Atlantic Monthly Contributors's Blog, page 941

British Air Force Commander Thinks We're Close to a 'Terminator 2 Type World'

The world is about to get a lot more sci-fi. Machines will rise against us soon because a "Terminator 2 type world... is undoubtedly coming," according to Britain's top air force commander. And aliens should be around soon, too, according to another top scientist. 

These are two predictions from two important leaders in their field that will have your Star Wars-loving friend salivating this weekend. Sir Andrew Pulford, the chief air marshal of Britain's Royal Air Force, recently told reporters that autonomous machines will soon be flooding our skies. This was his answer when asked by Channel 4 News about the future of the British drone program. This was Pulford's answer: 

"What is quite clear is remotely piloted, or autonomous in the longer time - you know, the Terminator 2 type world where machines can make decisions for themselves, we can trust them and send them off to make decisions that at the moment we like to be in thinking place of - that is undoubtedly coming."

To wit: in the second Terminator movie, a network of machines called Skynet has taken over the earth. After launching most of the earth's nuclear warheads on the aforementioned "judgement day," wiping out most of the earth's population, the system spends its time hunting the last of the surviving humans. Our protagonist, John Connor, is the leader of the resistance. Skynet sends a T-1000 back in time to kill him. Machines are not our friends. 

Hopefully this is not the future Pulford is talking about.

Looking at his remarks closely, Pulford doesn't think the apocalypse is coming and that machines will turn on us and try and eliminate the human race. Pulford believes machines will be able to operate independently without human involvement. Because, y'know, that worked so well in 2001: A Space Odyssey. Oh, wait, no it didn't. Sentient robots never work out. We're all doomed.

The air force commander's remarks did prompt a hilarious denial from the Ministry of Defense, though, promising they are not developing any weapons systems that could eventually become sentient and take over the world. "The MoD has no intention of developing any weapons systems that are used without human involvement," the statement read. 

Don't forget that DARPA already has a Terminator that will crush humanity into pixie dust a robot that looks like a Terminator to save people in case of an emergency. A brain is still being developed. Thankfully this robot, an Atlas, won't be fully developed until the future when most of us are already dead and buried. 

But, oh, the aliens! Don't forget about the aliens. They're coming soon, according to SETI Institute chief astronomer Seth Shostak. Shostak said aliens would make contact with humanity at some point in the next 25 years during Boing Boing's Ingenuity conference earlier this week. Watch his presentation:

Shostak downplayed the common assumption that an alien will look like some small, green, big eyed humanoid. Instead it'll likely be a sentient machine, Shostak guesses. 

Oh. Oh no. 

       

Hundreds Missing in Colorado Floods, and the Forecast Isn't Getting Better

Five people are now dead, over 150 are missing, and thousands have been evacuated already in Colorado as massive floods continue to tear apart the homes and communities across multiple counties. And the weekend's forecast calls for more rain.

The flooding forced whole towns to evacuate, and has taken its toll against roads and buildings and homes in Boulder County. Flash floods began earlier this week after a week of heavier than normal rainfall. Some residents have been left stranded in homes, or in cabins, or in some cases on the side of a mountain waiting for rescue crews and emergency workers to free them from the raging torrents of water ravaging the state. 

Authorities are hoping that increased efforts and favorable conditions on Saturday will help them locate the remaining 172 people who are unaccounted for. (At one point that number was as high as 218, and official are hoping it continues to shrink.) They're increasing the number of on-the-ground rescuers and a fleet of helicopters will help evacuate those who remain in the affected areas. The President already declared a state of emergency and ordered the biggest FEMA response the state has ever seen to report to Boulder, Larimer and El Paso counties. The death toll rose Saturday, the Denver Post reports, after a 60-year-old woman became the fifth person killed in the floods. 

"There might be further loss of life," Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle told reporters Saturday. "It's certainly a high probability. With an army of folks and an air show we're hoping to reach everyone as soon as possible."

The amount of rain that has fallen in Colorado is staggering. The Post broke down the unbelievable numbers behind the "biblical" rain storms that have plagued the state. Unfortunately, those numbers will only grow, as the National Weather Service forecast says the rain is not expected to stop until Sunday night or Monday at the earliest. 

