Opinion
USA – -(AmmoLand.com)- When we talk about firearms,there is a LOT of misinformation and … outright lies told by the gun grabbing left.
For the left gun control is a means to an end, a way to gain power. Not to save lives. This is one of the reasons their programs fail. They don’t want to stop shootings but use them to retain power.
Here are the facts they choose to ignore. Facts YOU can use.
There are approximately 120,000,000 gun owners in the US. We are the majority of voting adults.
53% of all shootings are by black men under 30. So, 3% of the US population does more than ½ the killing. 83% of all shootings are gang and drug-related.
Only about 7% of all shootings from a rifle or shotgun and less than 40% of that 7% involve Modern Sporting Rifles.
The U.S. ranks 11th in mass shootings for industrialized nations. 50% of the counties in the US will not have a murder within their boundary. 2% of the counties had 53% of all the murders in the U.S.
Both Japan and Korea have much higher suicide rates than the US. Both nations virtually ban private gun ownership. 75% of all gun deaths are attributed to suicide. Guns are not the cause, just the means.
An Obama administration study showed guns are used over 500,000 time a year to save a life or prevent crime or assault.
U.S. Numbers
- Total Number of gun deaths: 38,000
- Suicides: 28,500
- Gang and Drug: 7,885
- Remaining: 1,615
If not for gangs and drugs, the number of murders by guns is below 1,700 in a country of 330,000,000 people. Remove the gangs and drugs, and the US is one of the SAFEST countries in the world.
So fellow firearms owners – here are facts – the REAL facts
You’re reading this online, so share it. SHIFT the paradigm. For the left to face the reality that gun ownership is not the cause of violence. It is the left’s failed social programs of welfare that destroys families, and open borders that bring in opioids that destroys lives, that are the real cause of gun deaths.
Use these facts, fight for our rights with EDUCATION and the TRUTH!
We have a country to save.
Oh, where did I get these facts? The FBI unified crime report. They’re all there for ANYONE to see.
Also check out the Crime Prevention Research Center.
About Don McDougall
Don McDougall is an NRA instructor and member of the Los Padres “Friends of the NRA” committee. If he’s not at the range, you will find him setting the record straight with on gun issues and gun safety on AmmoLand Shooting Sports News.
It would be very valuable information for us if in your article you could include the time period from where your statistics are drawn.
Heres a statistic you failed to mention… I served zero days in prison for the aggravated unlawful use of a weapon (carry on person), residential burglary (in which the guns were stolen), and the aggravated unlawful possession of 7 stolen firearms and ammunition I was charged and convicted on in 2007. Cant own one now…but I can get one here before you can type up a good reply. It’ll likely have a high body/crime count- but it’ll be cheaper than the gun store, no waiting period past 3 hours, and theres no trail. Sleep tight. Also…most gun owners whose homes… Read more »
That is not a statistic- simply evidence of how gun legislation doesn’t reduce crime and the fact that you have morality issues that place you in that very narrow band of people using illegal guns or getting guns illegally to commit crime. Your story, aside from most likely made up – is not a st of statistics- it is true testimony of why gun legislation does NOT stop gun crime , as well as a bunch of made opinions you are sharing about break ins burglary , murder and rape NOT supported by police, CDC or FBI findings. But nice… Read more »
@Ben, The “… mere presence” and “… don’t get a chance…” lies give Bryan away as a paid propagandist. The gun prohibition lobby has been telling those for years.
My place for instance, the eleven dogs barking would give us sufficient time to make a meaningful defense, if they stopped chewing on the burglar before he was dead. If dead, we would drag him outside the perimeter wire for the coyotes. If not dead, we would march him outside of the perimeter wire for the coyotes.
Are you still out there stealing.
Alex…..I’ll take things that never happened for one hundred
Please correct the sentence that says a “County” of 330,000,000. People to read “COUNTRY”…Some idiots look for grammatical errors to prove the story as false…as gun owners we know the truth but we need to present flawless arguments to show the anti-gunners they are incorrect with the propaganda they promote.
If not for gangs and drugs, the number of murders by guns is below 1,700 in a county of 330,000,000 people. Remove the gangs and drugs, and the US is one of the SAFEST countries in the world.
Thank you
Skip, thanks for having our backs. Updated.
There should be open season on liberals. Now THAT would be gun control!
