Facts About Guns

The sad truth is that the overwhelming majority of the “facts” used to argue for more gun control laws are almost always untrue. And if not completely untrue, they’re frequently twisted to the point where they’re no longer accurate or are egregiously misleading.
In an attempt to comb through the massive body of work that TTAG has done on the topic and tease out some of the more relevant articles to correct the most common misconceptions about guns, we’ve tried to make this page a simple and usable reference tool to quickly and easily look up relevant information. Think of it as a vast repository of the truth about guns.

General Information

• Guns and Violence in the United States, By the Numbers
  If you only read one fact-filled article showing that guns don’t cause murders and there is no such thing as a “gun violence epidemic,” this would be the one.
• Shooting Tracker: Do they even care about facts?
  The Shooting Tracker is a website that claims to document all mass shootings in the US. We take a look at their data and try to see if they are even sticking to their own rules and presenting factual data. Spoiler warning: they don’t.
• Why People Are Over-Reacting to the Midnight Movie Massacre (Mathematically Speaking)
  A quick overview of why people over-react to events that are statistically improbable. Like mass shootings, and airplane crashes.
• Comparing Cars and Guns is Misleading and Irrelevant
  People love comparing gun ownership to car ownership. But is that a valid comparison? Bruce doesn’t think so.
• Debunking the “No One Wants to Take Your Guns” Myth
  I’ve heard time and again people claiming that “no one wants to take your guns.” But, in reality, that simply isn’t true anymore. And the new laws in New York prove the point.
• A Big List of People Who Have Stated They Want to Ban Guns
  “No one wants to take your guns,” eh? Well, these people said so. On the record, even.
• Debunking Ari Melber’s Anti-Gun Hissy Fit
  It’s always interesting to see the argument of those in favor of civilian disarmament, and rip it to shreds from a logical perspective.
• Debunking Moms Demand Action’s Twitter “Facts”
  It should be noted that any time an organization refuses to cite their sources, there’s a high probability they made it all up. In this article, Nick Leghorn proves it.
• Support for Stricter Gun Regulations Drops to 49%
  Remember that line about “most Americans” wanting gun control? Yeah, that’s totally not true.
• Are Smart Guns Actually Smart?
  Mike McDaniel takes a look at so-called “smart guns” and whether they would do anything to solve the “gun violence” problem gun control advocates are always talking about.
• Debunking Mother Jones’ ’10 Pro-Gun Myths, Shot Down’
  Nick takes a crack at some of the myths gun control activists use to discredit gun owners.
• Guns Flow Into UK Despite Strict Laws; US Crime at Historic Lows as Civilian Gun Ownership Soars

Armed Teachers and School Staff

• TTAG Simulated School Shooting Experiment — Results and Analysis
  Preliminary results from an attempt to determine how effective armed teachers or guards would be at stopping an active shooter in a school.

“Armor Piercing” AKA Hollow Point Bullets

• The Truth About M855 5.56 NATO Ammunition
  The Obama White House has stated that M855 ammunition poses a specific and unique threat to police officers due to the composition of the projectile. We examine that statement, and look at the history of M855 ammo.
• Proof: Hollow Point Bullets ARE NOT “Armor Piercing
  Nick takes a Level II bulletproof vest and tests it against both round nose and hollow point ammunition of the highest caliber it is rated to withstand, and fails to penetrate the vest. QED hollow points ARE NOT armor-piercing. Video included.

Assault Weapons and Assault Weapon Bans

• The Truth About Assault Weapons and Assault Weapons Bans
  Where does the word “assault weapon” come from? What are “assault weapons” as defined by the proposed laws? And how often are they really used in crimes?
• Media Matters (Wrongly) Thinks Cosmetic Differences Matter for an Assault Weapons Ban
  Most “assault weapon” ban legislation defines such firearms based on cosmetic features. But, in reality, those features don’t make a gun any more or less deadly. In other words, AWBs are useless.
• The Truth About Assault Weapons Website
  A useful website for more information about “assault weapons.”
• National Academy Study: Obama, Dems Wrong On AWB, Gun Control
  As independent as it gets, this study by the National Academies (ordered by Barack Obama) shows that an assault weapons ban won’t reduce crime, that crime is on the decline, and that defensive gun uses are frequent and effective.

Concealed Carry Permit Holders

• NY Times Proves CCL Holders More Law-Abiding Than the Population. Unintentionally.
  Are concealed carry holders more likely to commit crimes and murders than the normal population? Survey says: nope.

