So, in your opinion, how murderous and unnecessary are guns? Very, extremely, or totally?

What word would you choose to describe any death involving a gun? Murder, homicide, or slaughter?

Would you describe gun owners as irresponsible and heartless, or merely insane?

The problem with that study is that the argument is totally without logic. It is like saying that you are more likely to die in a car accident if you own a car, or that you are more likely to die in a plane accident if you fly in a plane.  It has nothing to do with the guns, and more to do with the lack of personal responsibility.  It lacks any logic in that it does not allow for any other result other than what they are searching for. Its incredibly faulty research, and totally lacking in any type of intellectual honesty. But hey, ya find what ya want if ya look hard enough.

The DATA is BUllshit, other wise half my home town would be dead…
I only know 2 ppl who have used a gun to kill someone<not counting military service> one was a litle ol black gal who shot and killed her ex husband who got out of jail and attacked her with a knife, and a neighbor of my folks who shot a druggie that came after him when he caught them stealing Anhydrous.

This study was supported by the Joyce Foundation.

Could Harvard have come up with ANY other conclusion?  Would the Joyce Foundation support any study that didn’t come up with their point of view?  I highly doubt it.  Data can be manipulated to show almost anything you want.

I’d say that 97% of the people I know have guns--and not a single one of them is a criminal by ANY stretch of the imagination.  Furthermore, they all teach their children about gun safety and how to use them.

I own guns--many actually.  I teach my son gun safety and respect for them.  Target shooting and hunting are one of the activities that we both enjoy.  He knows where they are and KNOWS better than to ever touch them without permission.  Guns are not a mystery nor a taboo for him--and he knows exactly what kind of damage they can do.  I also have a concealed weapons permit--with all the pertinent FBI checks.  Does this make me more likely to shoot someone?  I think not.  It means I know what I’m doing and am able to defend myself if absolutely need be.  That said, I could just as easily kill someone with the pen in my pocket.  Or my vehicle.  Or a hammer.  Or barbeque tongs.  Or my thumbs.  Or.....

between survey measures of household firearm ownership and state level rates of homicide

That’s what is wrong with the study.  Homicide is all inclusive in the ways one person may kill another.  If many homes have a gun then it can be expected that more home intruders get killed by guns in self defense etc.  That is counted as homicide.  Those statistics probably don’t account for people who deserved to be killed by a gun in the home.

The problem with that study is that the argument is totally without logic. It is like saying that you are more likely to die in a car accident if you own a car, or that you are more likely to die in a plane accident if you fly in a plane.

Not really.  If the study only looked at gun-homicides, then yes.  I believe its just all homicides.  If I am wrong about that, then yes, your analogy is correct. 

Bias of the group funding this study aside, I the results could be logical.  If the overall feeling in the US is that home gun ownership will help keep you safe, and you live in an area with a high homicide rate (and would like to stay there), then you would probably buy a gun.

So there could be two things contributing to the higher number of homicides where there are lots of guns.  More legal guns means more guns available to those who would miss-use them AND more miss-use of guns leading to more responsible people buying guns to protect themselves and their families.  A little bit of chicken and the egg.