Screw people like you. Seriously. Even if you’re saying that as a joke. I love my guns as much as I love having healthcare and working roads.
@Drew While Wes was trying to make a joke I would like to point out something to you. 1. Healthcare is not a right that has to be provided for by other people. If you want it, go out and work for, and acquire it. Further, there is a difference between health insurance, and health care. 2. Some of the places I have seen with “Working Roads” under liberal Control are the most atrocious surfaces you can put tires to. I don’t mean recently either, but places which have been under liberal control for decades. Why are the roads so… Read more »
California used to be a Republican State. Ronald Reagan was the governor from 1967 to 1975, and California had the best roads in the nation. The cities were clean, the jobs were plentiful, and California was, indeed, the paradise of the Beach Boys’ songs. California has been Democrat-controlled since 1971 — with a brief respite with the Assembly under Republicans from 1994-1996 — and the cities are filthy, the jobs are almost all gone, and the place has become an oppressive, over-regulated, socialist mess. And the roads are the worst in the nation. The same fate has befallen Detroit, Chicago,… Read more »
@ed Watts
You mean you oppose all the human feces decorating the streets of San Francisco?
I’m shocked, shocked I tell you.
@ed Watts, And these conditions that you mention are the result of CA state government being in full rebellion to the U.S. Constitution.
Great information & thank you for publishing & sharing this! I wish that everyone could read & process information like this & understand that guns & legal gun owners who are striving to protect themselves and others when it’s necessary, are not the problem, it’s the people that have possession of guns illegally & who have bad intentions that are causing the problems that we have, not just in the U.S. but throughout the world!
The chart is misleading for one fact, Murder numbers or Gun related death numbers when mapped as shown above are meaning if said are not adjusted for population density.
The author should re-post the map with numbers divided by county adult population (or simply by county population)
@2ndA_NRA_For_Life Not necessarily, especially since this has nothing to do with population dispersion, but as the author stated policies and programs implemented in various parts of the country, and comparing the low areas to that of other countries with similar laws or programs to that of the places with high areas of occurrence here. In other words, looking at population density has nothing to do with whether programs or policies are effective, that is why the author showed Total number vs population compared to other countries with their populations. So what is misleading is the fact that you are making… Read more »
@Rev, I am sure that it has not escaped your notice, that those who do not like the fact based conclusions like to alter, twist, and distort, and if they can assign work to someone else, that is even better.
I want to know what the numbers he is reporting actually means. According to his own source, in 2017 there were 10,982 firearm related deaths. Average over the past 15 years is about 9.5k. So which is it?
Not even sure what your question is. You know what an average is, right?
Let me spell it out like I do with my 8 year old. In 2017 alone there were 10,982 firearm related deaths. An average is calculate by taking the total of data sets and dividing by the number of data sets. Eg. 2017 10,982 firearm related deaths 2018 540 firearm related deaths (obvious BS) and 2019 1 firearm related death (again obvious BS). So you take 10982+540+1 = 11523/3 (for 3 years) = 3841 average number of firearm related deaths for the 3 years. Now if my BS example does not stick I can have my 1st grader come teach… Read more »
Where did you get your data for 2018 and 2019 ?!? I found no complete data in the reference material past 2017. It’s certainly obvious that data for 2019 is incomplete.
Gene stated that the 2018 and 2019 numbers are BS, he pulled numbers from the air to show how to calculate the average. So, to sum up, his 2017 numbers are real and his 2018 -2019 numbers were made up.
If you were being sarcastic, I apologize for this reply since the written word doesn’t always communicate things like sarcasm. But, I know there are folks out there who will jump at the chance for their “ah-ha!” moment regarding the numbers.
Let me spell it out like I would for my three year old. The 2017 number is just one of the 15 years that make up the 15 year average. If you still don’t understand, there’s no hope for you.
@Roy, I really enjoy reading about parents who work to educate their children, usually… but if your eight year old is in the first grade, then you must stop. Perhaps all the editorializing in the middle of the equation is confusing him.
@Wild Bill
or.. its possible that he has an 8yr old AND a first grader? the explanation was one he would give the 8 yr old, but if it needs to be dumbed down further he can get the younger 1st grader? I dunno that’s just my guess…. sorry to interrupt your snarky blind hatred though.
@Marshall, Hatred? Hatred takes energy. I was just pulling at the unraveling thread. And I think that thread is a statement about explaining to an eight year old still in the first grade. And I am not the only one that recognizes it.
