'NRA: Practice Range' Video Game Undeservedly Takes Heat From Critics

The NRA is making headlines again, this time for releasing a new video game aimed at iPhone and the iPad mobile devices.

The game, NRA: Practice Range, is styled as a first-person shooter game that teaches players who to shoot targets at a shooting range.  Players fire a variety of handguns and rifles at stationary targets and earn points for accuracy. CNN noted: "The game is free, although for 99 cents, players can upgrade their firearms and 'unlock' an MK11 sniper rifle. The game includes a handful of tips on gun safety." Former Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich, himself no stranger to controversy, defended the game on CBS This Morning saying, "My understanding is that it's a gun safety app, and it's for young hunters to learn gun safety ... But I would just recommend that people watch the entire app before they render judgment."

Video game designer and theorist Ian Bogost, professor of interactive computing at the Georgia Institute of Technology, said: "The NRA blamed violent media instead of gun ownership for the tragedy, singling out video games in particular. But from the NRA's perspective, the practice range game is not a violent game. The player only discharges firearms at paper and clay targets. For the NRA, it offers a model of responsible gun use,"

In case people haven't noticed, most first person shooter video games are quite violent ... even many designed for mobile platforms. For instance, IGNentertainment's Frontline Commando features blood spray and splatter and allows players to engage enemies with "head shots" or to target a shot to the head.

By comparison, NRA: Practice Range is not only quite tame in gameplay, but the graphics are quite dated (the late-80's called, they want their game back).



Once again, it seems that it's not a matter so much of what was done (or said) as who did (or said) it, and criticism of the NRA in this case is largely due to the fact the NRA's name is on the game.

By Matt MacBradaigh. Matt is a Christian, Husband, Father, Patriot, and Conservative from the Pacific Northwest. Matt writes about the Second Amendment, Gun Control, Gun Rights, and Gun Policy issues and is published on The Bell Towers, The Brenner Brief, PolicyMic. TavernKeepers, and Vocativ.

Follow Me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/2AFight  

Follow Me on Facebook:   https://www.facebook.com/2ndAmendmentFight
 

This  article was originally published on PolicyMic. (Original publication:  January 16, 2013).

Gun Control Facts: Existing Gun Laws Would Reduce Crime, But These Are Not Enforced

The Obama administration has failed in gun control because it has failed to enforce existing gun laws.

In 2007, candidate Barack Obama said, "We know what to do. We've got to enforce the gun laws that are on the books." He also alluded to cracking down on straw man purchasers and "unscrupulous gun dealers." He continued to reiterate this view on the campaign trail in 2008, including calls for stronger background checks. When President Obama addressed the people of Newtown, he asked, "can we honestly say that we're doing enough?" and answered, "If we're honest with ourselves, the answer's no. We're not doing enough," adding, "surely we can do better than this ... if there's even one step we can take to save another [life] … then surely we have an obligation to try."

But President Obama has apparently forgotten the words of candidate Obama. President Obama would have to look no further than a mirror to see who is responsible for not doing "better than this." Strong enforcement of existing gun laws has not been a priority. CNN's John Avlon writes, "before the Newtown shootings, the Obama administration had not made enforcement of existing guns laws a political or policy priority" and cites Arkadi Gerney, an adviser to New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg on illegal guns from 2006-11 who said, "during the Clinton administration there were efforts to fully enforce the gun laws we have."

Failing to fund NICS
During the Obama administration, Congress has failed to provide the necessary funding for the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). NICS is the database checked during gun purchases to ensure individuals with criminal records & mental illness aren't allowed to purchase guns. In 2007, Congress passed the NICS Improvement Amendments Act, which created incentives for states to improve the reporting of mental health information into background check system. Yet many states have made little or no progress reporting largely because Congress failed to follow through with funding, granting just 5.3% of the total authorized amount from FY 2009 through FY 2011

Ensuring, for example, that NICS has the mental health data that includes documentation of whether an individual has been involuntarily committed, has strong bipartisan support. Yet state reporting of such data has a long way to go; 19 states have provided fewer than 100 records of individuals disqualified on mental health grounds since the implementation of NICS in the early 1990s. This should be a "no-brainer." A poll released in January 2010 showed 90% of gun owners’ support addressing such gaps. This is a prime example of not enforcing the existing laws, which candidate Obama said we need to do. This is where the administration is failing to "do enough."

Prosecute people who falsify background check information
The Obama Administration Justice Department is also not strongly enforcing prosecutions of people who falsify information on their gun background checks. The FBI reported 71,000 instances of people lying on their background checks to buy guns in 2009. But the Justice Department prosecuted a mere 77 cases, or a fraction of 1%.

