joshscorcher:

1. According to FBI statistics, 80% of homicides are from gang-related activities.

2. Firearm homicide rates have decreased while gun ownership has increased. Over the past 20 years, gun sales have absolutely exploded, but homicides with firearms are down 39 percent during that time and “other crimes with firearms” are down 69 percent.

3. Generally, there is an inverse correlation between gun ownership and crime. A study published in the Harvard Journal of Law & Public Policy discovered that nations that have more guns tend to have less crime.

4. Mass shootings mostly occur in areas with strict gun control laws. Almost every mass shooting that has occurred in the United States since 1950 has taken place in a state with strict gun control laws. Despite strict gun regulations, Europe has had three of the worst six school shootings.

5. There isn’t a strong correlation between gun ownership and homicides. The United States is #1 in the world in gun ownership, and yet it is only 28th in the world in gun murders per 100,000 people. Australia, after banning guns, has indeed had a decrease in homicides, but so has the USA without banning guns. 

6. Despite rising gun ownership, the violent crime rate is actually falling. The violent crime rate in the United States fell from 757.7 per 100,000 in 1992 to 386.3 per 100,000 in 2011. During that same time period, the murder rate fell from 9.3 per 100,000 to 4.7 per 100,000.

7. Despite what the media shows, guns do save people. Approximately 200,000 women in the United States use guns to protect themselves against sexual crime every single year. Compare that to the 32,000 deaths by firearms. People also frequently stop robberies because of gun ownership. You just don’t hear about it because mass and social media don’t report it for some reason.

8. Many people want to ban guns while frequently misidentifying them. It puzzles me when people say to ban assault rifles, when semiautomatic pistols are the firearms utilized in most mass shootings.

9. Usage of guns to protect outweighs usage of guns for crime. Guns are used 2.5 million times annually or 6,860 times a day. This means that each year, firearms are used more than 80 times more often to protect the lives of honest citizens than they are to take lives.

10. You are more likely to die from playing high school football than a gun.

I don’t believe the USA has a gun problem. I believe it has a mismanagement problem coupled with a sensationalism and culture problem. That said, I’m open to a civil discussion, as long as I don’t see any “heartless conservative” rhetoric thrown at me. Make no mistake; I do not believe the USA is perfect and I believe the USA can do better.

Shallow:
1. Favorite color
2. Height
3. Eye color
4. Hair color
5. Age
6. Piercings?
7. Tattoos?
8. Favorite animal/pet
9. Favorite scent
10. What time is it?
Wading:
11. Favorite time of day
12.First pet
13. Siblings
14. First car
15. On a day like today you would…?
16. The last book you read
17. The last text message you sent/received
18. Are you usually hot or cold
19. Pick one thing to your left, what does it mean to you
20. Day or night and why
Knee Deep:
21. When was the last time you told someone you loved them?
22. When was the last time someone told you they loved you
23. Who is your best friend and how did you meet
24. Would you rather…
25. Do you get sick often
26. Do you live alone or with other people
27. When was the last time you saw your family
28. What do you want to achieve in the next year
29. Do you believe in true love
30. Have you ever been hurt by someone you thought cared about you
To the Waist:
31. When was the last time you got hurt
32. Have you ever hurt yourself
33. What was the last fight you had about
34. Has anyone told you they hated you
35. Have you seen anyone die
36. What would you tell your younger self
37. Would you skip the bad parts of your life to be successful
38. What do you want to do with the rest of your life
39. Have you left behind/ were you left behind in a friendship
40. What is more important ___ or ___
Neck Deep:
41. Who would you want to meet again in your life
42. Why did you choose your career path
43. What is something you regret from your past
44. How much time is left at the end of your day
45. What was your last dream about
46. Have you ever hated someone and why
47. Talk about your favorite family member
48. What is one thing you want to confess
49. Have you ever tried to take away your problems instead of deal with them
50. Who would you save- yourself or a stranger?
Head Under Water:
51. Have you been in love
52. Talk about someone in your life who has died
53. Describe your first ____
54. When was the last time you thought you were beautiful
55. Have you ever had to recover after something
56. What do you hate about ____
57. Top ten life values
58. How do you fall asleep
59. When was the last time you smiled and the last time you cried
60. Would you give up everything for ____
Drowning:
61. Ask your own question

perfecly:

Stop planting your flowers in other people’s gardens if you know they aren’t going to water them.

I need to remember this, especially in light of this past week