Simply use a bag of candy and divide up different amounts in piles. Count the candy pieces in each pile. Let them eat from one pile per hour. Make 8 piles. Write down the numbers for each pile. At the end write out the separate numbers for each pile. Add them together and divide by 8 for the 8 piles. The difference will be the average. Even a first grader will understand the concept.
@tiger Sheets, I like it, but how do we get Gene’s eight year old into the third grade, where he should be? And please see Kerri’s observation supra.
Now boys it’s time to take a chill pill and try to find some respect for each other. Let’s just be a little more civil.
If your 8 year old is still in the 1st grade you have an issue on your hands.
I started 1st grade @ 7 yrs old & turned 8 1/2 way through the year. BTW I was Valedictorian 11 yrs later. So there are 8 year old’s in 1st grade
It means that the specific numbers for that year were slightly higher than the long term average. It isn’t complicated. Numbers for one year compared to a 15 year average.
Thank you Don, for gathering the information, writing and posting. Not that this information is new, but it is very nice to have it in one place, ready to use in the gun control debate.
@John Dunlap If don sticks to this approach and just writes articles based on factual evidence, he can be a big help to defending the 2nd amendment. This article was well done, and I have to give Don credit for it. Unfortunately in the past, the author has gotten into altercations defending the actions of an organization that have undermined that defense, and that has self destructed his argument every time previously. It is my hope that he can refrain from doing so going forward. When he stays on point like he did above, he’s great at helping to educate… Read more »
@the Rev, I truly enjoy your comments and reply’s. They are very well written and to the point. Please continue to do so.
SYFPH
How does racism become the cause of crime in this article. Don said nothing about blacks or whites committing the crimes. There are several commenters that want to make it a race issue and they sound just like the leftist propaganda machine. I agree, the most crimes are in anti gun areas except for Fla. where the southern tip seems to be high. Anyway, it is an informative article and should be looked at for what it is rather than what someone can bring into it.
For starters, you apparently have no clue about the definitions of “racism” and “race.” I have pulled my gun twice in the last six years; once on a Black person and once on a White person. Both got smart real fast and avoided getting shot. The police were fine with my actions in both cases. In regards to who causes more violent crime: “There are none so blind as those who will not see.”
Your comment: If not for gangs and drugs, the number of murders by guns is below 1,700 in a county of 330,000,000 people.
Where is there a county with 330,000,000 ? Did you mean country ?
So, you’re perfect and never, ever make a typo or other mistake? Of course, in context, it is “country” not ‘county.’
He knew what you meant.
just a troll who has no basis for a counter-argument so he heeds to nitpick your typing/grammar… pay it no mind
https://www.neoeugenics.net/crime.htm click on link the real fact,s no body is telling you and what about the thousands of our white woman being killed raped by these inhuman animals your not safe out there and hate to tell you there is double standard in place for the white man but other can do no evil arm up my fellow people and not all black are bad i,m not racist these are the facts plenty of white t trash out there and what about the mexican crime wave ms 13 why can,t out gov,t shut down the drug cartels want to know… Read more »
if President Trump doesn’t get our Southern border under control he can kiss 2020 goodbye ! Obama was smart enough to by pass the GOP controlled congress using executive orders, judge shopping. and tying issues up in the courts while his EO’s remained in effect ! But the national Chamber of Commerce is exerting pressure to keep the borders open for cheap labor that our tax dollars support !! The claim is that the illiterate labors will do the work that American’s won’t do. But with so many welfare programs ripe for the picking why should lazy American’s work ?
Obama and his buddies are getting a waterboarding.
Apparently they don’t teach punctuation in white supremacy school anymore. Yes, my friend, you are a racist. If you are completely unable to look beyond the most basic surface level nonsense of skin color, then you are both ignorant and racist. Black people were hearded into government slum housing for decades and then trapped there through failed social programs that destroyed the black family and black businesses, failed education systems, the failed drug war, and politicians who use them to gain permanent victim defender status. Our government needs a permanent underclass, because dependance is the source of their strength. The… Read more »
Pot meets kettle.
Racism doesn’t cause murder. Broken family structure and failed cultures cause despair and dismay, the lack of Hope. This despair fuels the demand for alcohol and drugs and other forms of “escape,” which often includes suicide.
