Harvard Law White Paper

[Kelor]

http://www.law.harvard.edu/students/org ... online.pdf

I know I'm preaching to the choir here, but here is an interesting document from the Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy.

The last paragraph says it all.

If you are surprised by [our] finding[s], so [are we]. [We] did not begin this research with any intent to “exonerate” hand‐ guns, but there it is—a negative finding, to be sure, but a nega‐ tive finding is nevertheless a positive contribution. It directs us where not to aim public health resources.

[northernbird]

Thats a pretty long paper, but I love it. Lots of useful statistics and I really like the wit with which it was written..
page 663

One study asserts that Americans are more likely to be shot to death than people in the world’s other 35 wealthier nations. While this is literally true, it is irrelevant—except, perhaps to people terrified not of death per se but just death by gunshot. A fact that should be of greater concern—but which the study fails to mention—is that per capita murder overall is only half as frequent in the United States as in several other nations where gun murder is rarer, but murder by strangling, stabbing, or beating is much more frequent.

Page 670

In any event, studies analyzing acquaintance homicide suggest there is no reason for laws prohibiting gun possession by ordinary, law‐abiding responsible adults because such people virtually never murder. If one accepts that such adults are far more likely to be victims of violent crime than to commit it, disarming them becomes not just unproductive but counter‐productive

If you havent read that article I highly recommend it.

[MNHandK]

i've read it in the past. actually had a copy. much better version you found though.