BAD: NYT Sunday opinion

[DaveH]

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/06/su...ling.html?_r=0

More Guns = More Killing

By ELISABETH ROSENTHAL

Published: January 5, 2013

IN the wake of the tragic shooting deaths at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., last month, the National Rifle Association proposed that the best way to protect schoolchildren was to place a guard — a “good guy with a gun” — in every school, part of a so-called National School Shield Emergency Response Program.

Indeed, the N.R.A.’s solution to the expansion of gun violence in America has been generally to advocate for the more widespread deployment and carrying of guns.

I recently visited some Latin American countries that mesh with the N.R.A.’s vision of the promised land, where guards with guns grace every office lobby, storefront, A.T.M., restaurant and gas station. It has not made those countries safer or saner.

Despite the ubiquitous presence of “good guys” with guns, countries like Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Colombia and Venezuela have some of the highest homicide rates in the world.

“A society that is relying on guys with guns to stop violence is a sign of a society where institutions have broken down,” said Rebecca Peters, former director of the International Action Network on Small Arms. “It’s shocking to hear anyone in the United States considering a solution that would make it seem more like Colombia.”

As guns proliferate, legally and illegally, innocent people often seem more terrorized than protected.

SNIP

Talk about totally ignoring all the socioeconomic variables and seeing only what you want to see.

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[DefensiveCarry.com]

[HotGuns]

Entertainingly clueless.

[OPFOR]

Most of those countries (and I have served in several of them) have near-total bans on private gun ownership. And yet, as the author admits, they still have some of the highest murder (and other violent crime) rates in the world. Funny (or not) how she equates armed guards with high murder rates...by her reasoning, just being around an armored car should be the most dangerous place on the planet...

[DaveH]

most of those countries (and i have served in several of them) have near-total bans on private gun ownership. And yet, as the author admits, they still have some of the highest murder (and other violent crime) rates in the world. Funny (or not) how she equates armed guards with high murder rates...by her reasoning, just being around an armored car should be the most dangerous place on the planet...

Yup! BTDT

[chuckusaret]

Yep, clueless. Palm Beach County Florida has had a school police department with officers assigned full time at most schools an part time at others since 1975. Our schools have been free of violence.

[PEF]

She overlooked Mexico and its restrictive gun laws. I'm sure she'll revise her opinion once she realized this.

[kapnketel]

Its the New York Times for cryin' out loud. What would you expect? For a more balanced view you could read Pravda or TASS!

[Jetfuelrm]

The New York Times to me means nothing never balanced or informative. Someone correct me if I am wrong but in the article the Latin America countries mentioned can the citizens have firearms or not? I would venture to say no but I may be wrong just curious.

[txron]

Its the New York Times for cryin' out loud. What would you expect? For a more balanced view you could read Pravda or TASS!

My thoughts exactly. Even before I read the article I knew what it was going to say.

[1MoreGoodGuy]

Not even worth my time.

[JDE101]

The main reason for reading the NYT is to "know your enemy"! You won't get any "news" about guns--only biased anti-gun propoganda from the left leaning liberal media!

[Clodbert]

More guns associates with more killing? Where's your reference? Your data? And just so we're clear: guns are what causes the killing? You're sure about that? What a brilliant assessment! This relevatory article must be why the New York Times pays this writer the big bucks!

On a side note: I scrolled down and to my chagrin I saw that this writer is described as a "science reporter." She's also a physician. Scary that someone could be so obviously intelligent but make such an abecedarian mistake in confusing correlation (if there even is a correlation between firearms and gun violence) with causation.

[JasonJ]

and how do these people sleep at night? you all know as well as I do that they KNOW good and well what theyre doing.. the NYT and NBC and all those media outlets, they know darn well that they are ignoring key facts and warping the truth to fit their agenda and the socialist big govt views of the party they serve... they KNOW IT! Purposefully confusing and misleading the American people..

sad and ridiculous.

[sigs]

Gee, NYT with a bad opinion. Don't recall them ever having a good one.