Comments on: Blaming Pennsylvania Again

By: Sebastian

Sebastian — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 15:29:15 +0000

These articles I think are meant to guilt non-gun-owning suburbanites into supporting gun control, or at least acquiescing to it. If the gun control people in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, who are all the same people, BTW, want to turn this state, the suburbs of Philadelphia will be the hinge on which the state swings. The Philadelphia metro area represents about 6 million people, or approximately half the state. If they can destroy the suburban gun culture, and there is one, and it’s not exactly small, Pennsylvania will become an anti-gun state.

The fact of the matter is, the pro-gun movement in Pennsylvania is an utter mess. The only reason we win is because there’s just a very strong pro-gun sentiment ingrained into the state’s culture, pretty much everywhere except Philadelphia, and a few of the wealthy suburbs. We have pro-gun groups in Western PA that do a good job, but not much organization in Eastern, PA. The clubs in the area seem mostly interested in laying low, rather than being out and active in the area’s political culture. It will kill us if Bryan Miller manages to put the squeeze on us in the suburbs, because we just don’t have our shit together. Shooting and gun rights are still popular in the working class Philadelphia suburbs, and even in parts of the city, but that’s changing. Pennsylvania will still be a pro-gun state in 10 years. In 20 years, I wouldn’t make any bets.

By: Bruce

Bruce — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 15:18:49 +0000

(at least if the honest dissemination of accurate information was the goal)

DING!!!

By: Bruce

Bruce — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 15:17:51 +0000

OK, one more comment.

Here’s my version, based on the ATF trace data they’re looking at.

New Hampshire’s biggest obstacle to controlling gun-related crimes could be the state of Massachusetts, according to federal data analyzed by the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence.

Massachusetts was the number one source for New Hampshire crime guns traced from out-of-state.

100% factual.

By: Kurt "45superman" Hofmann

Kurt "45superman" Hofmann — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 15:11:57 +0000

Of the 1,467 out-of-state crime guns seized by law-enforcement agencies in Jersey last year, most of them (285) originated from Pennsy gun dealers.

Maybe my math is off, but how the hell can 285 be “most of” 1,467? I assume the author meant that PA’s 285 guns constitute the largest single (out-of-state) bloc, but he ought to have said so (at least if the honest dissemination of accurate information was the goal).

By: Bruce

Bruce — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 14:48:36 +0000

Also, looking at that map I linked there, I’d say the solution is obvious. New Jersey must adopt New Hampshire style gun laws ASAP.

Funy how the writer of that piece also “forgot” to mention the NJ average “Time-to-Crime” of more than 12 years. Quite the iron pipeline there.

By: Bruce

Bruce — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 14:44:12 +0000

Whadda you know?

Twice as many “crime guns” traced in New Jersey originated in New Jersey, compared to those from Pennsylvania.

How is this Pennsylvania’s fault?

Nice spin, assholes.

By: Bruce

Bruce — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 14:37:38 +0000

The vast majority of gun crimes committed in Jersey involve guns that were sold from another state, and most of those recovered firearms came from the Keystone State in 2007.

That sounds like the same language they used in Massachusetts when blaming New Hampshire. It’s a roundabout way of saying “New Jersey remains the #1 source state for guns used in crimes in the state. Though guns from the rest of the country account for more than half of them.”

The numbers could break down thusly and their verbiage would still be correct.

NJ = source of 45% of crime guns
PA= 28%
VA= 16%
GA=8%
AL=3%

Crime guns have to come from SOMEWHERE. Look at a map of the US and ask yourself if it should come as a surprise that “most” crime guns in New Jersey, 0.23% of the US landmass, come from the other 99.77%.

Fear, meet monger. Monger, fear.