       

Why Russell Brand Made That Nazi Joke

Russell Brand got into some trouble last week when he brought up fashion house Hugo Boss's questionable history with the Nazi's on stage at a GQ award show that was, of course, sponsored by Hugo Boss. Today, in the Guardian, Brand gave his version of events. 

Brand was invited to the British GQ's Men of the Year Awards to receive the Oracle Award, whatever that is, on September 3. Brand, never one to hold back his true feelings, let it all hang out during his speech. "Any of you who know a little bit about history and fashion will know that Hugo Boss made the uniforms for the Nazis," Brand told a shocked audience at London's Royal Opera House. "The Nazis did have flaws, but, you know, they did look fucking fantastic, let's face it, while they were killing people on the basis of their religion and sexuality." Brand was seemingly upset with London mayor Boris Johnson, who had previously made a crack about the situation in Syria on stage. Here's the video: 

Shockingly, Brand's performance didn't go over well with GQ, or the event's sponsor, Hugo Boss. Brand was kicked out of an after party by GQ editor Dylan Jones, which was a big deal for some reason, and had previously only mentioned the incident in one tweet before Saturday's op-ed in the Guardian.

GQ editor: "What you did was very offensive to Hugo Boss." Me:" What Hugo Boss did was very offensive to the Jews." #GQAwards #nazitailor

— Russell Brand (@rustyrockets) September 4, 2013

So, why did Brand do it? Mostly because he was joking with his friends at his table, among them Oasis frontman Noel Gallagher, who also received an important award, and they were all particularly offended with Johnson's remarks. "Matt is momentarily focused. 'He's making light of gassed Syrian children,' he says. We watch, slightly aghast, then return to goading Noel," Brand explains. Their table was already treating the night like a joke, and a prominent politician making light of a real tragedy at a fashion party sealed it. The night was a joke to them. Apparently others disagreed, as the subsequent events showed. But by the time Brand was set to go on stage his friends were goading him and the rest, as they say, is history. 

But there was no ulterior motive, no grab for publicity (though he is promoting a comedy tour), and he holds no ill will towards the fashion house. (After the story broke, many noted Brand wore Hugo Boss to an Oscar party six months ago.) "The jokes about Hugo Boss were not intended to herald a campaign to destroy them," Brand says. "They're not Monsanto or Halliburton, the contemporary corporate allies of modern-day fascism; they are, I thought, an irrelevant menswear supplier with a double-dodgy history." But the event did make things clear to Brand about who is, ultimately, calling the shots and how afraid they are of a slight amount of criticism. 

We know now that Hugo Boss is still very touchy about its complicated history with the Nazis. Oh well. You should read Brand's piece in its entirety, because it really is worth your time. He's normally fairly annoying, but here he's spot on. 

       

No, Justin Bieber Probably Isn't Playing Robin

Justin Bieber posted a picture on Instagram Friday night of himself mugging with a script for the new Warner Brothers Man of Steel sequel, with the caption, "#robin ??" And with that, all your nightmares were coming true at once. But hold on: things aren't as bad as they appear, we promise. 

[image error]The internet nearly shut down at the prospect of Canada's clown prince playing Batman's sidekick opposite Ben Affleck's Batman in the new Warner Bros./DC Comics movie. The script seems to check out on first glance, too. It's got the logo debuted at Comic Con at the top, the working title of Batman vs. Superman, the appropriate writing credits, and the Warner legal script at the bottom. The script claims to draw inspiration from a chapter of Frank Miller's Dark Knight Returns, from which Man of Steel star Harry Lennix read a passage at Comic Con. The trap was set for fanboys to fall into a blind rage at the possibility of a Bieber-Affleck partnership.

When you look at the pop star's full Friday of social media activity the Bieber with Batman casting news is immediately exposed as something too good to be true. Earlier in the day, Beiber mentioned a project with Funny or Die, the comedy website started by Will Ferrell and Adam McKay, on his Twitter account.

Off to do something funny or...die :)

— Justin Bieber (@justinbieber) September 13, 2013

It shouldn't take a nuclear physicist to connect the dots here. 

The trades aren't exactly biting, either. Variety and The Hollywood Reporter are both cautious in their reports. They don't think the Instagram is real, and point to the Funny or Die tweet, despite the remarkable attention to detail given to the "(presumably) fake script," as THR puts it.  You can stop breathing into a paper bag now. 

