Two of the Biggest Gun Control Myths Debunked

Gun control is not about safety, common sense or saving American lives -- it's about "control."

That's the argument Glenn Beck made Tuesday night on TheBlaze TV while discussing his new book "Control," which was released in bookstores nationwide on Tuesday.

The book, which Beck says he streamlined following the tragic Sandy Hook shooting, seeks to dispel all the myths anti-gun advocates use disarm the Second Amendment and eventually, if they have their way, the American people.

Two of the Biggest Gun Control Myths Found in Glenn Becks New Book Control
Two of the Biggest Gun Control Myths Found in Glenn Becks New Book Control

Here are two of the biggest gun control myths found in "Control" (though there are many more in the book):

1. More Guns Mean More Crime

In reality, an extensive 2004 report by the National Academy of Science was not able to identify a single gun control regulation that actually reduces violent crime, suicides or accidents, Beck said. The NAS panel reviewed 253 journal articles, 99 books, 43 government publication and some of its own empirical work on firearms.

One of the main pillars of the gun control argument is the claim that more gun laws will make Americans safer. Because the facts do not support such a claim, one would think the scales would be tipped in favor of gun rights.

A University of Pennsylvania study also determined that the 1994 "assault weapons" ban did little to reduce violence while in effect.

2. Strict Gun Control Works in Other Countries

Anti-gun advocates like CNN's Piers Morgan routinely claim strict gun control has been very effective in other countries like Great Britain and Japan, however, the numbers tell a slightly different story.

Beck pointed out that within a decade after England practically banned all firearms in 1997, crime with handguns had doubled, armed street gangs caused British police to start carry guns and the country still experienced a mass shooting. Additionally, the homicide rate rose dramatically for seven years after the ban -- from 1.1 per 100,000 to 1.8 per 100,000.

Australia also enacted strict restrictions on firearms ownership following a mass shooting in 1996. The change in gun violence was so small that it was "statically irrelevant," Beck said.

On the other hand, Switzerland has the third highest gun ownership rate in the world and a murder rate of 0.5 per 100,000. The country's murder rate is well below Australia, the U.K. and Canada while its gun laws are less strict.

"More gun control doesn't mean less crime," Beck concluded. "More gun control just means more control."

Buy your copy of "Control" here.

And here's the book's official trailer: