Gun Facts

From our friends over at www.gunfacts.info

Myth: One out of five police officers killed are killed with assault weapons

Fact: This “study” included firearms not on the former Federal “assault weapons” list. Including
various legal firearms45 inflated the statistics almost 100%.

Fact: Only 1% of police officers murdered were killed using “assault weapons”. They were
twice as likely to be killed with their own handgun.46

Fact: One federal government study found zero “assault weapons” were used to kill cops.47

Myth: Guns are not a good deterrent to crime

Fact: Guns prevent an estimated 2.5 million crimes a year, or 6,849 every day.65 Often the gun
is never fired and no blood (including the criminal’s) is shed.

Fact: It seems to be slowing down property crime (especially burglaries). The legal handgun
supply in America (mainly in civilian hands) to the property crime rate.66

Fact: Every day, 550 rapes, 1,100 murders, and 5,200 other violent crimes are prevented just by showing a gun. In less than 0.9% of these instances is the gun ever actually fired.67

Fact: 60% of convicted felons admitted that they avoided committing crimes when they knew the victim was armed. 40% of convicted felons admitted that they avoided committing crimes when they thought the victim might be armed.68

Fact: Felons report that they avoid entering houses where people are at home because they fear being shot.69

Fact: 59% of the burglaries in Britain, which has tough gun control laws, are “hot burglaries”70 which are burglaries committed while the home is occupied by the owner/renter. By contrast, the U.S., with more lenient gun control laws, has a “hot burglary” rate of only 13%.71

Fact: Washington D.C. has essentially banned gun ownership since 1976and has a murder rate of 56.9 per 100,000. Across the river in Arlington, Virginia, gun ownership is less restricted. There, the murder rate is just 1.6 per 100,000, less than three percent of the Washington, D.C. rate.72

Fact: 26% of all retail businesses report keeping a gun on the premises for crime control.73

Fact: In 1982, Kennesaw, GA passed a law requiring heads of households to keep at least one firearm in the house. The residential burglary rate dropped 89% the following year.74

Fact: A survey of felons revealed the following:75
• 74% of felons agreed that "one reason burglars avoid houses when people are at home is
that they fear being shot during the crime."
• 57% of felons polled agreed, "criminals are more worried about meeting an armed victim
than they are about running into the police."

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