justinspoliticalcorner:

(via Think Progress Justice: STUDY: States With Loose Gun Laws Have Higher Rates Of Gun Violence)

The National Rifle Association (NRA) and its allies in Congress frequently claim that gun violence is highest in places with the toughest crime laws. But a new study from the Center for American Progress (CAP) suggests something closer to the opposite is true — the states with laxer gun laws tend to be the ones contributing the highest shares of national gun deaths and injuries.
The authors of the report, called “America Under The Gun,” developed a list of ten indices of gun violence, ranging from gun homicide levels to firearm assaults to crime gun export rate (the number of guns sold in that state used in crimes around the country), and ranked each state from 1-50 along each index. They then took the average of each state’s ranking to determine its overall level of gun violence relative to other states. Lousiana was the highest, with an average of fifth-worst across all ten indices, while Hawaii’s 45.4 ranking was the best.
The CAP report’s finding is yet another contribution to a growing body of empirical evidence that strong gun laws work. A prior, less comprehensive study also established links between gun deaths and loose gun laws. After Missouri repealed its background check law, gun homicides went up 25 percent despite a national and regional decline. Three independent papers have found that counties with more guns have higher rates of gun death.
The NRA has long attempted to use Congressional funding restrictions to cripple research on gun violence on grounds that it “may be used to advocate or promote” new gun laws.

justinspoliticalcorner:

(via Think Progress Justice: STUDY: States With Loose Gun Laws Have Higher Rates Of Gun Violence)

The National Rifle Association (NRA) and its allies in Congress frequently claim that gun violence is highest in places with the toughest crime laws. But a new study from the Center for American Progress (CAP) suggests something closer to the opposite is true — the states with laxer gun laws tend to be the ones contributing the highest shares of national gun deaths and injuries.

The authors of the report, called “America Under The Gun,” developed a list of ten indices of gun violence, ranging from gun homicide levels to firearm assaults to crime gun export rate (the number of guns sold in that state used in crimes around the country), and ranked each state from 1-50 along each index. They then took the average of each state’s ranking to determine its overall level of gun violence relative to other states. Lousiana was the highest, with an average of fifth-worst across all ten indices, while Hawaii’s 45.4 ranking was the best.

The CAP report’s finding is yet another contribution to a growing body of empirical evidence that strong gun laws work. A prior, less comprehensive study also established links between gun deaths and loose gun laws. After Missouri repealed its background check law, gun homicides went up 25 percent despite a national and regional decline. Three independent papers have found that counties with more guns have higher rates of gun death.

The NRA has long attempted to use Congressional funding restrictions to cripple research on gun violence on grounds that it “may be used to advocate or promote” new gun laws.

The citizens of the great state of Arizona have the right to stand for their principles.

Gilbert, Arizona resident Nicholas M. submitted the online petition to allow Arizona to secede. There are more than 14,000 signatures so far, with less than 11,000 more needed by Dec. 10 for the White House to consider the issue, according to azcentral.com.

He goes on to say: “That man is granted unalienable rights, which are not the dispensations of the government, but find their beginnings in God and come from God alone. These are the principles that our forefathers stood for, the principles upon which our Constitution is based, and those in which we firmly place our belief and resolve.”

(Source: azcentral.com)

2012swingstates:

Eight-year-old Draak Clausing, attending a Republican election-watch party in Arizona, holds his head in despair as election results continue to stream in indicating an Obama re-election. (Photo by Aaron Lavinsky for the Arizona State Press)

2012swingstates:

Eight-year-old Draak Clausing, attending a Republican election-watch party in Arizona, holds his head in despair as election results continue to stream in indicating an Obama re-election. (Photo by Aaron Lavinsky for the Arizona State Press)

Three congressional races tighten in AZ

Congressional Districts 1 and 9 are also close.

Republican Jonathan Paton leads Ann Kirkpatrick, who lost her last re-election bid to Republican Paul Gosar in 2010, by about 2 percent.

Republican Vernon Parker trails Democrat Kyrsten Sinema, but the two are separated by less than 1 percent.