Meanwhile, in the realm of things that are actually happening, Bieber also uploaded a picture of himself hanging out with pound for pound boxing king Floyd Mayweather Jr. ahead of his hotly-anticipated Saturday night showdown with the unbeaten 23-year-old Mexican champion, Saul "Canelo" Alvarez. 

       

The Six Point U.S.-Russian Deal to Fix Syria's Chemical Weapons Problem

The U.S. and Russia agreed on a deal to eliminate chemical weapons in Syria despite their complicated relationship status. The deal, should it work, doesn't necessarily satisfy the Syrian opposition but it does put the most international pressure on Syria since the conflict began. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov announced the partnership Saturday morning at the Intercontinental Hotel in Geneva, where they've been negotiating privately since Thursday. "There can be no room for games. Or anything less than full compliance by the Assad regime," Kerry said Saturday.

Here are the six important points in the U.S.-Russia jointly agreed upon six point plan: 

Syria has one week to turn over a list of its complete chemical weapons arsenal. The U.S. and Russia agree the Syrian government has roughly 1,000 tons of chemical agents and materials, the BBC reports.  Syria must sign the Chemical Weapons Convention, as Bashar al-Assad has promised. Syria's chemical weapons stockpile must be placed under international control by November. Syria's chemical weapons stockpile and all associated materials must be destroyed by the first half of 2014. U.N. inspectors must be given "immediate, unfettered access" to Syria's chemical weapons sites by November. There are allegedly over 50 sites that hold chemical weapons in Syria. The U.N. will help with logistical support and will enforce penalties under Chapter VII, which allows sanctions or military force, should Syria fail to comply with these guidelines. (The U.S. retains the right to use military force; Russia still doesn't think it's a good idea.)

So that seems like a reasonable plan that cover a lot of bases and does so quickly, which is the most important part, and eliminates the possibility another chemical weapons attack like the one on August 21 could occur. But the Syrian opposition isn't enthused with this idea, that averts a potential U.S. military strike against Assad for the foreseeable future. "There is nothing in this agreement that concerns us," said Gen. Salim Idriss, a leader in the Free Syrian Army. He described the deal was just a Russian mechanism to buy time for the regime, and claimed Assad was already moving his chemical weapons arsenal to Iraq and Lebanon to avoid U.N. inspection. 

Does this mean the relationship between the U.S. and Russia is now patched up, that we can expect more international cooperation in the future, that the whole Snowden thing is behind us? Of course not. There's still the looming potential international incident that is John McCain's Russian op-ed. And parts of this deal are founded on disagreement between these two countries. But it's something, for now, that seemingly could fix a very large problem at the center of a civil war that's not ending any time soon. 

       

Barbara Boxer and Harry Reid Reminisce About David Vitter's Prostitution Scandal

Republican Sen. David Vitter won't stop bashing Obamacare on the Senate floor this week, and that's annoyed top Democrats Barbara Boxer and Harry Reid. Vitter demanded a vote on his Obamacare amendment to an unrelated energy and efficiency bill. It's too bad for Vitter that Reid and Boxer remember the year 2007 — they reportedly floated legislation right back that's intended to remind everyone of Vitter's history with prostitutes.

[image error]Vitter's amendment would have gotten rid of government contributions that help cover federal workers' health care coverage. According to the National Journal, Reid and Boxer floated legislation that "would ban senators from getting government contributions for their health insurance costs if there is 'probable cause' they solicited prostitutes." In 2007, Vitter got embarrassingly caught up in the "D.C. Madam" scandal when his phone number surfaced during an investigation of a D.C. prostitution ring. He addressed the issue by saying he committed a "very serious sin." 

Vitter told Politico that Reid is acting like an "old-time Vegas mafia thug." Vitter's now calling for an ethics investigation focusing on another draft of Reid and Boxer's legislation. That draft proposes to deny health insurance coverage to those who vote for Vitter's Obamacare amendment — Vitter says that's bribery. As it happens, Boxer is the Chairman of the ethics committee.

Vitter noted that Boxer should be stripped of her membership on the committee if she's found guilty. Boxer told the National Journal late Friday, "Senator Vitter has manufactured a bizarre and phony attack that demeans the Senate." And they say nothing gets done in Congress. 

