The study, conducted by Boston University professor Michael Siegel and coauthors Craig S. Ross and Charles King III, examines this relationship in all 50 states from 1981 to 2010. The researchers found that "for each percentage point increase in gun ownership, the firearm homicide rate increased by 0.9 percent [id.]."
The authors note that, though they can't prove a causal relationship between higher levels of gun ownership and homicide, "states with higher rates of gun ownership had disproportionately large numbers of deaths from firearm-related homicides."
Our review of the academic literature found that a broad array of evidence indicates that gun availability is a risk factor for homicide, both in the United States and across high-income countries. Case-control studies, ecological time-series and cross-sectional studies indicate that in homes, cities, states and regions in the US, where there are more guns, both men and women are at higher risk for homicide, particularly firearm homicide.
A more localized 1993 study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, which focused on the most populous counties in Tennessee, Washington and Ohio, found that "keeping a gun in the home was strongly and independently associated with an increased risk of homicide [ http://www.nejm.org/doi/pdf/10.1056/NEJM199310073291506 ]."
Slide Fire, a Texas-based manufacturer, announced plans this week to release its latest weapon, a $6,000 rifle that the company says "sprays like a fire hose." The new weapons employ the company's patented stock -- a rifle accessory that rests against the shooter's shoulder and uses a gun's recoil to trigger the next round -- and are belt-fed, allowing for huge strings of bullets to be fired at a rate of up to 800 rounds per minute.
For all intents and purposes, Slide Fire's new SFS BFRs function like machine guns; much like the company's other rifles [ http://www.slidefire.com/products/all-rifles ], which use magazines that limit their ammo load. But technically speaking, all of Slide Fire's weapons are semi-automatic, and therefore not beholden to the strict federal regulations on actual machine guns.
A bump stock fits over a rifle's "buffer tube," replacing the gun's shoulder rest. A "support step" attached to the pistol grip partially covers the trigger opening, preventing contact with the finger. By holding the pistol grip with one hand and pushing forward on the barrel with the other, the finger comes in contact with the trigger. The recoil causes the gun to buck back and forth, "bumping" the trigger.
So, technically, the finger is "pulling" the trigger for each round fired.
Because Slide Fire only modifies the trigger and the stock -- not the receiver, the only part regulated by federal authorities -- its products have been deemed legal. As Slide Fire proudly touts on its website [ http://www.slidefire.com/downloads/BATFE.pdf ], the ATF has determined "the 'bump-stock' is a firearm part and is not regulated as a firearm under the Gun Control Act or the National Firearms act." A representative for the ATF confirmed that statement to CNN.
While Slide Fire markets its products as easy to control, some gun enthusiasts like Tom Mannewitz of the TargetMaster store and indoor gun ranges in Garland, Texas, aren't convinced.
Washington lawmakers are also aware of the product's ability to effectively skirt broader bans on machine guns and have expressed concerns.
"This replacement shoulder stock turns a semi-automatic rifle into a weapon that can fire at a rate of 400 to 800 rounds per minute," Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), a key proponent of gun control legislation, told AP earlier this year [ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20130208/us-full-or-faux-auto/ ]. "I strongly believe that devices allowing shooters to fire at similar rates should also be outlawed."
Former FAMU Football Player Shot To Death By Police
Officer Randall Kerrick Courtesy WBTV
Jonathan Ferrell
By: Eyewitness News Updated: Sun 12:47 AM, Sep 15, 2013
The police officer that shot and killed a former FAMU football player has been arrested and charged with voluntary manslaughter, that according CBS affiliate WBTV in Charlotte.
WBTV reports that officer Randall Kerrick turned himself in after an arrest warrant was issued in the death of Jonathan Ferrell.
Ferrell was running towards police officers after police were called out to a possible breaking and entering case in a Charlotte neighborhood.
The WBTV report says another officer fired a Taser towards Ferrell but didn't connect. When the taser did not work, Kerrick fired multiple rounds hitting Ferrell several times.
Ferrell was pronounced dead on the scene.
Police Chief Rodney Monroe of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department says Kerrick did not have to fire his weapon during the incident.
Ferrell was unarmed during the shooting. WBTV reports that investigators are looking into a vehicle that was in an embankment near the scene that may have been driven by Ferrell.
Detectives are working to see if Ferrell was trying to get assistance. Police still don't know why he was in the area
By: Eyewitness News September 14, 2013
A former Florida A&M University football player was killed Saturday morning in Charlotte, North Carolina.
According to WBTV-TV, a Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Officer shot Jonathan Ferrell to death after he allegedly charged towards officers.
It happened early Saturday morning in Northeast Charlotte while police officers were responding to a breaking and entering attempt call.
According to police, officers first tried tasing him, but when that failed, he was shot two times and pronounced dead at the scene.
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