98% of the black population aren’t killing anyone- they’re often victims of violence by the State and the gangs who control their neighborhoods.
Sometimes they do. And people kill one another over drugs, turf, money and infidelity. It happens every day.
The Democrats gave a permanent victim status to black people and minorities years ago.
They were “hearded”? You’re going to attack someone’s grammar, and you come up with that gem?
And guess what? All those “programs”—ALL of them were set forth by liberals. Designed to keep the black folk on the reservation and call someone who challenges them an “Uncle Tom”.
The history of racist politics is not in your favor. The liberals have been represented by KKK members, segregationalists, and eugenic advocates seeking to extinguish the African American people. These are facts, not opinions.
But please continue to accuse someone else who thinks differently than you as a racist. It’s the Alinsky way.
I will add what liberals don’t want you to know. The first 2 pieces of civil rights legislation were dictated and sent to congress by Dwight David Eisenhower in 1957 and again in 1960. The second bill was necessitated because southern democrats attempted to fillabuster the bill. Failing that they deleted so many important aspects of the bill that a second bill was sent down in 1960. The same process happened again. Eisenhower left office disgusted with the whole debacles. In 1964 Lyndon Johnson warned the DNC that if they didn’t add those provisions back into a new bill the… Read more »
Your keyboard has a period key on it.
Well if you’re admitting there is a rape problem. Could you at least support the rights of women to not be forced to have that kid. Allow exemptions for abortions for cases of rape.
What about the morning after pill? Why do so many women wait so long to have an abortion that they know ling before that they are going to have. Rape and incest are two examples of abortion that should happen as soon as its humanly possible. Not at 4 or 5 months of term. It’s time to take a stand against the use of abortion as after the fact birth control. Once that fetus is viable outside the womb it’s murder. You can’t parse any words or explanations to invalidate that conclusion. We are in the 21st century and how… Read more »
America IS being invaded and not a shot is being fired…CLOSE THE BORDER, DEPORT
Amen!
Want to cut down on the non suicide gun deaths? End the War on the American People, AKA The War on (some) Drugs. When was the last time you saw two booze distributors shooting it out over turf? The War on Drugs is a progressive big government party, supported by big government progressives. Want to know why we have an “opioid” crisis? It has two causes. One, opioids are the government’s drug of the month. Every couple of years the government has a different drug crisis. They throw out some scare stats to keep the sheep baaing for more big… Read more »
stop prohibition……then there is no reason for cartels, nor gangs, nor mafias…
I agree 100% with the legalization of all illegal drugs if and only if the department of education institutes mandatory drug education at the late grade and high school level spelling out what these drugs do, what the pitfalls are and absolutely level no taxes on these drugs that will drive up the price to the point that illegal drugs become cheaper than legally produced ones. Taxation is the reason that stills still operate around the country, especially in Appalachia where it’s easy to operate a still undetected. You cannot win a war against an inanimate object. The idea is… Read more »
The war on drugs (I.e. the war on us) will continue until ALL drugs are legal. The government has no business telling people what they can and cannot put into their own bodies. If someone is stupid enough to take drugs they have the right to do so and will have to face the consequences for their actions.
You have obviously never had to face down a person whom has lost their mind from drugs and alcohol. When they also had a shotgun. And were shooting at imaginary people. Luckily he ran out of deer slugs. And we were able to take him without incident.
So you want to prevent everyone else from gaining access to something because that guy couldn’t handle it?
You can quote facts and numbers until you’re blue in the face and it won’t mean a thing to you’re average gun grabbing Libtard. Like Democrats and the Mueller report, they have already made up their minds (?) without regard for the facts.
All we can do to preserve Liberty is to back, support, and vote for Constitutional Conservatives candidates or ballot initiatives that protect 2A rights without limitation or modification.
Civil war is a last resort as a necessary option, but…
This is all about the numbers. They are what they are. The FACT the 53% of all shooting is by 3% of the population is a FACT. Unless you adress the facts no matter how unconfrtable it makes you, than a real solution will always be out of your reach. Think of it this way, 97% of the black population doesn’t kill ANYONE. The 3% that do are driven by crime and gangs. Not their skil color. You want a ReaL solution to end these sensless deaths? Jobs, better schools, stronger churces and communities and famlies. ECONOMIC GROWTH so you… Read more »
I missed where Wallace mentioned race at all… seems like the only one talking about race is YOU
Wallace – That is what I am hoping to avoid. I don’t want voilence, but I see it on the horizon. Is it too late to turn that ship around? I’d like to hope to.