There's no good reason to not enforce this law and prosecute violators. This also has strong support, with 99% of non-NRA member gun owners and 95% of NRA members expressing support for punishing traffickers to the full extent of the law. This is another area where the Obama Administration can "do better."

The irony is that gun rights advocates have argued for years that it's not that more gun laws are needed, but that the existing laws need to be better enforced. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) said, "gun-rights activists [have] been saying for years and years [that] the existing laws should be enforced more effectively and proactively." In line with that, the NRA backed the 2007 NICS Improvement Amendments Act that President Bush signed into law.

Straw Man purchases & Illegal gun trafficking
Another area the Obama administration could enforce existing laws is prosecuting straw man purchases and illegal gun trafficking. The FBI states gangs engage in illegal guns trafficking (as well as narcotics). The ATF defines straw man as using another person to acquire a firearm specifically when the end user is prohibited from acquiring the firearm. "That is to say, the actual purchaser is a felon or is within one of the other prohibited categories of persons who may not lawfully acquire firearms." The straw purchaser violates federal law by making false statements on Form 4473.

Enforcing these existing laws is "common sense" and should be the "common sense" measures pursued, but President Obama has failed to take action. As noted in my previous article, rifles – which include bolt-action, semi-automatic, and so-called "assault rifles" - account for roughly 350 homicides that last few reported years (2.55-2.75% of homicides). Handguns account for nearly half of all homicides, or 6,009 out of 12,996 in 2010 (46%)and 6,501 out of 13,752 in 2009 (47%). Note that when candidate Obama referenced enforcing the current laws, he mentioned both mass shootings like Virginia Tech (in which the shooter was diagnosed with mental illness, but this information was not put into NICS in a timely manner, thereby allowing the shooter to buy guns legally) and less-sensational street crime, citing children "gunned down" in Chicago.

President Obama addressing the people of Newtown said, "are we really prepared to say that we're powerless in the face of such carnage?" President Obama is not in fact powerless to make enforcement a priority. If he is serious about reducing crime, homicides and the mentally ill from obtaining weapons, then enforcement of these laws should be a priority.

By Matt MacBradaigh. Matt is a Christian, Husband, Father, Patriot, and Conservative from the Pacific Northwest. Matt writes about the Second Amendment, Gun Control, Gun Rights, and Gun Policy issues and is published on The Bell Towers, The Brenner Brief, PolicyMic. TavernKeepers, and Vocativ.

Follow Me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/2AFight  

Follow Me on Facebook:   https://www.facebook.com/2ndAmendmentFight
 

This article was originally published on PolicyMic. (Original publication: January 14, 2013). 

Existing Gun Laws Would Reduce Crime, But Are Not Enforced

by Matt MacBradaigh | Jan 14, 2013 | Gun Control Facts | 0 comments

The Obama administration has failed in gun control because it has failed to enforce existing gun laws.

In 2007, candidate Barack Obama said, “We know what to do. We’ve got to enforce the gun laws that are on the books.” He also alluded to cracking down on straw man purchasers and “unscrupulous gun dealers.” He continued to reiterate this view on the campaign trail in 2008, including calls for stronger background checks. When President Obama addressed the people of Newtown, he asked, “can we honestly say that we’re doing enough?” and answered, “If we’re honest with ourselves, the answer’s no. We’re not doing enough,” adding, “surely we can do better than this … if there’s even one step we can take to save another [life] … then surely we have an obligation to try”

But President Obama has apparently forgotten the words of candidate Obama. President Obama would have to look no further than a mirror to see who is responsible for not doing “better than this.” Strong enforcement of existing gun laws has not been a priority. CNN’s John Avlon writes, “before the Newtown shootings, the Obama administration had not made enforcement of existing guns laws a political or policy priority” and cites Arkadi Gerney, an adviser to New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg on illegal guns from 2006-11 who said, “during the Clinton administration there were efforts to fully enforce the gun laws we have.”

Failing to fund NICS

During the Obama administration, Congress has failed to provide the necessary funding for the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). NICS is the database checked during gun purchases to ensure individuals with criminal records & mental illness aren’t allowed to purchase guns. In 2007, Congress passed the NICS Improvement Amendments Act, which created incentives for states to improve the reporting of mental health information into background check system. Yet many states have made little or no progress reporting largely because Congress failed to follow through with funding, granting just 5.3% of the total authorized amount from FY 2009 through FY 2011

Ensuring, for example, that NICS has the mental health data that includes documentation of whether an individual has been involuntarily committed, has strong bipartisan support. Yet state reporting of such data has a long way to go; 19 states have provided fewer than 100 records of individuals disqualified on mental health grounds since the implementation of NICS in the early 1990s. This should be a “no-brainer.” A poll released in January 2010 showed 90% of gun owners’ support addressing such gaps. This is a prime example of not enforcing the existing laws, which candidate Obama said we need to do. This is where the administration is failing to “do enough.”

