🚀 go-pugleaf

Eric Wolfson originally wrote:
>
>    Well, the prohition-era ban on machine guns reduced their use
>   in crime to zero. In fact, the Bush ban on imported assault
>   weapons has resulted in a 45% drop in THEIR use in crime, just
>   since 1989. But when the ban is being extended to domestic makes
>   as well, the cry goes up that it "just won't work".

And I wrote in response:
>/> By the way, I would like to ask you for the source of your 45%
>/> statistic above. Thanks.

To which he responded:
>	Sure. 
>	My source is the congressional testimony of Tony
>    Loizzo, Vice President of the National Association
>    of Police Officers delivered May of this year. 

Much as I would like to believe Mr. Loizzo, experience has taught me
that it's risky to believe such statistics (i.e. those quoted by
newspaper reporters and elected/appointed officials), unless they are
backed up by hard data (i.e. numbers from the Department of Justice,
the FBI Uniform Crime Reports, etc).

Elected and appointed officials, you see, have very little to lose
when they casually throw around incorrect statistics. The news media
seldom check up on the facts, and when they do, it's usually the case
that nothing ever comes of it.

If you can't provide me any with hard data, well, I certainly won't be
terribly surprised (I'm used to it, believe me :-| ).

Nat
--
Nathaniel McIntosh     |    Department of Computer Science
mcintosh@cs.rice.edu   |    Rice University, P.O. Box 1892
713-527-8101 x2740     |    Houston, Texas 77251   USA