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February 29, 2024

Paul Harvey Describes 2024 America in 1965

Posted by on February 29, 2024 at 02:06 PM | | Comments (0)

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The Biden State Department's Immigration Loophole.

Posted by on February 29, 2024 at 08:53 AM | | Comments (0)

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February 28, 2024

Gun-Free School Zones & Shootings Statistic (2024 Updated)

By Cassandra McBride, Ammo.com

Report Highlights:

  • There have been 2,646 school shooting incidents in the U.S. since 1966. Of those, 2,205 (94%) occurred after the 1990 School Zone Safety Act (Amended in 1995). (Source)
  • There are 1,325 total State Gun Laws per this 2022 report. (Source)
  • The Federal government has been enacting Federal Firearm regulations since 1934.
  • The correlation between population density and school shootings is more profound in population density than in firearm legislation.
  • There is no standard “School shooting” definition in the U.S. The Secret Service defines targeted attacks, while most data includes incidents when a firearm is brandished, fired, or a bullet hits school property.
  • There were 238 school shooting incidents during the National Assault Weapons ban, 293 in the decade before, and 347 in the decade after.
  • 62% of school shootings (as defined) occurred during non-school hours (1970-2022).
  • Firearms were used in 61% of targeted school attacks, and 39% used knives between 2008 & 2017.

Firearm legislation for the past 80 years

On December 30, 1974, Anthony Barbaro walked into Olean High School in NY, killed 3 classmates, and injured 11 with a .30-06 rifle, 12 gauge shotgun, and smoke bombs. For more than 50 years, America’s school shootings have filled headlines around the world.

It’s tragic; people are tired of seeing the senseless loss of innocent lives in educational settings. Despite mounting gun control laws on the Federal and state level, school-related shootings continue to rise (2023 being the highest year yet, with 388 school shootings in only six months). Regardless of political affiliation or thoughts on well-regulated militias and the right to bear arms, one thing is clear; what we’ve been doing for the past forty years isn’t working.

Each school shooting incident in America reflects one thing, children are vulnerable. Schools tend to be easy targets while simultaneously producing mentally ill individuals with an unstoppable intent to harm others.

Unfortunately, we still have a lot to learn about school shootings. There are a lot of unanswered questions. But what we can do is investigate the changes between societal shifts and legislation over the years and spark meaningful conversations about stopping school shootings. Of course, the clock is ticking down to the next horrific headline, so we need to start these meaningful conversations now.

Getting to Know America’s Gun Laws

Thousands of federal and state gun laws are designed to keep firearms away from schools, out of the hands of the mentally ill, and inaccessible to minors. The vast majority of these laws were enacted in the 1980s and later.

However, school shootings have increased dramatically since the 1980s as well. To better understand what legislation we’re working with right now, let’s review the federal and state firearms laws on the books today.

Federal Gun Laws

With Congress and the White House working together, federal firearm legislation and restrictions are ample. Regardless of state or local legislation, these laws apply to any U.S. citizen. Although we don’t have an exact count of federal firearms laws (some resources cite 20,000 or more), we can pinpoint sweeping firearm legislation for the past 80 years and compare it to the rate of school shooting incidents for a broad picture of the effectiveness of federal firearms laws.

  1. National Firearms Act of 1934 - Limited weapon types
  2. Federal Firearms Act of 1938
  3. Gun Control Act of 1968
  4. 1986 Firearm Owners Protection Act
  5. 1990 Gun-Free School Zones Act - Amended (See Below)
  6. 1993 Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act
  7. 1994 Federal Assault Weapons Ban
  8. Goals 2000 Education Act of 1994 - Any school that receives Federal funding must expel students for at least one year for bringing guns or knives to school.
  9. The Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act & Child Safety Lock Act - 2005
  10. National Instant Criminal Background Check System Improvement Amendments Act - 2007
  11. The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act - 2022

(5.) United States v. Lopez - TX already had laws in place, but state charges against Alfonso Lopez were dropped when the Feds charged him. Congress amended the act to reflect firearms that traveled across state lines and cited undue financial hardship.

With school shooting-related incidents on the rise, politicians often over-exaggerate their role and power in protecting schools. President Biden signed the 2023 Executive Order on Reducing Gun Violence and Making Our Communities Safer. However, there are opponents of the School Zone Safety Act of 1990, and Rep. Massie recently introduced a bill to overturn it.

