
Yesterday my man Mike Hirsh sent me an editorial from The New York Times written by a physician in Philadelphia lamenting the lack of space and beds to treat COVID-19 victims because of the number of patients who show up to be treated for injuries from guns. And basically, the author, a critical-care doctor, was making the argument that as long as we continue to suffer from the pandemic known as gun violence, we won’t be able to deal with this new pandemic known as COVID-19.
I notice, incidentally, that Schmuck-o has stooped referring to COVID-19 as the ‘Chinese flu.’ He must be getting feedback from one of his focus groups that his usual messaging combining racism, stupidity, insults and bald face lies isn’t working out. Don’t worry. Give him another week to pretend he’s really acting like a President, and when that act doesn’t lift his ratings above Andy Cuomo, he’ll get back on the ‘blame the Chinese’ bandwagon again. Anyway.
The NYT editorial gave figures from our friends at the Gun Violence Archive (GVA) which apparently shows that over the month of March, fatal and non-fatal gun injuries haven’t really gone down. But over the last couple of days as I drove through what has always been a high-violence neighborhood in Springfield, MA I noticed the total lack of people walking around in the street. And since we know that most gun violence takes place in the street, perhaps the numbers from the GVA database hid more than they explained.
So I went to the GVA website and I read every, single account of any gun murder that occurred anywhere in the United States on April 1st, a day which saw 22 gun deaths, a fairly typical daily number in the last 30 days. I didn’t look at non-fatal shootings because as the GVA readily admits, those stories represent only a portion of the intentional shootings in which the shooter didn’t shoot straight. But since the CDC also has given up trying to figure out how many non-fatal, intentional injuries are committed with guns, why should I expect the GVA to be able to come up with a more number? I don’t. Back to the murders.
On April 1st the media and other public sources contained stories about 22 fatal gun events. Of these incidents, two of them were cops shooting civilians, and two others were homicides-suicides in which the guy first shot his wife and then shot himself. In one case both of them died, in the other the wife was wounded but still alive, the husband had no trouble aiming the gun accurately at himself.
So the actual number of intentional gun deaths yesterday found by the GVA was 18, most of which, incidentally, occurred in places where most fatal gun assaults take place: one in Chicago, one in Detroit, one in Da Bronx, almost all the rest in the Southern states. Not a single gun death occurred out West, either in California or Nevada, states that usually claim a goodly amount of gun violence from day to day.
Multiply 18 intentional gun deaths – one person shooting another – by 365 days and you get less than half as many deaths that have occurred each year over the last couple of years. Incidentally, over the entire month of March, the GVA says that 18 intentional gun deaths occurred in Philadelphia. This is twice as many gun suicides on a yearly basis as Philly recorded in all of 2017. Of course the whole social distancing thing didn’t really get going until about a week ago, which is why I looked at specific gun homicides in Philadelphia only on April 1st.
Does anyone really know how to prevent COVID-19 from going around? Does anyone really know how to prevent people from picking up guns and shooting themselves or someone else? At least in the case of the ‘Chinese flu’ there seems to be some effort to figure the problem out. But you would think that since the gun violence pandemic has been around for God knows how long that we might have figured that one out too.
You would think.
Apr 03, 2020 @ 10:11:31
….And what about the “Pandemic” of people who died from being Kicked or Beaten????
We lose Far more people each year to FISTS AND FEET than we do to school shootings and so called “Assault weapons”.
Also, Why is it that if you Murder someone with a Gun, it’s called “Gun Violence”….
…But any other “Violence” resulting in Death is just called Murder????
Is it somehow BETTER to be Stabbed to Death? Is Suicide O.K. if you do it with Pills or a Belt?
Apparently, Gun Banners don’t actually care about ending ALL “Violence” or “Suicide”….They just want to End Gun Ownership.
That’s why they use BS terms like “Gun Violence”, “Public Health Crisis”, and “Pandemic”…….
…Or Call themselves a “Gun Guy” while pushing “Common sense gun safety” (aka Gun Control).
Apr 03, 2020 @ 12:05:21
In 2018, the latest year for which we have reliable data, the number of homicides from stabbings was 1,718. The number of homicides from physical beatings (fists and clubs, etc.) was 254. The number of gun homicides was somewhere around 12,000. And by the wsy, I have never used or endorsed in any way ‘common-sense gun safety.”
Now as I have said many times, as long as you do not use profanity or personal insults, you are free to write anything on this website you would like, even when you make statements which have absolutely no relationship to the facts.
Of course the numbers I gave above came from the CDC. And we all know that everything they say is wrong because, after all, the CDC is just part of the Deep State trying to protect itself from Trump, right?
Apr 03, 2020 @ 12:07:04
Actuslly, gun homicides in 2018 were 13,956.
