Strong gun control laws reduce gun violence

By Michael J.W. Stickings

That's stating the obvious, but of course the obvious is anything but obvious not just to the gun nuts but to the rest of America's gun-obsessed culture. And even if it were obvious to them -- the nuts, their supporters, and all their various enablers -- they'd deny it because they live not in reality but in a dystopia of denialism.

Via ThinkProgress, here's the key finding in a new report from the Center for American Progress:

While many factors contribute to the rates of gun violence in any state, our research clearly demonstrates a significant correlation between the strength of a state's gun laws and the prevalence of gun violence in the state. Across the key indicators of gun violence that we analyzed, the 10 states with the weakest gun laws collectively have a level of gun violence that is more than twice as high -- 104 percent higher -- than the 10 states with the strongest gun laws.

Of course, when you're dealing with people for whom the facts mean nothing, this report will mean nothing. And so the denialism, and the violence, will continue. Not even Sandy Hook could do anything about that.