# If all the civilian guns in the USA magically disappeared, would death rates rise or lower?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-all-the-civilian-guns-in-the-usa-magically-disappeared-would-death-rates-rise-or-lower/810496>\
**Category:** Great Debates\
**Created:** [March 13, 2018, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-all-the-civilian-guns-in-the-usa-magically-disappeared-would-death-rates-rise-or-lower/810496 "2018-03-13T16:17:32Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![Stephen01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Stephen01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stephen01)\
**Post date:** [March 23, 2018, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-all-the-civilian-guns-in-the-usa-magically-disappeared-would-death-rates-rise-or-lower/810496/41 "2018-03-23T00:00:15Z")

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Death rate would definitely reduce as well suicide…

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**Author:** ![SamuelA](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c77e96/32.png) [@SamuelA](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SamuelA)\
**Post date:** [March 24, 2018, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-all-the-civilian-guns-in-the-usa-magically-disappeared-would-death-rates-rise-or-lower/810496/42 "2018-03-24T02:03:34Z")

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> [@RickJay](#):
>
> The point of a gun is to make it easier to kill something. Making it harder to kill something means fewer of them will be killed. To construct an argument where murder rates go up you have to construct an argument that the lack of guns will encourage successful murder more than the lack of them will make it likelier or harder for murders to be committed.

Naw. I think we should all be allowed armed robot bombers. They’ll be like guided missiles, where you just input the coordinates and they go blow up wherever for “self defense”. That way, when the entire Zetas cartel is assaulting your block you’ll be able to call in air support to protect yourself and your neighbors.

I’m sure if everyone can kill dozens of people anywhere in their city with the click of a mouse, murder rates will be _completely_ unchanged because robot drones don’t kill people, people kill people.

This is pretty much word for word the argument in favor of civilian semi-automatic rifles.

/s

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**Author:** ![DavidwithanR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@DavidwithanR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidwithanR)\
**Post date:** [March 24, 2018, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-all-the-civilian-guns-in-the-usa-magically-disappeared-would-death-rates-rise-or-lower/810496/43 "2018-03-24T02:43:59Z")

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It’s almost (almost!) comical to watch Americans discuss guns. The dead people are not comical of course.

American liberals kowtowing to the NRA is the comedy, specifically.

It’s time to round up all the members of that ridiculous collection of meatheads calling themselves a “rifle association” - murder syndicate is more like it - put _them_ in the jails, if there’s no room in there then let the other guys out of the jails but with no guns available, and get on with life.

**OF COURSE** the murder and suicide rates go down when people don’t have guns. It’s not even fit for debate.

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**Author:** ![begbert2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/begbert2/32/3357_2.png) [@begbert2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/begbert2)\
**Post date:** [March 26, 2018, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-all-the-civilian-guns-in-the-usa-magically-disappeared-would-death-rates-rise-or-lower/810496/44 "2018-03-26T17:45:11Z")

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> [@DavidwithanR](#):
>
> It’s almost (almost!) comical to watch Americans discuss guns. The dead people are not comical of course.
> 
> American liberals kowtowing to the NRA is the comedy, specifically.
> 
> It’s time to round up all the members of that ridiculous collection of meatheads calling themselves a “rifle association” - murder syndicate is more like it - put _them_ in the jails, if there’s no room in there then let the other guys out of the jails but with no guns available, and get on with life.
> 
> **OF COURSE** the murder and suicide rates go down when people don’t have guns. It’s not even fit for debate.

Pesky laws, stopping us from arresting people for merely trying really really hard to lubricate the wheels of crime, rather than committing crimes themselves.

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