four examples of facts eliminated >

* More than 99.8% of firearms and more than 99.6% of handguns will not be used to commit violent crimes in any given year. (3)

Reason for elimination: Although accurate, this statistic can create a false impression, as the total number of violent crimes committed with firearms in 1997 was about 440,000. (12)

* In Japan and Great Britain, gun ownership is very restricted, and handgun ownership is prohibited. In the United States, guns are kept in about half of all homes. In 1996, handguns were used to murder 15 people in Japan, 30 in Great Britain, and 9,390 in the United States. (46)(6)(2)

Reason for elimination: The inference of the above facts is contradicted by other facts. Examples:
- Switzerland has similar crime rates to Japan and Great Britain. In Switzerland, the purchase of semi automatic rifles and shotguns requires no permit, and adults are free to carry them. Handguns can be bought with firearm purchase permits, which are issued to all adults without a criminal record or a history of mental illness. About 40% of Switzerland's cantons (states) do not require a permit to carry a handgun. Switzerland has a citizen militia where most all men between the ages of 21 and 32 are required to keep fully automatic machine guns in their home. (1)(46)
- Italy has the most restrictive gun laws in Europe and the firearm homicide rate is twice that of Switzerland's. (45)(65)
- The homicide rate in Japan is similar to the homicide rate for Japanese-Americans, which implies it is the Japanese culture, and not the absence of guns that is responsible for Japan's low homicide rate. (1)
- The number of firearm homicides in Great Britain has doubled since they imposed their current restrictive gun laws. (45)

* Right-to-carry laws require law enforcement agencies to issue handgun permits to all qualified applicants. States with "right-to carry" laws have a 19% lower homicide rate and a 39% lower robbery rate than states that allow little or no concealed carry. The nine states with the lowest violent crime rates are all right-to-carry states. (1)(44)

Reason for elimination: This data does not account for other factors that have a direct correlation to crime, such as cultural differences, arrest rates, conviction rates, etc…. (7)

* In 1994, the firearm fatality rate among males 15-24 years of age was 32% higher than the motor vehicle fatality rate. (2)

Reason for elimination: This statistic attempts to compare "apples and oranges." Over 90% of motor vehicle fatalities are accidents, which are unintentional, and over 90% of firearm fatalities are suicides and homicides, which are intentional. Inherent in this statistic is the assumption that these deliberate fatalities would have been avoided if firearms were unavailable. This is not the case. Example (1996): In the United States, firearms are kept in about half of all homes. In Japan, citizen ownership of firearms is virtually nonexistent, yet the suicide rate in Japan is 58% higher than in the United States. (4)(6)(46)(5)

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