore we should not consider smoking-related deaths when looking at public health statistics.

 

 

Huuuuurrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

It’s not difficult to separate gun deaths and gun violence.  Duuuuurrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

 

I do however like this law.  

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Sigh...

The definition of "Violence"

 

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noun

swift and intense force:the violence of a storm.

 

rough or injurious physical force, action, or treatment:to die by violence.

 

an unjust or unwarranted exertion of force or power, as against rights or laws:to take over a government by violence.

a violent act or proceeding.

 

rough or immoderate vehemence, as of feeling or language:the violence of his hatred.

 

damage through distortion or unwarranted alteration: to do editorial violence to a text.

 

This fucking board man...:lol:

  • stepee 1
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Just now, Boyle5150 said:

No. I don’t think they are the same, because they aren’t.  

 

The point of talking about gun violence is for the sake of gun laws, so your distinction is pointless. If we should be considering suicide when discussing gun laws, there is no point in distinguishing between gun deaths and gun violence.

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2 minutes ago, skillzdadirecta said:

 

It shouldn't which is why I asked the question because If you don't believe that suicides should count towards gun violence, its not a stretch to think that you probably don't think "accidents" should count too.

Intent has everything to do with it, which is why we have classifications for different types of murder of which carry different sentences.  It doesn’t mean that they don’t count.  They just count differently 

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4 minutes ago, Chris- said:

 

The point of talking about gun violence is for the sake of gun laws, so your distinction is pointless. If we should be considering suicide when discussing gun laws, there is no point in distinguishing between gun deaths and gun violence.

Then maybe the narrative should change when speaking about gun control to “gun deaths in America” as to not give an excuse to those who hold so strongly to the second amendment.  

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