Thursday Thinking - Guns and Violence

What are the stark statistics and economics of gun ownership? Can any of the political "solutions" regarding gun control actually change the numbers? What's more dangerous, letting your child visit a friend's home where there is a gun, or where there is a swimming pool? What would have a greater impact on reducing gun violence in America, preventives (i.e.- bans, buy-backs, limiting access) or disincentives (i.e. - harsher penalties, longer sentences).

In a recent episode of the Freakonomics podcast, Stephen Dubner and Steve Levitt have a straightforward conversation about gun control and gun policy, keeping in mind recent events like the Newtown, Ct., school massacre and long-standing traditions like the American embrace of guns.

Levitt has focused much of his academic career on crime research, including all sorts of gun policies that do and do not prevent violence.  He has also analyzed the relationship between the economy and the crime rate, whether increased police presence affects crime, and whether deterrents like capital punishment and sentence enhancements actually work.

Just for the record, this podcast challenged many of my own knee-jerk reactions, attitudes, and beliefs about guns. My own inclination is toward limiting access and exerting more control, but it's questionable, from a purely statistical point of view, that such policies would actually make much of a difference. This post is not intended to be political or partisan. Just an invitation to think critically and more objectively than most of the rhetoric and emotional response we're subjected to on this important social issue.
 
FREAKONOMICS - THINKING ABOUT GUNS