More detail on the study that said gun studies weren’t studious
A Roanoke Times editorial writes:
To put it in terms appropriate to the issue, Americans have been shooting blindly in the gun control/gun rights debate.
Stop with the cutesy puns and get to the point.
And their own government, which blocks collection or access to crucial data on firearms at the behest of gun-rights advocates, tied the blindfold in place. The National Research Council, an arm of the National Academy of Sciences, revealed the nation’s uncertain marksmanship in a study last week. Washington declines to collect gun ownership statistics and bars researchers’ access to Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms data on guns traced to crimes. Other information sources are inadequate.
Well, given that when trace data is available, some people misrepresent what it means, I don’t know that that is a bad idea. And there are valid reasons for not wanting gun trace data publicly available.
Without the necessary database, the study said, it’s impossible to accurately judge the effects of policies ranging from liberal concealed carry rights to tight gun controls.
As an academic observer put it, the study’s fundamental thrust was that “we don’t know anything about anything, and more research is needed.”
Actually, the CDC and NIJ concluded that there is no correlation between gun controls and crime. This report concluded the same thing but put a spin on it so that it could be turned into an issue. Or, as I said before: [anti gun folks] need more information so that they can get the result that they want.
That research won’t be possible until the government lifts its information roadblock.
The privacy concerns of the gun-rights lobby and its allies have always been dubious grounds for suppressing firearms data. Far more sensitive medical and financial information passes through the hands of government officials and researchers every day without repercussion. The denial of data appears instead to be an effort to keep unwelcome realities out of this deeply divisive issue.
Amazing to me how privacy rights are dubious. And just because the government is wrong in handing out other private data that it should also be wrong and pass out this data as well.
December 21st, 2004 at 12:35 pm
I don’t see a problem with the government releasing non-identifiable data.
December 21st, 2004 at 9:45 pm
Neither do I. As to trace data, what’s the reason for not releasing it (as opposed to releasing it, with appropriate disclaimers as to what it does and doesn’t mean)?
December 21st, 2004 at 10:00 pm
I have no problem with non-identifiable data being released. My comment was just general smarminess.