Eric Boehlert: Debunking the NRA's Utterly and Provably False Claim!

that new gun laws won't save lives. One of the mantras of the American gun lobby, and one repeated constantly by its right wing media allies, is the absolutist view, that new gun restrictions aren't needed, because they won't work. That argument is often quickly joined by the fatalistic view, that there's nothing we can really do, to cut down the number of gun deaths in America, that government regulations, including expanded background checks for all gun purchases, would have no impact. Both views have been on constant display, as President Obama urges Congress to take action, and pass new control measures. Fox News contributor Bill Kristol, last week insisted, he'd seen zero analysis, zero argument, that any of the proposed regulations would make any appreciable difference in reducing gun violence and murders. On CNN, conservative Dana Loesch claimed, we have gun laws already on the books, and that new gun proposals would simply represent redundancies. The companion case to right wing claims, is that gun control regulations won't reduce deaths, is that the only way to achieve that goal, is to have more guns in circulation, which will achieve that goal. Obviously, that argument is false! But the clear flaw in the anti regulation claim is, that new government rules have been credited in recent years, with drastically reducing the number of US fatalities, surrounding another potentially dangerous consumer product: Automobiles! Look at the data: In 2011, the number of people killed in traffic accidents fell to 32,367, the lowest annual US tally since 1949. Automotive deaths peaked in 1972, with 54,589. That decline came despite the fact, that in over the last five plus decades, the number of drivers on American roads has exploded: 62 million then vs 210 million now. More recently, vehicular deaths plummeted 25 percent between 2005 and 2011, according to the Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Those number rose in 2012, ending a seven year decline. What do experts point to for the recent overall reduction in automotive deaths? They credit in part, state and federal efforts, often done in tandem with car manufacturers, which have made the potentially dangerous act of driving much less deadly. Experts attribute the change to a variety of reasons, including changes to cars, such as vehicle rollover protection, and programs to change driver behavior, such as campaigns addressing drunk driving, distracted driving and seat belt use. Laws aimed at young people also likely had an impact, notably older minimum drinking ages, and graduated drivers' licenses.