Review: ‘First Freedom’, by David Harsanyi

(from amazon.com)
(from amazon.com) [Ed: Mr. Harsanyi’s day job is as Senior Editor of The Federalist, and he writes regularly for National Review. So we know his head is screwed on right, pun intended.] David Harsanyi published this book last fall. No reviewer could better describe it than its own subtitle: A Ride Through America’s Enduring History with the Gun. It’s thorough, and keeps you reading at a gallop. If you are interested in anything firearm-related during our past 500 years, it’s here. And...
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Letter to a Friend on Gun Control

(from petspopular.com)
(from petspopular.com) [DRGO author Michael Brown, OD has been very occupied for some while, but found time to reply to a friend of his on Facebook April 14. His description of anti-gun emotion versus pro-rights reason is instructive -- as well as being able to remain friends.] Charles: “Approximately 1.4 million people have died from firearms in the U.S. between 1968 and 2011. This number includes deaths resulting from a firearm, including suicides, homicides, and accidents. Why is ther...
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New Zealand: Knee-Jerk Democracy & Draconian Gun Laws

(from haciendapub.com)
(from haciendapub.com) [Dr. Faria originally posted this article on HaciendaPublishing.com on April 11.] On April 10, 2019, New Zealand MPs voted almost unanimously to pass draconian gun control laws in the aftermath of the Christchurch mosque shooting. As a result, “military-style semiautomatic firearms” are now banned. New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardem stated she would be signing the legislation into law, claiming “these weapons were designed to kill.” (more...
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Playing Politics, Selling Guns

(from wallpaperup.com)
(from wallpaperup.com) In the past, guns were seen as fairly ordinary implements for fighting and hunting, even though most aristocracies reserved them for themselves and their armies. Then English common law supported the ownership of firearms by the people, and the American constitution enshrined the natural right of defense by protecting the right to keep and bear arms in the Second Amendment. (more…)
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There is No Such Thing as “Gun Violence”

(from occupy.com)
(from occupy.com) I do not believe that there is any such thing as “gun violence”. There is also no such thing as knife violence, car violence, alcohol violence, etc. Violence is perpetrated by an individual or group. The tool used is irrelevant. Most articles about ‘gun violence’ are written as if to justify positions that the authors don’t recognize or accept aren’t true. Let’s break it down: (more…)
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The AAP’s “Periodic Survey”

(from my350z.com)
(from my350z.com) I recently received a letter from the American Academy of Pediatrics, requesting my participation in one of their surveys about three issues - Suicide Prevention, Maintenance of certification, and the topic I particularly want to discuss—“Firearm Injury Prevention”. The letter and survey were accompanied by a 2-dollar bill as a “token of appreciation”. (more…)
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Insignificant Significance

(from wikihow.com)
(from wikihow.com) The Ed: note in our last article “Beating Dead Horses” mentioned that statistical significance does not prove a contention and is not necessarily determinative. The Nature article “Scientists Rise Up Against Statistical Significance” referenced is important both for describing this real problem in a multitude of research and for the more than 800 scientists from 50 countries who want us to know about it. (more…)
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Beating Dead Horses

(from welovelocalgovernment.wordpress.com)
(from welovelocalgovernment.wordpress.com) [Ed: Continuing to carry the beat, so to speak, here are a few more studies that, with any study, wouldn’t have been reported at all. “Statistical significance” does not prove a contention and is often of insignificant significance.] Here’s one that made The Daily Mail March 26, telling us that “More U.S. children were killed with guns in 2017 than police officers and military personnel COMBINED”. This, from the Anglo world leader in knife assaul...
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