Prosecute people who falsify background check information

The Obama Administration Justice Department is also not strongly enforcing prosecutions of people who falsify information on their gun background checks. The FBI reported 71,000 instances of people lying on their background checks to buy guns in 2009. But the Justice Department prosecuted a mere 77 cases, or a fraction of 1%.

There’s no good reason to not enforce this law and prosecute violators. This also has strong support, with 99% of non-NRA member gun owners and 95% of NRA members expressing support for punishing traffickers to the full extent of the law. This is another area where the Obama Administration can “do better.”

The irony is that gun rights advocates have argued for years that it’s not that more gun laws are needed, but that the existing laws need to be better enforced. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) said, “gun-rights activists [have] been saying for years and years [that] the existing laws should be enforced more effectively and proactively.” In line with that, the NRA backed the 2007 NICS Improvement Amendments Act that President Bush signed into law.

Straw Man purchases & Illegal gun trafficking
Another area the Obama administration could enforce existing laws is prosecuting straw man purchases and illegal gun trafficking. The FBI states gangs engage in illegal guns trafficking (as well as narcotics). The ATF defines straw man as using another person to acquire a firearm specifically when the end user is prohibited from acquiring the firearm. “That is to say, the actual purchaser is a felon or is within one of the other prohibited categories of persons who may not lawfully acquire firearms.” The straw purchaser violates federal law by making false statements on Form 4473.

Enforcing these existing laws is “common sense” and should be the “common sense” measures pursued, but President Obama has failed to take action. As noted in my previous article, rifles – which include bolt-action, semi-automatic, and so-called “assault rifles” – account for roughly 350 homicides that last few reported years (2.55-2.75% of homicides). Handguns account for nearly half of all homicides, or 6,009 out of 12,996 in 2010 (46%)and 6,501 out of 13,752 in 2009 (47%). Note that when candidate Obama referenced enforcing the current laws, he mentioned both mass shootings like Virginia Tech (in which the shooter was diagnosed with mental illness, but this information was not put into NICS in a timely manner, thereby allowing the shooter to buy guns legally) and less-sensational street crime, citing children “gunned down” in Chicago.

President Obama addressing the people of Newtown said, “are we really prepared to say that we’re powerless in the face of such carnage?” President Obama is not in fact powerless to make enforcement a priority. If he is serious about reducing crime, homicides and the mentally ill from obtaining weapons, then enforcement of these laws should be a priority.

This article was originally published on PolicyMic.com, now Mic.com. Original publish date Jan 14, 2013. Original author, Matt MacBradaigh.

Massive media publicity over mass shootings in the last year have brought gun control back to the forefront in the U.S. Banning so-called "assault weapons" and "high capacity" magazines are all the rage. Calls have been made for an honest national dialogue that puts every option on the table. An honest conversation ought to look at as complete of a picture as possible so we can correctly assess "just how big of an issue is it?"

To adequately evaluate this question, we should examine how many homicides there are in the U.S. overall, compared to homicides from firearms (handguns, rifles, shotguns), compared to homicides from rifles only (in which so-called "assault rifles" would fall), and homicides that occur in mass shootings. We ought to further compare homicides to other causes of death to get a comparative indication of the magnitude of each compared to other public health risks that cause death in the U.S. This will help us understand the relative significance of the issue.

Total U.S. homicides: The total number of homicides in the U.S., reported by the FBI, is about 12,000-13,000 annually. Generally, this has trended downward since the early 1990s and 1980s, which saw several years with homicides ranging from 21,000-24,000 homicides. In 2010, the last year available, the number was 12,996. In 2009, it was 13,752.

Firearm homicides: Out of the total homicides, about 2/3 are committed with firearms, 1/3 from other causes. We'll look at both. In 2010, firearm homicides were 8,775, or 67.5% of all homicides. In 2009, the number was 9,199, or 66.8% of all homicides.

Rifle homicides: The FBI reports the total number of rifle homicides is about 350 annually the last couple of years. This includes bolt-action rifles, as well as semi-automatic rifles and so-called "assault rifles." There is a separate category for shotguns, so they are not included in this number. In 2010, the number of rifle homicides was 358, or 2.75% of all homicides. In 2009, the number was 351, or 2.55% of all homicides.