       

A Real Scandal in Professional Wrestling: The Firing of Jim Ross

[image error]Earlier this week, The Atlantic Wire's Connor Simpson brought you a loving tribute to Jim Ross, the WWE color commentator whose retirement was announced on Wednesday. But it turns out it wasn't a retirement at all. Ross was fired — for failing to control Ric Flair when the '80s wrestling icon got drunk at the WWE 2K14 video game symposium and started talking too much about the death of his son. All but the kids and marks are well aware that the drama on camera during the WWE's professional wrestling matches is staged. But there is plenty of real drama off camera. 

Ross has worked with the company since 1993, and when the firing rumors hit, many wrestling fans were outraged. "The Jim Ross firing remains the talk of wrestling," Dave Meltzer reports at his site, The Wrestling Observer. "Jim Ross didn’t screw Jim Ross. Vince McMahon screwed Jim Ross," Wrestling Rumors' Jon Alba says.

If JR's retirement does have to do w/ 2k14 panel...what a BS way 2 fire a legend for a 4th time w/ out even using the term fired. Disgusting

— Justin LaBar (@JustinLaBar) September 11, 2013

[image error]According to The Wrestling Observer, infamous WWE CEO Vince McMahon fired Ross this week. A few weeks ago, Ross had hosted the WWE 2K14 symposium, a yearly promotional thing for a video game. But once Ric Flair (pictured at left) started talking, "he didn’t stop and took over the show," The Wrestling Observer explained. Flair entertained the audience with funny stories, like how wrestler John Cena doesn't have to do cardio. Then it got a little dicey, like when he mentioned Cena was once a teetotaler. "I said good luck with that shit," Flair said, indicating that one might rely on alcohol in the world of professional wrestling, and then noting that Cena drinks a lot now. Then things got heavy. "The decision, which was made by McMahon, was first told to us by a source in the company that it was possible, if not likely on the day of SummerSlam, stemming from the now-infamous 2K Sports symposium where Ric Flair spoke at length about a variety of subjects," The Wrestling Observer reports. His scoop quickly spread across the wrestling internet.

What variety of subjects? Flair said that at his son's funeral five months earlier, he took off his wrestling hall of fame ring and put it on his dead son's hand, and closed the casket. He gave another wrestling ring to his surviving son. Later, Flair said, when he went back to work, he was called into the office, thinking he was in trouble. Instead, the WWE had made him another ring — this one with his son's name engraved on it.

[image error]

Dave Meltzer runs The Wrestling Observer, which has become a sort of New York Times for wrestling, often getting the behind-the-scenes story on what's really happening in the wrestling world. In 1995, Hulk Hogan burned a copy of the newsletter during WCW World War 3. "This is like a dinosaur compared to the internet, brother!" Hogan said. "The internet's got the scoops!" (Did you know Hulk Hogan was a new media visionary?)

On Thursday, Meltzer updated with more evidence. "When Ross was in Manchester last week, he outright said that he had no intention of retiring and talked about his work in developmental." Larry Brown Sports points out that during the symposium, Ross foretold his fate. "This is real," Ross said. "This is reality television at its best. I’ve lost complete control of my job. I’m sure I’ll never be asked back, and this has probably destroyed what career I have left."

Flair used the story of his son's death, and the ring the WWE made for him, to show how much he loved professional wrestling and the organization. "There's nothing like the WWE," Flair told the crowd to applause. "I wanna tell you, the events are phenomenal — and they are. But working for these guys is like working for the best people in the world. They take care — they might be hard, but they don't ask anything of you they won't do themselves. I'm talking about us the performers. I mean that's just the way it is, they're awesome people." Those words must have sounded different to Ross three weeks later.

       

ABC Meddles with History

Today in show business news: ABC is developing an alternate history series, Woody Allen wins a lifetime achievement award, and Julianne Moore joins the Hunger Games crew.

ABC, struggling to keep itself out of last place, has put a ballsy new show in development. The network announced today that it is working on a series called The Thirteen, which imagines that the Americans didn't win the Revolutionary War. So it's present day and Americans are still fighting the British. The number in the title refers to the colonies, duh. That's pretty much all we know about it. So, like, if it's still the thirteen colonies, does California exist? And if we're still ruled by the British, does that mean that we're related to Prince Harry? How does this all work? It sounds intriguing, but there are a lot of questions. Is Hugh Grant still a movie star? I mean, does so-called British charm even mean anything if we all hate the British? What are everyone's accents like? Hurry up and make this show, ABC. Because these are some burning questions. [Deadline]

