A NEW STUDY LOOKED INTO THE NUMBER OF CHILDREN IN THE UNITED
STATES WHO LIVE IN HOMES THAT HAVE LOADED AND UNLOCKED GUNS,
AND UNFORTUNATELY ACCORDING TO THE STUDY AND ESTIMATED 4.6
MILLION AMERICAN CHILDREN RESIDE IN A HOUSEHOLD WHERE AT LEAST
ONE GUN IS KEPT LOADED AND UNLOCKED.
SO --
THAT IS AN OLD ANALYSIS, OBVIOUSLY IT'S FROM 2004, BUT I
WOULD LOVE TO SEE SOME RESEARCHERS DO ANALYSES INTO
THIS ISSUE TODAY BECAUSE WE HAVE A LOT OF SCHOOL SHOOTINGS
HAPPENING, THEY HAVE INCREASED IN TERMS OF HOW OFTEN THEY
HAPPEN, AND OFTENTIMES WE TALK ABOUT GUN CONTROL, PEOPLE THINK
THAT THE DISCUSSION IS ABOUT EITHER EXTREME OF THE SPECTRUM,
BUT IN REALITY THERE ARE OTHER ISSUES WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT.
FOR INSTANCE, IF YOU ARE A LAW-ABIDING CITIZEN WHO DOES
HAVE GUNS AND YOU HAVE PURCHASED THEM LEGALLY, YOU SHOULD BY LAW
BE FORCED TO KEEP THEM LOCKED AND UNLOADED.
THE MAIN REASON THAT'S NOT HAPPENING IS BECAUSE PEOPLE HAVE
BEEN TAUGHT THAT YOU'RE IN MORTAL DANGER AT ALL TIMES, SO
THEY ARE IN SUCH A PANIC OVER THAT THAT THEY'VE GOT THEIR GUN
LOADED, AND READY TO GO BECAUSE AT ANY MOMENT A MUSLIM COULD
BUST IN AND ENFORCE SHARIA LAW ON YOUR FAMILY, AND THE
DANGEROUS IMMIGRANTS ARE COMING, AND MS-13, IN ALL THE OTHERS WHO
ARE ABOUT TO RAMPAGE YOUR HOUSE.
BUT THE REALITY OF COURSE IS YOU
ARE FAR MORE LIKELY TO BE KILLED BY THAT LOADED GUN IN YOUR
HOUSE, OR SOMEONE IN YOUR FAMILY IS, THAN IF SOME SORT OF
INTRUDER COMES IN AND YOU HEROICALLY SAVE YOUR FAMILY.
I
KNOW THAT IS IN ALL OF YOUR FANTASIES, BUT THAT ALMOST NEVER
HAPPENS.
BUT ACCIDENTAL SHOOTINGS, SUICIDES, HAPPEN ALL
THE TIME.
AND HOMICIDES TOO.
YOU GET MAD AT ONE ANOTHER, BOOM,
OH, SHOULDN'T HAVE DONE THAT, AND YOU WOULDN'T HAVE IF THERE
WASN'T A GUN.
AND ONE OF THE LEADING CAUSES OF DEATH AMONG TEENAGERS IS
SUICIDE BY GUN, AND THAT'S SOMETHING TO KEEP IN MIND IF YOU
ARE A PARENT WITH A WEAPON AT HOME.
AND YOU ARE RIGHT, CENK,
ABOUT HOW THE PERCEPTION OF GUNS HAS CHANGED, THE REASON FOR
PURCHASING GUNS HAS CHANGED, AND THAT HAS BEEN A VERY CONSCIOUS
EFFORT BY THE NRA, AND I'M SAYING IT'S A CONSCIOUS EFFORT
BECAUSE YOU CAN SEE FOR YOURSELVES IN THESE TYPES OF ADS
THEY PUT OUT, WHERE THEY FEARMONGER.
THERE'S A THREAT
AROUND EVERY CORNER, THERE ARE CRIMINALS EVERYWHERE.
SO PEOPLE
GET SCARED, UNDERSTANDABLY SO, THOSE COMMERCIALS ARE
TERRIFYING.
LET'S MOVE ON --
BUT THAT'S NOT THE CASE.