Mass shooting homicides: Pop-media classification of "mass murder" varies. For instance, CNN's Piers Morgan and The Nation cite shootings in which only 1 or 2 homicides occur. However, the FBI defines mass murder as 4 or more killed.
In 2012, there were either 81 or 88 murdered in mass shootings, depending on your source. Less than 100 no matter, which source, is used. So if we assume high at 100 homicides from mass murder and assume low at 12,000 annual homicides that means that mass murders account for 0.0083 of all homicides, or a fraction of 1%.

Personal weapon homicides: FBI data shows that "personal" weapon homicides, which is defined by hands/feet (beating someone to death) are 7-800 annually. In 2010, it was 745; in 2009, 817. This is more than double all rifle homicides. It is more than 7 or 8 times the number of mass murder homicides.

Compared to other causes of death — public health & safety issues:

Motor vehicle deaths: There are between 32-42,000 deaths from vehicle collisions every year. This dwarfs both homicides firearm homicides easily. When compared just to rifle homicides at ~ 350, motor vehicle deaths is massive & rifle homicides is minuscule.

Unintentional injury deaths: The Center for Disease Control (CDC) reported 118,021 accidental deaths in 2009, the last year reported. Compared to this mass murder again appears relatively insignificant in terms of loss of life and public health concern.

Accidental fall deaths: 2009 saw 24,792 accidental fall deaths. This accounts for 247 times the number of mass murder deaths.

Others reported by CDC:
Drug-induced deaths - 39,147
Alcohol-induced deaths - 24,518
Accidental poisoning - 31,758

Choking: There are approximately 4,600 choking deaths every year. That's 46 times the number of mass murder deaths. Children's choking deaths number 1825, or more than 18 times the total number of mass murder deaths.

Bambi: According to the Insurance Journal, 200 people were killed by hitting deer with their cars. That's more than double the number of mass murder deaths.

These cited statistics provide a mountain of data from credible sources that clearly provides a good comparison by which we can evaluate mass murder homicides within a complete picture of U.S. homicides as well as provide a means to compare homicides and mass murder to other causes of death that affect public health and safety concerns.

When you evaluate the broader picture of public health causes of death, and even within homicides as its own category, mass murder looks pretty insignificant.

By Matt MacBradaigh. Matt is a Christian, Husband, Father, Patriot, and Conservative from the Pacific Northwest. Matt writes about the Second Amendment, Gun Control, Gun Rights, and Gun Policy issues and is published on The Bell Towers, The Brenner Brief, PolicyMic. TavernKeepers, and Vocativ.

Follow Me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/2AFight  

Follow Me on Facebook:   https://www.facebook.com/2ndAmendmentFight
 

This article was originally published on PolicyMic. (Original publication: January 12, 2013). 

Mass Shootings Are Responsible For Less than 100 Out of 12,000 Annual Homicides in the U.S.

by Matt MacBradaigh | Jan 12, 2013 | Gun Control Facts | 1 comment

Massive media publicity over mass shootings in the last year have brought gun control back to the forefront in the U.S. Banning so-called “assault weapons” and “high capacity” magazines are all the rage. Calls have been made for an honest national dialogue that puts every option on the table. An honest conversation ought to look at as complete of a picture as possible so we can correctly assess “just how big of an issue is it?”

To adequately evaluate this question, we should examine how many homicides there are in the U.S. overall, compared to homicides from firearms (handguns, rifles, shotguns), compared to homicides from rifles only (in which so-called “assault rifles” would fall), and homicides that occur in mass shootings. We ought to further compare homicides to other causes of death to get a comparative indication of the magnitude of each compared to other public health risks that cause death in the U.S. This will help us understand the relative significance of the issue.

Total U.S. homicides: The total number of homicides in the U.S., reported by the FBI, is about 12,000-13,000 annually. Generally, this has trended downward since the early 1990s and 1980s, which saw several years with homicides ranging from 21,000-24,000 homicides. In 2010, the last year available, the number was 12,996. In 2009, it was 13,752.

Firearm homicides: Out of the total homicides, about 2/3 are committed with firearms, 1/3 from other causes. We’ll look at both. In 2010, firearm homicides were 8,775, or 67.5% of all homicides. In 2009, the number was 9,199, or 66.8% of all homicides.

Rifle homicides: The FBI reports the total number of rifle homicides is about 350 annually the last couple of years. This includes bolt-action rifles, as well as semi-automatic rifles and so-called “assault rifles.” There is a separate category for shotguns, so they are not included in this number. In 2010, the number of rifle homicides was 358, or 2.75% of all homicides. In 2009, the number was 351, or 2.55% of all homicides.

