Local opinion: A fact-based approach to gun regulation

and analysis of the writer:

I was hopeful to hear the Department of Justice was finally looking at limiting gun ownership until I saw it was only trans people being targeted based on the one Minneapolis shooter. If the DOJ truly cared about public safety, it would set aside its prejudices and use the FBI database to make policy decisions regarding guns. Per the FBI 2024 database:

74.2% of homicides were caused by guns.

87.6% of the known murder offenders were men; only 12.3% were women.

69% of homicides are caused by men under 40 years old

76% of homicide victims were male

74.1% of homicide victims died by gun

Of the 19,000+ gun deaths, only 726 were justified; 344 by law officers and 382 by private parties. A success rate of 3.7% is not a strong indicator that owning a gun provides protection. When compared to 25,000+ suicides in the home, guns offer no protection from families losing a loved one.

One gender is both the main perpetrator and victim of gun violence. But wait, there’s more. Years ago, Congress limited the ability of the Center of Disease Control to collect comprehensive data on gun deaths. It now takes multiple sources beyond the FBI, to get a full picture of gun violence. You also need organizations like The Pew Foundation, The Giffords Center, the Gun Violence Archive, the Anti-Defamation League and Everytown USA to get a full picture of gun violence in the United States. More facts:

In 2024 there were 46,728 gun-deaths of which 19,135 were murders and 25,613 were suicides.

There were 659 mass shootings with 722 deaths.

98% of mass shootings were perpetrated by men; 1.9% by women and .1% by trans people

75% of extremist-related murders were by right-wing groups; 4% by left-wing extremists

Guns are the No. 1 cause of death for children, eclipsing traffic accidents

Unlike adult statistics where suicides represent 56% of gun deaths, 61% of children were murdered by guns.

Every week, 70 women die at the hands of a gun-wielding domestic partner.

Every week, approximately eight police officers are killed or wounded by a gun carrying perp.

Every week, there are 13 murder/suicides, often including children.

What is clear from all this data: Guns don’t kill people; men with guns kill a lot of people.

Over 61% of Americans believe guns are too easy to obtain, and 58% favor stricter laws. The Rand Corporation has an extensive report showing the gun laws that work; particularly those that keep guns away from children. However, only 28% of Republicans support stricter gun laws. The divide is also gender based: just 51% of men favor some regulation while 64% of women do.

Beyond the death toll, men with guns are threatening our ability to speak freely without fear of assassination. If elected officials insist on protecting guns at least give our free speech some protection from suppression and death. Minimize the death count by banning men from owning guns. It will save tens of thousands of lives and protect the 1st amendment from the NRA’s anything goes interpretation of the 2nd. Only women have proven to be responsible gun owners. Only women should be allowed to own guns.