With approximately 120 million armed American adults in our great nation. We should be able to defeat most knee jerk legislation. There are many armed dem’s that have the kool-aid mustache. There has to be away too persuade them to protect their rights and join us to protect the 2nd Amendment as well as a the entire bill of rights.
“53% of all shootings are by black men under 30. So, 3% of the US population does more than ½ the killing. 83% of all shootings are gang and drug-related”.
You know what that means, don’t you? You’re a “racist.”
Calling the author racist doesn’t change the facts. Are the facts racist? Only if feelings outweigh facts.
@Baldwin, PV does not mean that literally. He is just being facetious, for the purpose of underscoring libtard logic. We are all on the same track, here.
I was hoping that was the case. Thanks.
wouldn’t that make the facts racist and not the person who uses them?
no. Not at all. Since the SOURCE of these stats is the FBI, that makes FBI the racists…..
(silly dumb grin goes here… sarc off)
Another brain dead lib! Too bad you never learned to think rationally.
Being a realist sometimes leads to the obvious truth that some cultures aren’t as intelligent or civilized as other cultures. How many black nations/countries in Africa are advanced and halfway civil? Answer…..none….the “white” man’s fault? Don’t be that stupid!
I’m a white conservative from the south. I don’t own a gun and really have no need to. But your comment is way out of line and nothing to help your argument. And yes you are a rasist idiot and are the reason that it is so hard for libs to hear the conservative View
@C. metts, He has a Civil Right to a racist view, if he wants. He has a Civil Right to be an idiot, if he wants. He has a Civil Right to make obviously illogical statements, if he wants. But those things are not out of some politically correct “line” that you might think he has to follow.
Just out of curiosity, if you don’t own a gun and have no need to, why would you come to a site called Ammoland?
Every gun owner needs this map and these numbers on them at all times!!!! Every time one of those anti-gun liberal “friends” starts their rants, smack them right between the eyes with these facts. Especially effective in shutting up the loud mouth know it all in a group Then ask why their liberal representatives aren’t going after the real problems.
Before gun confiscation or socialism in this country, there WILL be civil war. The situation today in America is EXACTLY why the 2nd amendment was added. The British may yell “God save the Queen” but ultimately it’ll be the American gun owners that will save America.
Partner, you already missed the boat on socialism.
Interesting perspective.There will be No Civil War. Why so? Americans are too addicted to their so called Smart Phone. Can not even look up to see what is right in front of them. -Case in Point: This past winter we had a bunch of snow, Unusual for our community. Many were Snowed in for a week or more. Odd? Why so? NO one would pick up a damn Snow Shovel. If they can not even dig their way out by picking up a Shovel, No way they will pick up a Firearm to fight. They can not even fight their… Read more »
Ha! Everyone knows you need Snow Shovel Tactical Training first! Possession of high capacity snow shovels may be banned in your state, however:<(
For those of you who are interested in a very quick read on propaganda and how medial, nonprofits and your own government use the tools of propaganda to subvert your natural, God Given Rights I strongly recommend “The Ten Commandments of Propaganda” by Dr Brian Anse Patrick. Patrick is a professor at the University of Toledo who is an expert on propaganda and how the Progressive New Left uses those tools to twist truth in to ideologically loaded falsehoods. It is a quick read and for those of you who may not have attended leftist universities to study leftism and… Read more »
@n r rinlgee, Sounds like both of those could be good for one’s personal library.
Under Natural law all Anti-Gun people are Human deviants that the Communal group should ban from society to fend for themselves. Nature says that many would return humble and apologetic realizing that self defense in any form is natural. Anyone proposing NO personal or group defense should be held responsible for any deaths occurring after illegal laws applied. In other words a life for a life. I would also like to remind people that in 1803 the Supreme Court said ” That any Law repugnant to the Constitution is Null and Void”
That is much better than the “news” that is broadcast in almost every station I have ever watched or listened to. It lends credence to the question of just WHY ARE THEY TRYING TO DISSARM AMERICANS? Disarming America surely has nefarious reasons at best. At worst, it is absolutely evil. The first lie ever told happened when satan deceived Eve in the garden of Eden. When you personally or the general public gets lied to in order to effect “change”, you can bet the outcome will not be pleasant. I wonder just what lies were told in Venezuela that disarmed… Read more »
How about an overlay showing Democrat-controlled cities and counties?