School shooting-related incidents from 1966-2023

School shooting-related incidents and federal gun laws

State-Level Gun Law Statistics

While all 50 states and Washington D.C. must adhere to strict federal firearm legislation, we must also examine how state laws impact school shooting incidents. Currently, there are 1,325 total state firearm laws countrywide. Each state has its own process for background checks, firearm purchases, carry and conceal regulations, and carry locations.

Seven states have outright open carry bans, eight require firearms registration, and fourteen have permit-to-purchase requirements. Unfortunately, in spite of legislation, American schools remain vulnerable to shooting incidents.

California has strict firearms laws but also has the highest number of school shooting-related incidents. On the contrary, Texas has a similar population size, relaxed firearms laws, and nearly as many school shooting incidents.

We’ve examined the top 9 states for school shootings and compared them with popular firearm legislation:

Top 9 states for school shootings compared with popular firearm legislation

Targeted School Attacks

Targeted Attacks Highlights

  • Students are targeted more often than faculty and SROs. 
  • Schools with fewer than 1,000 students have more targeted attacks than schools with more than 1,000 students.
  • School attackers are more likely to be male than female.
  • Suicidal ideations, disciplinary action, and retaliation are common precursors to an attack.
  • Few schools have metal detection devices, and less than half of schools in America have armed School Resource Officers.
  • The average targeted attack occurs after a seasonal break and lasts less than one minute.
  • Most attackers get their firearms from a close friend or relative. Firearms are often obtained from unsecured locations.
  • The majority of assailants obtained their weapons on the day of the attack.

Of the thousands of school shooting-related incidents in U.S. history, only a few were targeted attacks. We must explore targeted attacks to better understand what works and doesn’t work as it relates to keeping America’s children safe in the classroom. These incidents differ from others in that they’re highly publicized and often result in a massive loss of life.

Fortunately, the Secret Service and the Department of Education have studied school-targeted attacks (meaning the assailant targeted someone in the school, as opposed to the definition given above where a school was not necessarily the target).

Between 1974 and 2000, there were 37 targeted attacks committed by 41 individuals. 59% of those attacks occurred during the school day, 95% were committed by students, and 100% were males. 61% used handguns, and 54% targeted an administrator. Lastly, only ⅓ of attackers were receiving mental health assistance.

Targeted school attacks between 1974 and 2000

The Secret Service released another report regarding targeted attacks and schools for the 2008-2017 years.

Note: These attacks include knife and firearm statistics. The Secret Service defines a mass attack as one where three or more were injured. 24% of attacks in this study were mass attacks under that definition.

School Demographics

95% of targeted attacks happened at public schools. 34% were schools in suburban areas, 27% in urban areas, and 24% in rural areas.

Schools with fewer than 1,000 students comprised 59% of the total targeted attacks. 41% were schools with more than 1,000 students.

Targeted Attacks Highlights

  • Targeted attacks occurred at a higher rate after seasonal breaks than at any other time. 24% of attacks occurred on the first day of school.
  • 61% of attackers used firearms and 39% used knives.
  • 51% of attacks happened during morning classroom hours.
  • 51% of attackers stopped without external intervention. 17% committed suicide, and 15% left the scene.
  • Students accounted for 85% of the victims in these incidents, while 13% were staff members, and 2% were SROs. In total, 79 people were injured, and 19 were killed in targeted attacks from 2008-2017.
  • Twenty of the victims were stabbed, and the remaining were shot.
  • Only one person was injured in the majority of these attacks (54%).
  • 41% were motivated by suicide. 83% were retaliating against peers or staff.

School Security & Vulnerability

The implementation of school security guards and SROs (School Resource Officers with arresting authority and firearms) is also a hotly debated topic. Less than 46% of public schools in the U.S. have SROs. Many SROs cover more than one school.

7% of schools in this study had metal detectors (only 3). Six (15%) had unarmed security guards. 44% of the attacks lasted one minute. 83% lasted less than five minutes.

66% of these schools had full or part-time SRO; many SROs cover multiple school districts. However, the study did highlight that SROs' response time is less than one minute, and outside law enforcement often responded within 5-10 minutes.

Acquisition of Firearm

51% of attackers in this study observably planned to carry out an attack. 76% of assailants obtained a weapon from a parent or close family member.

