The London-based magazine The Economist made one of the most contradictory arguments for gun control ever published.
In an article Monday, the publication noted that gun sales have doubled under President Obama while the homicide rate by firearms has been cut in half since 1993, making America a much more armed but “a much safer place.”
Using industry production numbers, background check information, and other gun data, The Economist estimated that more than 16 million new guns entered the U.S. marketplace in 2013, more than double the number of 2008.
“Mr. Obama’s presidency has stirred up anxiety among gun owners,” said the publication.
“With one of the highest murder rates among OECD countries — second only to Mexico — America retains its reputation as a disproportionately dangerous country,” The Economist continued. “The number of violent assaults in America is comparable to those of other western countries, yet murders are much more common.”
“The prevalence of guns goes a long way toward explaining America’s terrible record — they are used in two-thirds of all murders. Americans are five times as likely to be murdered as Brits but over 40 times as likely to be murdered with a gun.”
They then suggested that America should adopt a British-style firearm policy that has strict gun control laws.
In the very next paragraph the publication said that America is a safer place now that gun sales have increased.
“America has become a much safer place over the past two decades, however, but public sentiment has yet to catch on to the fact. In 1993, near the peak of America’s crime wave, seven out of every 100,000 people aged 12 and up were gunned down. That number has since halved,” it said.
It also noted that a majority of gun deaths are from suicides.
Unable to make a clear link between firearm related homicides and gun ownership, The Economist made its case for gun control by referencing mass shootings, but noted that recent polling stated how gun ownership has become more popular.
“Even given the link between guns and gun violence, which seems obvious to the rest of the world, America is unlikely to implement significant gun control in the near future,” The Economist noted.
Did anyone follow that logic?