That’s pretty much what the map shows.
You got that absolutely right.
Zackley, 100% correct !
The more Dem control the more red and that too is 100% CORRECT ! The Democrats produce, push and foster these “killing zones”.
One could also use map to pinpoint where most gang (MS13) activities allegedly take place!
It would be a good bet that if you armed just 50% of the law-abiding citizens in those red areas, they would turn pink or white in a very short time. Criminals are much less likely to invade or attack if there is a good chance they will be met with deadly force.
In the small Town of Republic Washington, Police Chief “Culp” has declared that the Town is a 2nd Amendment Sanctuary.
Nearly every one in Town is Armed.
They have Zero Crime. ZERO.
Words recently quoted by the Police Chief himself.
Factual and Verifiable Information.
It looks exactly the same with and without the overlay. Why waste money on the redundant extra sheet of plastic?
You have a typo:
53% of all shootings are by black men under 30. So, 3% of the US population does more than ½ the killing. 83% of all shootings are gang and drug-related. Should be 53% does have the gun crimes…
Thanks,
Professor James Perry, MHum/Phl
Huh? No 1/2 of the gun crimes makes sense your, does not.
There are approximately 120,000,000 gun owners in the US. We are the majority of voting adults. 53% of all shootings are by black men under 30. So, 3% of the US population does more than ½ the killing. 83% of all shootings are gang and drug-related. Only about 7% of all shootings from a rifle or shotgun and less than 40% of that 7% involve Modern Sporting Rifles. The U.S. ranks 11th in mass shootings for industrialized nations. 50% of the counties in the US will not have a murder within their boundary. 2% of the counties had 53% of… Read more »
I was a member of NRA safety meetings at age 8, now 74 but not a member because of their politics and association with gun manufacturers. Get back to basics.
One side wants to take away our 2nd Amendment Rights. Without our 2A Rights, there will be NO basics to get back to. In order for there to be “basics” to get back to, for the NRA, people must first have firearms.
You say you left because of politics and association with gun manufacturers. What do you think we aught to do to fight for our rights to bear arms. Maybe take those against guns out to dinner or maybe a good movie. Unfortunately they use politics and so must we.
Opioids aren’t coming across the border, they’re being over prescribed by big pharma within our own borders… and lest we forget that it was Nixon that began the war on drugs, but otherwise decent points
Yeah, all the mad quantities of opiods seized at the border are just wishful thinking. Yeah.
We have a heroin epidemic. Junkies are dropping like flies.
Good, let’em die!
Agreed
When I saw the two comments just above (Bob and Russell) I was compelled to reply. I’m an alcoholic in recovery; I’ve been in detox twice, and was in therapy and group rehab programs for over 3 years, struggling with my disease of addiction to alcohol, with multiple relapses. I’m now finally 18 months sober (a personal best), and I’ve also been in A.A. for most of that time. Most people are not addicts, and so understanding addiction is not a part of their lives. It’s just not on their radar, and so their opinions on addiction and addicts are… Read more »
Here are 3 short videos that may help with understanding some of the most basic stuff about addiction. They’re not what I would ideally post; they dont’t explain everything, and they don’t give picture-perfect explanations, but they’re the best I could find in a short time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YzCYuKX6zp8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-w8n9UOiBxE
https://youtu.be/RCCzT43pYdA
That’s not nice. I get the sentiment, sort of but while some drug addicts are definitely scum, there are also many that are just dealing with a serious problem that they would love to disappear. Remember that the guy that drinks 7-8 beers every night IS also a drug addict. Just more acceptable. We all have things we are dealing with. Just my .02.
That’s absolutely not true. When you hear about fentanyl and opioid overdoses they’re talking about illegal fentanyl and heroin, not prescribed opioids for pain management. Less than 3% of all opioid deaths are pain patients abusing their medication. The other 97% are users shooting and snorting heroin and illegal fentanyl. Over 90% of the fentanyl on the streets came across the southern border or was smuggled into ports from China.