IN FACT, RESEARCH SHOWS THE EXACT
OPPOSITE --
SO I'M GOING TO GIVE MORE NUMBERS HERE BUT LET'S HOLD AND
LET THAT ONCE AGAIN.
IT DOUBLES THE CHANCE OF A HOMICIDE IF YOU
HAVE THE GUN INSIDE YOUR HOUSE.
YOU AREN'T PROTECTING YOURSELF
FROM A HOMICIDE, YOU ARE MAKING IT TWICE AS LIKELY.
AND SUICIDES
GO UP THREE TIMES AS MUCH.
SO OVERALL THE CHANCES OF SOMEONE
IN YOUR HOUSE DYING BECAUSE YOU HAVE A GUN IN YOUR HOUSE IS WAY
HIGHER THAN THE CHANCES OF YOU HEROICALLY PROTECTING YOUR
FAMILY WITH THAT GUN AND SAVING LIVES.
IT'S JUST NOT TRUE.
NOW,
YOU'VE GOTTEN THAT PROPAGANDA, WHY?
BECAUSE GUN MANUFACTURERS
PROFIT OFF THAT PROPAGANDA.
THEY WANT YOU TO BE SCARED ALL THE
TIME, THAT IS WHY -- AND BY THE WAY IT'S BEEN VERY CLEVER, NOT
JUST ADVERTISING BUT GOING ALL OVER TV, PEOPLE LIKE FOX NEWS,
AND OF COURSE CNN, PLAYING BOTH SIDES, ETC., AND ALL THESE
SO-CALLED EXPERTS SO A RIGHT-WINGER IS GOING GUNS ARE
GREAT, FEAR, FEAR, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY THEY PAID OFF THE
POLITICIANS SO YOU CAN'T PASS LAWS AGAINST THEM, BUT ALSO
THOSE ARE BASICALLY PAID AGENTS, THEY SAY THAT YOU SHOULD BE
SCARED AND THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS TO HAVE A GUN.
SO
SHOULD WE BE SURPRISED THAT AFTER ALL THAT PROPAGANDA PEOPLE
HAVE LOADED GUNS BECAUSE ANYONE COULD COME IN AT ANY MOMENT AND
THAT LEADS TO
DOUBLING OF HOMICIDES, TRIPLING OF SUICIDES.
IN FACT, LET ME
GIVE YOU NUMBERS.
LET'S GET A GRAPHIC 37 HERE.
THE NUMBER OF
ACCIDENTAL FIREARMS IN THE US BETWEEN 2006 AND 2016, AN 11
YEAR PERIOD, IS 6885 PEOPLE.
ABOUT 600 PEOPLE A YEAR DIE FROM
ACCIDENTS.
ARE 600 PEOPLE'S LIVES SAVED BY HEROIC PERSON WHO GRABBED
A GUN AND SHOT AN INTRUDER AT THE LAST SECOND?
THAT MIGHT HAPPEN IN A CLINT EASTWOOD MOVIE AND IT MIGHT
HAPPEN VERY INFREQUENTLY IN THE COUNTRY.
I SAW SOME HILARIOUS
PROPAGANDA BY GUN MANUFACTURERS, IT HAPPENS
MILLIONS OF TIMES A YEAR.
MILLIONS OF TIMES A YEAR, I
KNOW.
MAKE MY DAY.
NO, YOUR POOR KIDS GRAB THE GUNS AND THEY
SHOOT YOU OR YOU OR YOUR OTHER KIDS, UNFORTUNATELY ONE
JUST HAPPENED.
SO SUICIDES, THIS IS THE ONE THAT IS LEAST TALKED
ABOUT.
GET A LOAD OF THIS.
THIS IS AN AVERAGE YEAR.
DO 90% OF PEOPLE WHO TRY TO COMMIT SUICIDE DIE?
NO.
IN FACT, ONLY ONE OUT OF 25,
THAT IS 4% OF PEOPLE WHO TRIED TO COMMIT SUICIDE TRY AGAIN
AND SUCCEED, SO ONCE THEY FAIL THE FIRST TIME, THEY ALMOST
NEVER GO BACK TO DOING IT, BUT IF THEY ARE USING A GUN,
THEY DO NOT FAIL, NINE OUT OF 10 TIMES THEY DIED.
