The Guardian: 11 myths about the future of gun control, debunked after the Charleston shooting

[deminks]

http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/jun/20/charleston-south-carolina-shooting-gun-control-reform-myths

Myth No1: Gun control would never pass Congress

A majority of US senators voted for a package of gun control measures only two years ago. The 54 who backed the bill, which was written by Republican Pat Toomey and Democrat Joe Manchin, included three other Republicans.

But when four Democrats got cold feet about their electoral chances in the midterms, the legislation fell short of the 60 votes it needed to prevent a filibuster.

(snip)

Myth No4: Switzerland and Israel seem to do OK without gun control

(snip)

But even this comparison gets weaker if you look at the way the Swiss keep their guns, which stems from a tradition of military service that has been considerably tightened over the years. One US study by the National Institutes of Health points out that both Switzerland and Israel (another alleged exception to the rule touted as proof that guns don’t kill) actually limit firearm ownership considerably and require permit renewal one to four times annually.

Those are just the kind of gun control measures, in fact, that second-amendment fans in the US claim wouldn’t make any difference to gun violence.

(end snip)

[Donald Ian Rankin]

1. No1, at least, is a fact, not a myth.

The Guardian cites a bill that almost made it through the Senate 2 years ago.

What it hopes you won't notice is that

a) The Senate is more conservative now than it was then (although this may conceivably change in 2016).
b) The House is much more conservative than the Senate is, and certainly wouldn't let such a bill through (this certainly won't change until 2020).
c) The bill it refers to didn't even get through the more less conservative of the two houses even when it was less conservative than it is now.

This is misleading to the point of being dishonest.