Mass shooting homicides: Pop-media classification of “mass murder” varies. For instance, CNN’s Piers Morgan and The Nation cite shootings in which only 1 or 2 homicides occur. However, the FBI defines mass murder as 4 or more killed.

In 2012, there were either 81 or 88 murdered in mass shootings, depending on your source. Less than 100 no matter, which source, is used. So if we assume high at 100 homicides from mass murder and assume low at 12,000 annual homicides that means that mass murders account for 0.0083 of all homicides, or a fraction of 1%.

Personal weapon homicides: FBI data shows that “personal” weapon homicides, which is defined by hands/feet (beating someone to death) are 7-800 annually. In 2010, it was 745; in 2009, 817. This is more than double all rifle homicides. It is more than 7 or 8 times the number of mass murder homicides.

Compared to other causes of death — public health & safety issues:

Motor vehicle deaths: There are between 32-42,000 deaths from vehicle collisions every year. This dwarfs both homicides firearm homicides easily. When compared just to rifle homicides at ~ 350, motor vehicle deaths is massive & rifle homicides is minuscule.

Unintentional injury deaths: The Center for Disease Control (CDC) reported 118,021 accidental deaths in 2009, the last year reported. Compared to this mass murder again appears relatively insignificant in terms of loss of life and public health concern.

Accidental fall deaths: 2009 saw 24,792 accidental fall deaths. This accounts for 247 times the number of mass murder deaths.

Others reported by CDC:

Drug-induced deaths – 39,147
Alcohol-induced deaths – 24,518
Accidental poisoning – 31,758

Choking: There are approximately 4,600 choking deaths every year. That’s 46 times the number of mass murder deaths. Children’s choking deaths number 1825, or more than 18 times the total number of mass murder deaths.

Bambi: According to the Insurance Journal, 200 people were killed by hitting deer with their cars. That’s more than double the number of mass murder deaths.

These cited statistics provide a mountain of data from credible sources that clearly provides a good comparison by which we can evaluate mass murder homicides within a complete picture of U.S. homicides as well as provide a means to compare homicides and mass murder to other causes of death that affect public health and safety concerns.

When you evaluate the broader picture of public health causes of death, and even within homicides as its own category, mass murder looks pretty insignificant.

This article was originally published on PolicyMic.com, now Mic.com. Original author, Matt MacBradaigh. Original publish date Jan 12, 2013.

Violent Crime Involving a Gun - official Dept. of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics data

The Department of Justice tracks crime statistics through the FBI and the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS). The BJS crime data shows that violent crime with a gun for non-fatal incidents is less than 10%, or less than 1 out of every 10 violent crimes. Stated another way, this means that 9 out of 10 violent crimes is committed without any firearm.

Update, 7/18/2013: The webpage for data at a glance on the BJS site ( http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/content/glance/percentfirearm.cfm ) states it is being updated for summer of 2013. So the chart isn't currently showing at the moment.

However, the BJS page, "Firearm Violence 1993-2011" clearly states "less than 10% of all nonfatal violent crime from 1993 to 2011."

The FBI tracks homicides, or depending on the the table your viewing, it is sometimes called homicides and non-negligent manslaughter. The FBI data shows about 9,000 homicides annually with a firearm. FBI shows 1.2 million incidents of violent crime in the U.S. for 2011.

By Matt MacBradaigh. Matt is a Christian, Husband, Father, Patriot, and Conservative from the Pacific Northwest. Matt writes about the Second Amendment, Gun Control, Gun Rights, and Gun Policy issues and is published on The Bell Towers, The Brenner Brief, PolicyMic. TavernKeepers, and Vocativ.

Follow Me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/2AFight  

Follow Me on Facebook:   https://www.facebook.com/2ndAmendmentFight
 

International Suicide & Homicide rates - U.S. vs European nations

This chart is found in the Harvard Journal of Law & Public Policy Vol, 30, Spring 2007 (pp. 687-688).

Direct Link to PDF: http://www.law.harvard.edu/students/orgs/jlpp/Vol30_No2_KatesMauseronline.pdf
 

By Matt MacBradaigh. Matt is a Christian, Husband, Father, Patriot, and Conservative from the Pacific Northwest. Matt writes about the Second Amendment, Gun Control, Gun Rights, and Gun Policy issues and is published on The Bell Towers, The Brenner Brief, PolicyMic. TavernKeepers, and Vocativ.

Follow Me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/2AFight  

Follow Me on Facebook:   https://www.facebook.com/2ndAmendmentFight