Assuming that our goal is to reduce homicides, would it not be better to track the overall homicide rate instead of focusing only on firearm homicides? When a researcher chooses the latter, I must assume that their goal is to demonize gun ownership rather than find the true causes of homicide. I've heard the arguments for doing research this way, but they all seem to stem from political bias. Am I missing something or is this just one more example of how politics has corrupted science?
Assuming that our goal is to reduce homicides, would it not be better to track the overall homicide rate instead of focusing only on firearm homicides? When a researcher chooses the latter, I must assume that their goal is to demonize gun ownership rather than find the true causes of homicide. I've heard the arguments for doing research this way, but they all seem to stem from political bias. Am I missing something or is this just one more example of how politics has corrupted science?