What was once rumored is now confirmed. Julianne Moore will be playing Alma Coin in the last two Hunger Games movies. Coin is a pretty important role in that leg of the tale, so it makes sense to get someone big like Moore. And for Moore, she gets to make a movie that her kids will see and she can finally put that helipad on the roof of her townhouse! It's win-win! [Entertainment Weekly]

Woody Allen has been named the winner of the Golden Globes' Cecil B. DeMille Award, which he will receive at the big ceremony in January. The award is meant for lifetime achievement, but Woody shouldn't take it as a sign that he's finished or anything. I mean, Blue Jasmine was the best thing he's done in almost ten years and, hey, last year Jodie Foster won, and she's like twenty years younger than him. So it's just an award, it doesn't mean anyone's career is over. It will be interesting to see what Allen's speech is like, considering Foster's speech involved her taking her own head off, dribbling it like a basketball, then reciting the entirety of Siddhartha backwards. It was a weird speech, is what I'm saying. Let's see if Woody can top it. [The Hollywood Reporter]

Ugh. The Weinsteins have bought to rights to Paddington Bear, the little marmalade-loving immigrant bear from children's books. And they're making a freaking movie about him. What's more, it's a live-action/animation hybrid movie. Yup. Colin Firth is voicing the bear and Nicole Kidman will play "an evil taxidermist out for revenge." The cast also includes Julie Walters, Jim Broadbent, Sally Hawkins, and Hugh Bonneville. So, OK, there is some hope for this. The British tend to do children's movies a little more gently than we do over here. If this was an American production it would assuredly be a nightmare, but the British guy who beautifully produced all the Harry Potter movies is producing this, so maybe it will be OK. If the Weinsteins let it be, anyway. [Deadline]

This, on the other hand, will definitely be terrible. Jack Black is in talks to star in a movie based on R.L. Stine's Goosebumps books, a kiddie series of scary stories that were never as interesting as Stine's Fear Street series. Black will play an author whose scary characters come to life. For this film, Black will be reteaming with his Gulliver's Travels director Rob Letterman. Right. Because that was such a good experience. I know that movie was eventually a hit overseas but it was a bomb here and everyone hated it. "Let's do that again!" - Jack Black, evidently. Oh well. It's his life. [The Wrap]

Here is a trailer for a documentary called Broadway Idiot, about Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong's experience turning the band's album American Idiot into a Broadway musical. It looks interesting. Who doesn't love a backstage documentary? Will watch, yes sir.

Image via J.T. Lewis/Shutterstock

       

ABC Meddles With History

Today in show business news: ABC is developing an alternate history series, Woody Allen wins a lifetime achievement award, and Julianne Moore joins the Hunger Games crew.

ABC, struggling to keep itself out of last place, has put a ballsy new show in development. The network announced today that it is working on a series called The Thirteen, which imagines that the Americans didn't win the Revolutionary War. So it's present day and Americans are still fighting the British. The number in the title refers to the colonies, duh. That's pretty much all we know about it. So, like, if it's still the thirteen colonies, does California exist? And if we're still ruled by the British, does that mean that we're related to Prince Harry? How does this all work? It sounds intriguing, but there are a lot of questions. Is Hugh Grant still a movie star? I mean, does so-called British charm even mean anything if we all hate the British? What are everyone's accents like? Hurry up and make this show, ABC. Because these are some burning questions. [Deadline]

What was once rumored is now confirmed. Julianne Moore will be playing Alma Coin in the last two Hunger Games movies. Coin is a pretty important role in that leg of the tale, so it makes sense to get someone big like Moore. And for Moore, she gets to make a movie that her kids will see and she can finally put that helipad on the roof of her townhouse! It's win-win! [Entertainment Weekly]

Woody Allen has been named the winner of the Golden Globes' Cecil B. DeMille Award, which he will receive at the big ceremony in January. The award is meant for lifetime achievement, but Woody shouldn't take it as a sign that he's finished or anything. I mean, Blue Jasmine was the best thing he's done in almost ten years and, hey, last year Jodie Foster won, and she's like twenty years younger than him. So it's just an award, it doesn't mean anyone's career is over. It will be interesting to see what Allen's speech is like, considering Foster's speech involved her taking her own head off, dribbling it like a basketball, then reciting the entirety of Siddhartha backwards. It was a weird speech, is what I'm saying. Let's see if Woody can top it. [The Hollywood Reporter]

