Myth #1: Guns are commonly used to protect person and property. Fact: Defensive gun use is actually rare. There are only about 2,000 verified defensive gun uses per year compared to 40,000 gun deaths annually
Myth #2: Carrying guns in public reduces crime. Fact: In 2005, the National Research Council investigated all existing research on concealed carry laws and concluded that Right-to-Carry laws, which allow people to carry a firearm in public, did not correlate to a reduction in crime. Research conducted since that review has found that right-to-carry laws actually increase violent crime, particularly aggravated assaults.
Myth #3: Shooters target gun-free zones. Fact: A study by Louis Klarevas, which looked at public high-fatality shootings from 1966 to 2015 in which 6 or more people were killed, found that 84% of those shootings occurred in areas where people were allowed to carry firearms. The evidence is clear that shooters do not target gun-free zones.
Myth #4: Gun laws don’t work. Fact: When Connecticut passed its Permit to Purchase law in 1995, homicides fell by more than 40% over the next decade. In contrast, when Missouri repealed its Permit to Purchase law in 2007, its homicide rate increased by 14% in the following 5 years. Permit-to-Purchase laws, as well as Extreme Risk Protection Orders, strict Child Access Prevention laws, well-organized community programs, and other policies have substantial academic evidence supporting their life-saving potential.
Myth #5: Guns in your home make you and your family safer. Fact: A gun in the home is much more likely to be used in a suicide, domestic violence assault or unintentional shooting, or to be stolen and used in a violent crime than it is to be used to protect family and property.
gvpc.org 