Defensive Gun Use vs. Murder Rate

• The Costs and Benefits of the Second Amendment – Without the Benefits
  A journalist tries to do a “cost benefit analysis” of the second amendment, and fails to include the “benefit” section properly. A good overview of how guns in civilian hands benefit society.
• Gun Death Epidemic? What Gun Death Epidemic?
  Gun control advocates believe that there’s an “epidemic” of “gun violence” in our country. But the reality is that the numbers do not support the idea of an “epidemic.”
• Lies, Damned Lies and Washington CeaseFire’s Statistics
  Gun control advocates try to talk about how guns in civilian hands are a detrement to society, but Bruce has some interesting numbers about the good that they do.
• More Lives Are Saved by Defensive Gun Uses Than Taken by Criminal Gun Uses
  Bruce is at it again, debunking the idea that guns have a net negative impact on the lives of Americans. In fact, guns might actually save more lives than they take at the hands of criminals. And if we can save just one life it will be worth it, right?

Facts About the AR-15 Rifle

• The Truth About the AR-15 Rifle
  Nick runs through the reasons why the AR-15 is the most popular model of firearm ever sold in the United States, and used for everything from target shooting to hunting to home defense.
• Three Reasons an “Assault Rifle” is Better Than a Handgun for Home Defense
  Some people say a handgun is the best thing for home defense. Others say a double barreled shotgun. But, in reality, an AR-15 might be the perfect tool for the job.
• Note to Gun Control Advocates: “Hunting Rifles” Aren’t What You Think They Are
  The common line from gun control advocates is that “assault weapons ban” legislation doesn’t impact hunters or hunting rifles. but since the original law was passed in 1994, AR-15 rifles have become one of the more popular hunting rifles in the United States.
• Massachusetts Cops on Why You Should Own an AR-15
  A Massachusetts police officer on why the AR-15 is the perfect firearm for everyone.

Firearms and Children

• NY Times’ “Keeping Guns Away from Children” is Pure Propaganda
  The New York times tried to argue that guns are a major reason for deaths among children in the united States. However, they lost all credibility when they tried to claim that 25 year olds are children.

Firearms and Suicides

• Convenient Causation: Mayor Mike on NYC Suicides
  Bruce debunks the myth that increased firearms ownership means increased suicide rate.

Guns Save Lives

• Dennis Henigan on Chardon: Clockwork Edition
  Bruce (eventually) gets to a discussion of how many defensive gun uses happen in the United States every year. best estimate: 2 to 2.5 million. At worst, 1.4 million.
• The Costs and Benefits of the Second Amendment – Without the Benefits
  Bruce continues the discussion of DGUs versus illegal gun use.

 Gun Show Loophole

• Gun Show Loophole? What Gun Show Loophole?
  Is there really a gun show loophole? if so, what is it?
• The Truth About the “Gun Show Loophole”
  Nick discusses the origins and politics of the “gun show loophole.”
• “40% of Gun Sales Made by Private Sellers” is An Outright Lie
  One of the claims that people who want “universal background checks” use is that 40% of gun sales are through private sellers, and exempt from background checks at the moment. But the reality is that the study they cite is a complete train wreck, and over 20 years old.

“High Capacity” Magazines

• AWB Dead in the Water, Dems to Shift to Mag Capacity Limits
  Foghorn discusses why limiting the capacity of magazines would severely hinder people using firearms for self-defense.
• Latest NRA Ad on “High Capacity” Magazine Ban
  The NRA’s ad is probably the best example of why a “high-capacity” magazine ban doesn’t make sense.

Mandatory Firearms Insurance

• Mandatory Firearms Insurance is Racist
  The title kinda says it all. Mandatory firearms insurance is basically the same thing as a poll tax, which is illegal and unconstitutional, as well as immoral and racist.

Microstamping

• The Truth About Microstamping
  What is microstamping? Would it help? Is it possible with today’s technology? Hint: nope/
• Microstamping Works. No, Really. You Only Have To Fudge A Little
  Microstamping works… if you fudge the numbers.
• Just How Practical is Microstamping?
  Bruce takes a crack at explaining microstamping and the practicality of such a policy.

Origin and Context of the Second Amendment

• A Brief Look at the Origins and History of the Second Amendment
• The Second Amendment: What it Says and What it Means
• Rethink Rethinking the Second Amendment
• Owning Firearms is a First Amendment Exercise, Too
• The Second Amendment, the First and Yelling Fire in a Crowded Theater
• The Unfettered Right to Keep and Bear Arms
• What to Do With the Second Amendment

Terrorist Watchlist

• Why Using the Terrorist Watchlist to Restrict Gun Sales is a Terrible and Dangerous Idea
  There’s been some increased chatter about using the Terrorist Watchlist to deny people their Constitutionally protected right to own firearms. Nick explains why that is a bad idea.

Universal Background Checks

• The Problem With Universal Background Checks – Part 1
• Why Gun Control Advocates are So Peeved About the Failed Background Check Amendment
• Universal Background Checks for Dummies
• Study By Anti-Gun Researchers Finds Universal Background Checks Do Nothing to Decrease Violence, Suicides