Ugh. The Weinsteins have bought to rights to Paddington Bear, the little marmalade-loving immigrant bear from children's books. And they're making a freaking movie about him. What's more, it's a live-action/animation hybrid movie. Yup. Colin Firth is voicing the bear and Nicole Kidman will play "an evil taxidermist out for revenge." The cast also includes Julie Walters, Jim Broadbent, Sally Hawkins, and Hugh Bonneville. So, OK, there is some hope for this. The British tend to do children's movies a little more gently than we do over here. If this was an American production it would assuredly be a nightmare, but the British guy who beautifully produced all the Harry Potter movies is producing this, so maybe it will be OK. If the Weinsteins let it be, anyway. [Deadline]

This, on the other hand, will definitely be terrible. Jack Black is in talks to star in a movie based on R.L. Stine's Goosebumps books, a kiddie series of scary stories that were never as interesting as Stine's Fear Street series. Black will play an author whose scary characters come to life. For this film, Black will be reteaming with his Gulliver's Travels director Rob Letterman. Right. Because that was such a good experience. I know that movie was eventually a hit overseas but it was a bomb here and everyone hated it. "Let's do that again!" - Jack Black, evidently. Oh well. It's his life. [The Wrap]

Here is a trailer for a documentary called Broadway Idiot, about Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong's experience turning the band's album American Idiot into a Broadway musical. It looks interesting. Who doesn't love a backstage documentary? Will watch, yes sir.

Image via J.T. Lewis/Shutterstock

       

The Surprising Factors Linked to Gun-Related Homicides

In an effort to determine the relationship between gun ownership and gun deaths, a researcher from the Boston University School of Public Health looked at 30 years of data in all 50 states. His determination? For each percentage point increase in the number of households with guns, there was a 0.9 percent increase in the rate of firearm homicides. And that wasn't the only factor linked to an increase in gun deaths.

Motivated by the December 2012 massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary, the researcher, Dr. Michael Siegel, gathered and analyzed data detailing a variety of social factors to determine which might correlate to increased gun deaths. The nearly one-to-one relationship between the percentage of homes with a gun and the number of gun-involved murders is remarkable. (It has been peer reviewed.)

What's additionally interesting are those other factors also showing a statistically significant link to firearm killing rates.

Variable Increase in variable Increase in firearm homicides Household gun ownership 1% 0.9% Income inequality 0.01* 4.6% Black population 1% 5.2% Violent crime rate 1 crime in 1,000 population 4.8% Non-violent crime rate 1 crime in 1,000 population 0.8%

* As measured by the Gini coefficient.

In an email to The Atlantic Wire, Siegel noted that the household gun ownership rate used a rather macabre proxy, in lieu of state-by-state data: the percentage of suicides committed with a firearm. "The reason we had to use this proxy," he explained, "is that state-specific household firearm ownership data are not available except for 3 years: 2001, 2002, and 2004." Measuring the proxy against the data from those years, however, it demonstrates similar results.

That allowed Siegel to compile data on estimated per-household gun ownership for each state over the three decade time period. He provided to The Atlantic Wire a table of data illustrating the shift in ownership for each time period, as well as the overall rates over the 30 years. In each graph below, the darker the color, the higher the percentage of households that own guns. text { font-size: 11px; }

Switch to: Entire period | 1981-1990 | 1991-2000 | 2001-2010

Switch to: Entire period | 1981-1990 | 1991-2000 | 2001-2010

Switch to: Entire period | 1981-1990 | 1991-2000 | 2001-2010

Switch to: Entire period | 1981-1990 | 1991-2000 | 2001-2010

The dip in ownership over time also corresponds to the overall decline in murders in America.

While Siegel explained to us that the additional factors listed in the table above were "very important and that identifying and understanding them is critical from a public health standpoint," his focus was on ownership. The paper describes what higher gun ownership in one state might indicate about its murders.

All other factors being equal, our model would predict that if the [household proxy data] in Mississippi were 57.7% (the average for all states) instead of 76.8% (the highest of all states), its firearm homicide rate would be 17% lower.

Fewer guns; fewer gun-related murders. Which could be good news. After all, Siegel's research also notes a drop from 60.6 percent of households owning guns in 1981 to 51.7 percent in 2010.