IF THEY DO NOT USE A GUN, NINE OUT OF 10 TIMES THEY LIVE SO
THAT LEADS TO TENS OF THOUSANDS OF DEATHS EVERY YEAR BECAUSE
YOU THOUGHT YOU WERE BEING SAFE AND YOU HAD A GUN IN THE HOUSE.
SO LET'S TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT CAP LAWS BECAUSE THOSE ARE
THE
LAWS THAT ENSURE THAT ADULTS DO KEEP THEIR GUNS LOCKED AWAY.
LOOK, LET'S PUT LAWS AWAY FOR A SECOND AND JUST TALK AS RATIONAL
HUMAN BEINGS.
IF YOU ARE AN ADULT WITH GUNS IN YOUR HOME,
JUST LOCK THEM IN A SAFE PLACE WHERE YOUR KIDS DON'T HAVE
ACCESS TO THEM.
I AM NOT TELLING ANYONE TO TAKE YOUR GUNS
AWAY, OR BAN ALL GUNS, JUST BE A RESPONSIBLE PERSON.
YOU LOVE
YOUR KIDS, I DO NOT KNOW YOUR KIDS BUT I LOVE THEM TOO.
I DO
NOT WANT THEM TO DIE BY ACCIDENT AND IT HAPPENS FAR TOO OFTEN.
JUST
LOCK YOUR GUNS AWAY.
WITH THAT SAID, RESEARCHERS AT THE RAND
CORPORATION LOOKED INTO THESE CAP LAWS, THE LAWS THAT WOULD
HAVE
SEVERE PUNISHMENTS FOR PARENTS OR ADULTS WHO DON'T KEEP THEIR
GUNS SECURED AND UNLOADED, AND WHAT THEY FOUND WAS:
BUT GUESS WHAT?
EVEN THOUGH THESE LAWS DON'T TAKE
GUNS AWAY FROM ANYONE, IT JUST TELLS YOU TO BE A RESPONSIBLE
PERSON AND PUT THEM IN A SAFE PLACE, THE NRA IS AGAINST THESE
LAWS.
WHY?
WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?
THE REASON IS, LOOK, A LOT OF PEOPLE GET THE FIRST PART, BUT
NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE GET THE SECOND PART.
THE FIRST PART IS
YOU KNOW THAT THE NRA WANTS GUNS EVERYWHERE SO IF YOU TRY TO
LIMIT GUNS THEY FIGHT BACK WITH GREAT VIGOR, BUT THIS DOES NOT
LIMIT GUNS, SO THIS LEADS TO THE SECOND PART.
WHEN THERE ARE
DEATHS FROM THOSE GUNS, THAT IS NOT DOWNSIDE FOR THE NRA, THAT
IS AN UPSIDE.
I KNOW THEY ARE GOING TO GET THEIR FEELINGS HURT
OVER THAT SO LET ME EXPLAIN WHY.
BECAUSE WHEN THERE ARE MORE STORIES ABOUT MORE PEOPLE
DYING FROM GUNS, WHAT HAPPENS?
MORE FEAR.
MORE FEAR LEADS TO HIGHER GUN SALES, SO FOR YOU,
YOUR KID DYING BECAUSE YOU ACCIDENTALLY LEFT YOUR GUN
AVAILABLE TO THEM AND LOADED, THAT IS A TRAGEDY OF THE WORST
PROPORTIONS.
WITH THEM, ONCE THAT NEWS GETS OUT THERE OR
SOMEONE IN YOUR FAMILY DIES OR THERE IS A MASS SHOOTING.
WONDERFUL, FEAR FOR EVERYONE.
AND WHAT DO THEY DO?
THEY HAVE THEIR BOUGHT POLITICIANS GO OUT THERE AND GO
WE SHOULD
HAVE MORE GUNS IN THE SCHOOLS AND YOU ALSO HAVE GUNS AND
EVERYBODY SHOULD HAVE GUNS.
WHY?
THEY HAVE TO INCREASE GUN SALES.
IT IS ONE THING WHEN YOU ARE
TRYING TO INCREASE THE SALES OF SNEAKERS OR HAMBURGERS, BUT WHEN
YOU ARE TRYING TO INCREASE THE SALES OF GUNS AND YOU THROW ON
TOP OF THAT, WE LET THEM BUY OUR POLITICIANS.