Apr 03, 2020 @ 13:15:30
2018 Deaths by Weapon type:
Stabbings
1700
“Personal weapons” (hands, fists, feet, etc.) 672
Blunt objects (clubs, hammers, etc.) 443
So….People Kicked, Punched, or Bludgeoned to Death Combined:
1,115
Rifles 297
Shotguns 235
“Other guns” 167
Which means: People killed By Rifles, Shotguns, and “Assault weapons” COMBINED:
Less than 700
Once again:
Why don’t we hear anything about the “Pandemic” of “Knife Violence” or “Foot, Fist, Club Violence”?????
Apr 04, 2020 @ 14:42:11
Less than 700? In 2018 the CDC recorded 13,956 deaths from shootings. What did the shooters use? Bow and arrow?
You say 700 people were killed with guns. Where do you get this number from?
Apr 04, 2020 @ 15:44:50
Same place you got YOUR information, and I LISTED THE DEATHS FROM LONG GUNS:
RIFLES 297
Shotguns 235
“Other Guns” (That fit into the category of Long Guns) 167
295+235+167=697
697 IS still LESS than 700, Correct?
….And the 700 People killed by ALL LONG GUNS COMBINED is LESS People than the 1700 Stabbed to Death, Correct?
700 people a year is ALSO LESS than the 1,115 People a year who are Punched, Kicked, or Bludgeoned to death…..
So..MY QUESTION (Which I’m sure you wont actually answer)
Why isn’t Stabbings considered a “Public Heath Crisis/Pandemic” or called “Knife Violence”…
…But LONG GUN DEATHS are apparently somehow So Horrifically “Common”, that Mike the “Gun Guy” Helped Gun Banners write a Law in Florida that would BAN ALL SEMIAUTOMATIC LONGUNS even though they only count for a PORTION of the LESS THAN 700 TOTAL LONG GUN DEATHS PER YEAR?
Seems like “Low hanging fruit” for someone like Mike (who says he’s not “FOR” Gun Control) to go after….Unless the Ultimate goal is NOT REALLY to “END VIOLENCE”, but ACTUALLY to END GUN OWNERSHIP….
Apr 03, 2020 @ 13:19:07
“by the way, I have never used or endorsed in any way ‘common-sense gun safety.”
-Mike the “Gun Guy”
….And neither has Bloomberg’s Gun Banners, or any of the other so called “Gun Safety” groups…..
That’s the Problem, and why no one believes them.
Apr 03, 2020 @ 13:43:35
“COMMON SENSE” GUN SAFETY:
Treat every gun as if it were loaded.
Always point your gun in a safe direction.
Never point your gun at anything you don’t intend to shoot.
Keep your finger off the trigger until your ready to shoot.
Be sure of your target and what’s beyond.
…Anyone else find it STRANGE that you CAN NOT FIND ANY ACTUAL INFORMATION ABOUT GUN SAFETY on any of these supposed “Gun Safety” sites?
Apr 04, 2020 @ 16:31:37
“over the entire month of March, the GVA says that 18 intentional gun deaths occurred in Philadelphia. This is twice as many gun suicides on a yearly basis as Philly recorded in all of 2017.”
“GUN SUICIDES”…..Another B.S. Buzzword like “GUN VIOLENCE”……
How many people in Philly offed themselves by Hanging, or Pills, or Slit their wrists in a Bathtub?
Mike and the “GVA” couldn’t tell you….because Gun Banners don’t actually CARE about SUICIDE, unless they can somehow tie it to the notion that “Guns ‘R Bad….Mkay”.
Same with “GUN VIOLENCE” which is mostly Gang and Crime related….
That’s probably why there’s no groups called “Moms Demand the Incarceration of Gangs and Criminals”, or “Everytown against Depression and Suicide”….
The only “Pandemic” they’re concerned with is “stopping the spread” of LAW ABIDING GUN OWNERSHIP and GUN CULTURE (which they try to confuse with Crime Culture).
Apr 04, 2020 @ 20:03:39
My data on gun deaths comes from the CDC. They do not break down guns into different types of guns. You say above that you got your data from the same place I got mine. Sorry, but that is simply not true. Want to try again to tell us all where your numbers come from? And once you explain where your numbers actually come from, I will be happy to answer your question about why I helped the folks in Florida with their attempt to ban assault rifles through a change in the state constitution.
Apr 05, 2020 @ 00:44:30
“Want to try again to tell us all where your numbers come from? And once you explain where your numbers actually come from, I will be happy to answer your question about why I helped the folks in Florida with their attempt to ban assault rifles through a change in the state constitution.”
I got my numbers the same place you did:
The Internet.
Your turn……
Apr 05, 2020 @ 07:51:58
You got them from the internet? I’ll give you one more chance, okay? My numbers come from the CDC, which happens to be the same government agency which gives us the daily COVID-19 numbers. Here’s the link to the injury numbers: https://www.cdc.gov/injury/wisqars/fatal.html. You want to give me the internet link to the numbers you have using in this discussion?
Apr 05, 2020 @ 18:19:43
My Numbers come from the F.B.I.
…..They’re ALSO a Government Agency.
https://www.fbi.gov/
Your Turn.
