#188

How the fuck else will we know the value of money?

1 Like
#189

They spend less than $4M a year lobbying. It’s insane that they’re influencing anyone’s decision-making in congress/senate. That’s what, ~1 cent’s worth of lobbying per US citizen…

1 Like
#190

I imagine it’s smartly targeted, not just in senate and congress seats but lower down the power structures, to prop up and inoculate all those that enter it. And they do it in the right places, where gun advocates live and “have concerns” and they can push their agenda all the more effectively. Their membership is committed to the cause and advocates on their behalf.

The other thing they’re good at is PR. They make sure that they have spokespeople out after any shooting like this to “give balance” on these stories and have talking heads set out all their pre-approved talking points. Last night there was a representative of the Students for Concealed Carrying group on Newsnight…

1 Like
#191

I found this thread very good:

https://twitter.com/LanaDelRaytheon/status/915372139708125190

3 Likes
#192

Do we know if anything obvious happened in the 90s to cause that noticable drop in the middle of the decade?

(a general question, not directed specifically at you!)

#193

Britpop

23 Likes
#194

Doesn’t seem to be any one thing (but mainly Britpop)

2 Likes
#195

the most interesting thing there is the effect of lead in petrol!

2 Likes
#196

Isn’t this the crime drop that the authors of Freakonomics tried to explain as being due to abortion?- http://freakonomics.com/2006/03/16/lets-do-the-crime-drop-again/

2 Likes
#197

I’ve not read the whole thread but it is worth noting that the biggest impact Australia’s gun buy back in the John Howard era had was reducing suicides. I believe it reduced suicide by gun more than it reduced homicide by gun and also there wasn’t a comparative increase in other types of suicide to make up for the drop off. Availability of guns statistically makes suicide more likely.

#198

Nope

The reason I’m writing this post at this late date, and the reason I’m encouraging anyone who’s interested in the subject to read the “Understanding” paper linked above, is that a lot of the discussion about Freakonomics implies that legalized abortion alone has been responsible for the drop in crime, and that all other explanations are baloney. This, however, is not remotely the argument that our book puts forth.

1 Like
#199

For a bit of levity… the replies to this tweet are pretty great

https://twitter.com/man_in_radiator/status/915038849281220608

8 Likes
#200

thoroughly deserved response!

#201

That is fucking hilarious.

1 Like
#202

They’ve also got a huge membership and they’re very good at mobilising them, and for the vast majority it’s the only issue that matters, so it’s perceived to be politically disastrous for anyone at any level advocating gun control in certain areas, as they’ll just back whichever candidate isn’t calling for that. Whether that’s true or not’s open to debate, but it seems to make a difference.

#203

Sorry, I’ve just repeated your first paragraph really, haven’t I? Only really read the second one.

#204

That’ll teach me to skim-read

#205

you know all these acid attacks that have been in the news?

there’s talk of banning sales to under 18’s what we really need is more acid

[/satire]

#206

I think they’ve deleted the tweet now

#207