THIS IS WHAT IS
GOING TO HAPPEN.
BECAUSE THEIR PRODUCT DOESN'T MAKE YOUR FEET FEEL MORE
COMFORTABLE.
IT DOES NOT FEED YOU.
IT KILLS YOU.
AND THERE ARE CLEARLY RAMIFICATIONS TO THIS.
A RECENT
STORY JUST TODAY WE FOUND OUT THAT A TWO-YEAR-OLD BOY IN
VIRGINIA WAS SHOT AND KILLED ON ACCIDENT BY HIS FOUR-YEAR-OLD
BROTHER.
THE FOUR-YEAR-OLD THOUGHT THAT THE LOADED GUN WAS
A TOY.
OF COURSE THE PARENTS ARE DISTRAUGHT ABOUT THIS.
I
WISH THAT THEY HAD KEPT THE GUN IN A SECURE PLACE WHERE A
FOUR-YEAR-OLD WOULDN'T HAVE ACCESS TO IT, BUT I ALSO FIND IT
INTERESTING HOW PEOPLE HAVE REACTED TO THAT STORY.
ONE
NEIGHBOR SAID THE FOLLOWING:
BEING A GOOD CHRISTIAN HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH WHETHER OR
NOT SOMEONE KEEPS A GUN IN A SECURE PLACE.
PLEASE FOR THE
LOVE OF GOD JUST KEEP YOUR GUNS IN A PLACE LOCKED WHERE YOUR
KIDS DON'T HAVE ACCESS TO THEM.
YOU COULD SAVE YOUR CHILDREN'S
LIVES AND YOU COULD ALSO SAVE A LOT OF OTHER PEOPLE'S LIVES.
I DO NOT WANT TO SAY ANYTHING ABOUT THE PARENTS IN THAT
CASE BECAUSE IT IS TOO HEARTBREAKING TO EVEN
DISCUSS WITH THE FOUR-YEAR-OLD AND THE TWO-YEAR-OLD BUT FOR
THE NEIGHBOR, NO, YOU HAVE BEEN BRAINWASHED.
YOU LITERALLY ARE SAYING OPPOSITE OF WHAT HAPPENED,
YOU SAY THEY WOULD NEVER DO THAT EXCEPT THEY JUST DID AND
YOU ARE SAYING GOOD PEOPLE DON'T DO THAT, EXCEPT YOUR
NEIGHBORS WHO I'M SURE ARE GOOD PEOPLE DID DO THAT.
WHY?
BECAUSE THE NRA AND ALL THE PROPAGANDA CONVINCED YOU THAT
EVERYONE IS A GREAT RESPONSIBLE GUN OWNER.
I HAVE NEVER SEEN
ANYONE COME ON TELEVISION FROM THE RIGHT-WING OR THE NRA AND
SAY THERE'S A LOT OF YOUR RESPONSIBLE GUN OWNERS.
THEY
ARE ALWAYS TALKING ABOUT I AM A RESPONSIBLE GUN OWNER AND
EVERYONE I KNOW IS TOO.
THE REALITY IS WE ARE HUMANS.
WE MAKE MISTAKES ALL THE TIME ESPECIALLY IF WE ARE AFRAID
AND HOW MANY TIMES HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN YOUR KEYS?
I FORGOT THEM, I DID NOT REALIZE IT.
IF YOU HAVE A GUN AND IT IS
LOADED, IT'S, I FORGOT THE GUN.
NO-NO.
IT DOESN'T MEAN YOU'RE
NOT A GOOD CHRISTIAN OR A GOOD PERSON, IT IS THAT WE ARE HUMANS
AND WE HAVE TO DRILL INTO EVERYBODY'S HEAD.
IF YOU HAVE A
GUN, YOU CANNOT LEAVE IT LOADED, I DON'T CARE WHO YOU THINK IS
COMING.
YOU CAN'T LEAVE IT OUT THERE UNLOCKED AND LOADED BUT A
LOT OF PEOPLE ARE SO AFRAID AND THEY HAVE BEEN TAUGHT TO BE
AFRAID THAT THEY LEAVE THAT STUFF AROUND IN A PANIC AND THAT
IS WHEN TRAGEDY STRIKES.