Why did a so called “Gun Guy” who’s supposedly “Niether For or against Gun Control” help Gun Banners write a law that GOES OUT OF ITS WAY to BAN not just “Assault Weapons”….But ALL SEMI-AUTOMATIC LONGUNS INCLUDING .22 Rimfire?
If its really about Ending “Violence”, and NOT about BANNING GUNS…why go after LONGUNS which contribute to less than 700 Deaths a Year, when Knives kill more than Double that number of people???
P.S.
They have a NEW “Saying” now:
If you want to make a Million dollars in the Gun Industry, Just have a Gun Banner tell people they “DON’T NEED” a gun….
“Law and Order fears for New York as nearly 10,000 NYPD and FDNY members call out sick amid rise in Burglaries as virus daily death toll doubles…”
-The Daily Mail
Apr 05, 2020 @ 18:59:36
Right. Knives kill more people than rifles or shotguns. But that’s not why I helped the people in Florida write the language of the AR ban. I helped them because I do not believe that we should give unlimited access to guns designed not for sporting use, but for military use. And the AR was and is designed for military use. The current model allows the trooper to set it either in 3-shot bursts or semi-auto fire. So when a trooper is in the field and sets his gun on semi-auto, is he now in battle with a sporting gun? And this may come as a great shock to you, but I am under no obligation to agree with your definition of what constitutes being pro-gun. Nor does this mean that I am any less supportive of people owning guns. I just don’t need to agree with everything the gun manufacturers want people to believe bout their guns. As to the story about how everyone is afraid of crime in cities where COVID-19 is so high? Actually in the last week intentional injuries involving gun use are way down, not up. Why? Because people are staying indoors and aren’t in the street. And most gun violence occurs randomly in the street.
Apr 05, 2020 @ 19:23:41
….So, Ruger and Marlin .22’s are made for “Military use”????
Because as I already said:
The law that YOU (a supposedly knowledgeable “Gun guy”) WROTE…
…GOES OUT OF ITS WAY to BAN not just “Assault Weapons”….
…But ALL SEMI-AUTOMATIC RIFLES AND SHOTGUNS IN EVERY CALIBER INCLUDING .22 RIMFIRE.
Apr 05, 2020 @ 20:07:42
….Another question I’m sure you probably won’t Answer:
You’ve mentioned before that YOU OWN AN AR-15…..
Maybe you could fill us all in on WHY YOU NEED ACCESS to a gun designed for “Military use”….
…And your background as a “Trooper in the Field” that gave you the “Expertise” in order to own such a dangerous and unusual weapon (that the law Abiding Citizens of Florida Apparently don’t possess)????
Apr 06, 2020 @ 06:33:18
I like to shoot the AR, okay? If a law was passed and I had to give it up, I would. Big deal. Sorry, but I don’t share your belief in the sacredness of the 2nd Amendment and if that makes me a bad guy and makes you a good guy, so what?
Nobody is requiring you to make comments on this website or even read it. You like what I say, fine. You don’t, that”s also fine. Think anyone cares? They don’t.
Stay safe.:
Apr 06, 2020 @ 09:58:37
The Fact that you feel strongly enough AGAINST the idea that THE PEOPLE OF FLORIDA should be “allowed” to own even a lowly. 22 Rimfire Semiautomatic, that YOU WROTE A LAW AGAINST IT…While YOU yourself CONTINUE TO OWN an AR-15, says all we need to know about YOUR DEFINITION of what constitutes being “Pro Gun”……(Not to mention the Fact that you never really answer any of the questions I asked).
…Anyone who reads your answers to the above exchange will be able to clearly see that…
Maybe you should Consider changing your name to:
Mike The “Guns for Me, But Not for Thee…Guy”
…At least that would be Honest.
Apr 06, 2020 @ 10:57:33
Excuse me, but I don’t need to behave or even think in any way that you would consider to be honest, okay? You want to have a serious exchange of views about anything related to guns? That’s fine. You just want to rant and rave about how dishonest I am, go right ahead. Just remember, no profanity and no insults.
I’ll write whatever I want to write. It’s my website, remember? And I don’t have to pass a purity test run by you or anyone else. You seem to feel that I have no right to call myself a ‘gun guy’ because I don’t agree with you. Good for you. And by the way, I happen to own ‘Mike the Gun Guy’ as a copyright which is registered with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, so you can feel offended by it all you want. The copyright runs out in 2035. Who knows? Maybe I’ll still be around to renew it.
Apr 07, 2020 @ 00:07:29
Score:
Mike, 1
Yuppicide76, 6
Apr 07, 2020 @ 10:20:20
Rest of the readers of this blog 0
Apr 07, 2020 @ 12:58:30
(If it were up to Mike) Every Law Abiding Citizen of Florida who owns a Semiautomatic long gun…
-1
Quote of the Day: Mike “The Gun Guy” Weisser | Weer'd World
Apr 07, 2020 @ 10:55:11