@Mike
You conveniently leave out the people who steal prescribed medications, which is not just limited to breaking and entering a house for it, but family members that swipe them out of the bottle, friends visiting, ect…
I notice you didn’t cite any sources showing your 97% and 3% claims. It would be interesting to look into where those figures came from, what variables they looked at, and the sample rate used to calculate those numbers. Think before you speak.
Mike is correct and you, Revelator, are woefully ignorant concerning this subject.
@Roy D Considering your blunders in the past Roy, I’d be very careful about who you try to call ignorant. If Mike is correct, why have you not cited where the 97% claim came from? Surely since you chose to chime in you can cite that. Considering that I had family whose career tied directly into this very topic(interdiction), live within a state which has repeatedly been placed in the top 10 for this very issue, and have had friends and coworkers facing this in their own homes. Sorry Roy, but think before you speak. If you had, you would… Read more »
@Revelator
This is an op-ed from Greg Gutfeld which contains numerous links to published studies and statistical sources.
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/greg-gutfeld-opioids-facts-and-fallacies
@Mike Thank you for an honest response and not engaging in the foolish way Roy D chose to. I would like to ask again though, where did your 97% and 3% claims come from? Even Gutfeld noted in his article that “Am I 100 percent certain that all of this is correct? Nope.” and “What this also means, is that the numbers you often hear about opioid deaths aren’t really as large as you think. If you remove illegal drugs like heroin and fentanyl, the new numbers may be much lower. How low? Hard to tell, since the reporting is… Read more »
And some of those legal opioid overdoses are unannounced suicides. Some die to under prescribing an adequate pain management dosage and some due to knowing that pain management protocol has reduced the allowable dosage well below the amount that was necessary for effective pain management. Then there are those few who fail to properly secure their prescriptions and their kids experiment with a drug for which they have no understanding of its potentcy. The vast increase in heroin overdose deaths are by design by drug dealers boosting a few of theirheroun packets with Fentanyl knowing that a few customers will… Read more »
Mike
According to the DEA misuse of prescription drugs is the most common cause of drug deaths in the US
https://www.dea.gov/sites/default/files/2018-11/DIR-032-18%202018%20NDTA%20final%20low%20resolution.pdf
A deliberate overdose to commit suicide is a misuse of a prescription drug. Fentanyl is a prescription drug. When bought on a street corner from a shipment of 10 tons smuggled in from China, it becomes a misused prescription drug. From the study: “traffickers are now disguising other opioids as CPDs (controlled prescription drugs) in attempts to gain access to new users. ” Also from the study, just a few paragraphs later: “Illicit fentanyl and other synthetic opioids — primarily sourced from China and Mexico—are now THE MOST LETHAL category of opioids used in the United States. Traffickers— wittingly or… Read more »
Forgot the st important fact of all ..NO gun has EVER killed anyone. Its simply not possible.
It’s both legal prescriptions run amuck and illegal drugs like fentinol from China.
@Bill
Indeed. Smuggled drugs and addiction are two separate arguments within the opioid problem. The smuggling aspect is in fact a symptom of a greater problem, and you cant solve a problem by targeting the symptom.
No doubt. There could be thousands of pounds of opioids piled up next to my house and I wouldn’t take one. Blaming the drug or the drug dealer/smuggler is the same as blaming the gun for a mass shooting.
You’ve never seen dealers hand out drug-laced candy to elementary school kids. Every kid is a potential addict, and therefore a customer in training.
Yes, that’s a thing that really happens.
But let’s talk about the real drug threat to our nation – Ritalin (better known as ‘speed’) is prescribed to about a third of our boys.
@McChuck As someone who was on it quite young, I’d like to know if you are someone who shuns the use of all pharmaceuticals. See, when I was on it, I had to go in for blood draws every 2 or 3 months to have the levels checked, make sure it was doing what it was supposed to be doing, or be taken off of it entirely. So is your claim against medicine itself, intentional misuses, or careless maleficence by medical professionals(Which would require evidence). Medicines do have their place in society. After all, opiates can help in situations, and… Read more »
That’s BS and you know it. That’s entirely untrue and it’s not the opioids that cause crime, but the drug war that causes them to be a black market item run by gangs. Had the govt not stepped out of line and banned drugs in the first place, we wouldn’t be having these problems. They CREATE these problems, then use them to further violate our Rights. Also, people have a RIGHT to choose for their own bodies and govt has absolutely no right or authority to stop them. It is a violation of the 10th Amendment and a power that… Read more »