Wrote the book on it

I am beginning to like Nomiki Konst.  Near the end of the video, she eats Dana's Lunch. She points out that mental health funding is an issue.  While she bungles the statistic she mentions in saying, "The federal gun registry has prevented 2.1 million criminals from accessing guns, you know that's something you were fighting against", (she meant universal background check, there is no federal registry) she deals a pretty strong punch. Dana's response? "False". And Obamacare (and no, Dana, we didn't "spend" a trillion dollars on it). And a 2004 study (that she doesn't site) also proves Dana right.

But you know Dana's biggest argument? "I wrote the book on it". No, Dana, you wrote "A" book on it. And it is a pretty flawed book at that. Because it isn't a book of statistics, although there are some, and they are pretty lousy, but it is a highly partisan book that blames Democrats at every turn for gun problems. To say it is "THE" book on it is like saying Milli Vanilli sang "THE" album.

Dana also makes another point, that the strictest gun law states have the highest "murder" rates.  Notice the mixing of statistics here. But play along with her game, and you'll find it to be false. States with the strictest gun laws, like California, New Jersey, Massachusetts, New York, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maryland, Rhode Island, Illinois and Pennsylvania, only one is in the top ten (Maryland is second) while the rest are way down the list (Pennsylvania is 13th, California is 17th, Illinois is a seemingly statistically impossible 28th). States with the most lenient gun laws (Utah, Alaska, Arizona, Oklahoma, North Dakota, Montana, Louisiana, Idaho, Kentucky, Wisconsin) have Louisiana at #1, but most also fall outside the top 20. Okay, so what about the southern states Nomiki talked about? Besides Louisiana, we have Missouri at #3, South Carolina at #4, Nevada and New Mexico are 5 and 6, and are technically south, but are not considered South. Michigan is #7, then Tennessee, Mississippi and Arizona round out the top 10.  These are murder rates from The FBI crime rates for 2010, just so you know.

So Nomiki is correct, half of the top 10 highest murder rates are in Southern states. And Dana was wrong, states with the strictest gun laws do not have the highest murder rates. And you better believe it, because I wrote "THE" blog post on it.