Less than half (48%) acquired firearms from an unsecured location. 16% acquired them from secure locations. Glass gun cabinets were often the most vulnerable location for firearm acquisition.

Understanding the Attacker

Many headlines speculate about one’s mental health before an attack on an educational institution. 63% of assailants from 2008 to 2017 had depression. 60% reported suicidal thoughts, 29% had anxiety, 26% had anger issues, and 20% had psychosis.

49% of the assailants had substance abuse issues. 46% of them had parents or siblings struggling with substance abuse. 71% had divorced parents, and 40% reported dysfunction in the family or domestic violence.

100% had social stressors within six months. Here are some of the more common characteristics of school attackers:

  • 89% had disciplinary issues at school (i.e., suspension, poor grades, etc.)
  • 80% expressed elicited concern from bystanders
  • 83%  shared verbal, written, video, or visual communications with threats
  • 74% displayed anger outbursts or aggressive acts
  • 71% stockpiled weapons
  • 71% had an interest in weapons
  • 63% depression and isolation
  • 57% observable differences in appearance and behavior
  • 54% expressed suicide and self-harm
  • 37% had a heightened interest in violence

Gun Laws & Shootings by State

Top 10 states with the highest school shootings Since 1970

The top 10 states also have the top 10 populations. Population density has a stronger correlation with school-related shooting incidents than firearm ownership or legislation.

Sources

Cassandra McBride
Written by
Cassandra McBride
 
 
 

Infographics

Posted by on February 28, 2024 at 10:40 AM | | Comments (0)

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February 22, 2024

How Many Gun Owners are in America? (2024 Statistics)

By Cassandra McBride, Ammo.com

Report Highlights

  • Gun ownership in America increased 28% from 1994 to 2023

  • It is estimated that there are 393 million civilian-owned firearms in the U.S.

  • There are 6.06 million registered civilian firearms in America

  • Estimates show that 82,880,000 people own at least one firearm in 2023

  • Women's firearm ownership increased by 177.8% in the past years

  • Gun ownership increased more among Hispanics than any other demographic between 2017-2023 (33%)

  • Gun ownership declined by 22% in the 18-29 age group over the past six years

  • One out of every 20 adults in the U.S. purchased a firearm for the first time during the pandemic

As the political climate heats up surrounding gun control and legislation, more Americans are buying firearms today than six years ago. In the past twenty years, gun ownership has risen slightly among women and Hispanics while it has decreased among men.

How Many Americans Own Guns?

In 2023, 32% of Americans own at least one firearm. There are approximately 259,000,000 adults, which equates to 82,880,000 people who own a firearm in the U.S.

Firearm ownership increased by 6.7% in the U.S. (all demographics) between 2017 and 2023. During that same time period, women increased ownership by 13.6%, and Hispanics increased ownership by 33.3%.

NET Gun Ownershipin 2017 and 2023

Not only is gun ownership on the rise, but some demographics are purchasing guns at higher rates today than ever before.

Furthermore, 7.5 million adults (2.9% of adults in the U.S.) became first-time gun owners between 2019 and 2021. Of those, 5.4 million did not have a firearm in the household before purchasing.

Gun Sale Trends in America 2010-2023

While firearm ownership historically remains between 40% and 47% of the adult population, purchase trends vary widely. More Americans bought firearms in 2020 than any year since 2010.

Gun Sale Trends in America 2010-2023

Increased gun sales backing increased gun ownership in the U.S.

How Many Legal Gun Owners in the United States?

Unfortunately, it’s nearly impossible to tell exactly how many legal firearm owners there are in the U.S. However, we can explore the NICS, gun sales, and firearm ownership trends to better explain the legality of firearm ownership in America.

  • Current estimates state that there have been more than 7 million firearms sold in the US via an FFL dealer or private seller with a background check (January through May)
  • More than 64 million background checks (E-Checks) have been approved since 2002
  • There are currently more than 6 million registered firearms of the estimated 393 million in circulation

How Many illegal?

While some estimate that more than one million Americans possess firearms illegally, criminals do not regularly report firearm possession. Therefore, we must look into past data to better understand illegal firearm ownership in the U.S.

  • Only 146 firearms were confiscated during a license or registration process in 2021
  • 316,464 firearms were recovered by the ATF in 2021 involving the commission of a crime
  • 47,361 firearms were confiscated from individuals under the age of 21 in the U.S. in 2021
  • 68% of firearm offenders are rearrested within 8 years, compared to only 46% of non-firearm offenders (2005)
  • In 2018, there were 6,719 federal convictions under 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)

What Percentage of Americans Own Guns?

40%, or approximately more than 82,000,000 Americans own guns. As a matter of fact, 28% more people report having firearms in 2023 than twenty years ago.

NET Gun Ownershipin 1994 and 2023

Gun ownership has been on the rise in recent years.

How Many Guns Does An Average Gun Owner Possess?

The average American owns between one and five firearms. Men are more likely than women to own more than one, and those with only one firearm typically have a handgun or pistol.

  • 62% of gun owners with only one firearm have a handgun
  • 66% of gun owners have more than one firearm
  • 29% of gun owners have five firearms
  • Men are more likely to own more than one firearm (74%) than women

How Many US Households Have Guns?

Currently, more than 40% of households have at least one firearm (an estimated 52,000,000 households). The number of households with guns increased by 14.3% since 1994, with 18% more buying firearms during the pandemic.

Household Gun Ownership

Household gun ownership is on the rise in the U.S. Many households acquired new firearms during the pandemic.

How Many Americans Report That They or Someone in Their Household Have A Gun?

Only 10% of respondents to the June 2023 survey stated they do not personally own a firearm but do live in a home with someone else who does. This is a 6.7% increase from 2017.

What Is The Primary Reason Why Americans Possess Guns?

  • 72% of gun owners say they keep a firearm for protection in 2023
  • Only 32% of Americans own a firearm for hunting
  • 30% of gun owners use firearms for sports
  • 15% of firearm owners keep them as a collection
  • 7% of owners use their firearms in a work-related setting

Despite fluctuations in firearm ownership, the number one reason owners keep firearms is for protection (an increase of 7.5% since 2017). However, firearm collections have increased by 15.4% since 2017.

Primary Reason Why Americans Possess Guns

The majority of gun owners cite personal defense as a reason for owning guns.

Sources

Cassandra McBride
Written by
Cassandra McBride
 
 
 

Infographics

Posted by on February 22, 2024 at 10:22 AM | | Comments (0)

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February 15, 2024

Sheriff Rick Jones, Butler County, Ohio

Posted by on February 15, 2024 at 07:08 AM | | Comments (0)

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February 14, 2024

Debating Whether FISA Reauthorization Will Include Requirement for Warrant to Search Domestic Data

Posted by on February 14, 2024 at 04:06 PM | | Comments (0)

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February 06, 2024

FaniGate and the American Way of Scandal

By Charles Lipson, RealClear Politics

What could kill the case entirely are two other misadventures by Willis and her office.

The first  was Willis’ recent rousing speech to black churchgoers...

That speech, like so much of Fani Willis’ behavior, was a Mount Everest of bad judgment. First of all, it defied common sense. Nathan Wade was being scrutinized because he was paid far more than the other attorneys, has no expertise in the relevant legal field, and is apparently sleeping with the woman who hired him. It also opened the door for Trump and his co-defendants to assert that inflammatory racial rhetoric had poisoned the jury pool locally, and perhaps statewide. Defense attorneys could also charge Willis with professional misconduct and petition the courts to transfer the case out of Atlanta on that basis alone. Virtually any other Georgia jurisdiction would be more favorable to Trump and his allies.

The second blunder is equally troubling. Nathan Wade traveled to Washington and billed Willis’ office for eight hours of meetings at the White House. For a local prosecutor to meet privately with Biden aides while prosecuting Biden’s principal political opponent is inexcusable. It certainly gives the appearance of injecting partisan political calculations into what should be unbiased, nonpartisan justice. The American people need to know exactly who attended those meetings, what was said, and whether there were other communications. All that information should be disclosed fully, under oath.[Bold inserted]

It is mere chance that the various cases against Trump and that they are culminating as the election approaches?  I wonder if there is anybody on the planet who actually believes that.

Read the rest here.

Posted by on February 06, 2024 at 09:25 AM | | Comments (0)

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February 02, 2024

Colion Noir and Joe Rogan on Gun Control

Posted by on February 02, 2024 at 03:18 PM | | Comments (0)

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February 01, 2024

Reaching Out to Black Voters

Posted by on February 01, 2024 at 10:41 AM | | Comments (0)

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