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This study presents some very interesting stats and is worth your time reading it. They focus on homicide rates by state, but if you look at the rate by cities it is even more diverse with some US cities having homicide rates 50 times as high as other cities.
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When it comes to making any serious analysis, however, nationwide homicide rates for a place as large as the United States are next to useless. When we look at numbers on a state-by-state basis, we find that homicide rates vary from 1.3 per 100,000 in New Hampshire to 11.8 per 100,000 in Louisiana.
We often hear about homicides are rampant in "America" — presumably caused by high levels of private gun ownership — but any serious look at the numbers forces us to refine our question and instead ask why some parts of the US have some of the lowest homicide rates on earth, while the situation in other areas is considerably different.
Some places largely free of gun restrictions — like the Dakotas, Utah, Idaho, Minnesota, Vermont, and New Hampshire — have very low homicide rates. But other places with similar or more restrictive laws — such as Missouri, California, and most of Latin America — have much higher rates. Obviously, homicide rates are not simply a function of gun laws.
RELATED: "With Few Gun Laws, New Hampshire Is Safer Than Canada" by Ryan McMaken
Even researchers on the political left are increasingly coming to terms with the fact that homicide rates are not simply a matter of passing prohibitionist laws.
Something to note here, "homicide" and "murder" are not interchangeable. The FBI data that article is citing is murder rates and nonnegligent manslaughter.
Quote:
Definition
The FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program defines murder and nonnegligent manslaughter as the willful (nonnegligent) killing of one human being by another. The classification of this offense is based solely on police investigation as opposed to the determination of a court, medical examiner, coroner, jury, or other judicial body. The UCR Program does not include the following situations in this offense classification: deaths caused by negligence, suicide, or accident; justifiable homicides; and attempts to murder or assaults to murder, which are classified as aggravated assaults.
Homicide is the killing of another human by any means or circumstances.
This study presents some very interesting stats and is worth your time reading it. They focus on homicide rates by state, but if you look at the rate by cities it is even more diverse with some US cities having homicide rates 50 times as high as other cities.
--------------
When it comes to making any serious analysis, however, nationwide homicide rates for a place as large as the United States are next to useless. When we look at numbers on a state-by-state basis, we find that homicide rates vary from 1.3 per 100,000 in New Hampshire to 11.8 per 100,000 in Louisiana.
We often hear about homicides are rampant in "America" — presumably caused by high levels of private gun ownership — but any serious look at the numbers forces us to refine our question and instead ask why some parts of the US have some of the lowest homicide rates on earth, while the situation in other areas is considerably different.
Some places largely free of gun restrictions — like the Dakotas, Utah, Idaho, Minnesota, Vermont, and New Hampshire — have very low homicide rates. But other places with similar or more restrictive laws — such as Missouri, California, and most of Latin America — have much higher rates. Obviously, homicide rates are not simply a function of gun laws.
RELATED: "With Few Gun Laws, New Hampshire Is Safer Than Canada" by Ryan McMaken
Even researchers on the political left are increasingly coming to terms with the fact that homicide rates are not simply a matter of passing prohibitionist laws.
And you mention Missouri. The majority of gun homicides in Missouri is in three cities, Kansas City, St Louis and Springfield. I live in a rural county in Missouri and we have had 1 gun homicide in the last seven years, 2 in the last 15 years. One was a drug deal gone bad and the other was a man hiring someone to kill his wife.
And you mention Missouri. The majority of gun homicides in Missouri is in three cities, Kansas City, St Louis and Springfield. I live in a rural county in Missouri and we have had 1 gun homicide in the last seven years, 2 in the last 15 years. One was a drug deal gone bad and the other was a man hiring someone to kill his wife.
Yes, most of the violence in Missouri, as in other states occurs within a criminal element in the inner cities, largely revolving around illegal drugs. Guns in and of themselves are not the problem.
It's like when foreigners assume all of the US has a gun problem and gun culture problem. Nope, while major cities tend to see gun violence mostly due to gang activity, the whole "gun culture," walking around open or conceal carrying thing is pretty regional.
I live in a very safe area of an overall very safe state. I've seen foreigners assume that we all walk around in fear of our lives... uhhhh, nope.
It's like when foreigners assume all of the US has a gun problem and gun culture problem. Nope, while major cities tend to see gun violence mostly due to gang activity, the whole "gun culture," walking around open or conceal carrying thing is pretty regional.
I live in a very safe area of an overall very safe state. I've seen foreigners assume that we all walk around in fear of our lives... uhhhh, nope.
I think the urban vs. rural distinction is important. What makes sense in rural Montana probably wouldn't make sense in Times Square. Could you imagine open carry on a rush hour 4-train?
I think the urban vs. rural distinction is important. What makes sense in rural Montana probably wouldn't make sense in Times Square. Could you imagine open carry on a rush hour 4-train?
I think that people who don't understand the vast size of the US and all of the regional little cultural differences simply don't understand things like what you're saying and that we're NOT all the same. "America" doesn't have a gun or gun culture or easy access to gun problem, PARTS of America does. "America" doesn't have a lot of violence, it's really mostly concentrated in major cities of any state. People even have a hard time understanding that states have a lot of control and laws differ greatly by state, especially grouping by region as well.
I think the urban vs. rural distinction is important. What makes sense in rural Montana probably wouldn't make sense in Times Square. Could you imagine open carry on a rush hour 4-train?
Yes but it won't be long until someone comes along and says that 55/100k murder rate in Baltimore is because laws are more lax Lincoln NE with a 0.4/100k murder rate and will push for nation wide laws because some people in their city act like savages.
This study presents some very interesting stats and is worth your time reading it. They focus on homicide rates by state, but if you look at the rate by cities it is even more diverse with some US cities having homicide rates 50 times as high as other cities.
--------------
When it comes to making any serious analysis, however, nationwide homicide rates for a place as large as the United States are next to useless. When we look at numbers on a state-by-state basis, we find that homicide rates vary from 1.3 per 100,000 in New Hampshire to 11.8 per 100,000 in Louisiana.
We often hear about homicides are rampant in "America" — presumably caused by high levels of private gun ownership — but any serious look at the numbers forces us to refine our question and instead ask why some parts of the US have some of the lowest homicide rates on earth, while the situation in other areas is considerably different.
Some places largely free of gun restrictions — like the Dakotas, Utah, Idaho, Minnesota, Vermont, and New Hampshire — have very low homicide rates. But other places with similar or more restrictive laws — such as Missouri, California, and most of Latin America — have much higher rates. Obviously, homicide rates are not simply a function of gun laws.
RELATED: "With Few Gun Laws, New Hampshire Is Safer Than Canada" by Ryan McMaken
Even researchers on the political left are increasingly coming to terms with the fact that homicide rates are not simply a matter of passing prohibitionist laws.
It's like when foreigners assume all of the US has a gun problem and gun culture problem. Nope, while major cities tend to see gun violence mostly due to gang activity, the whole "gun culture," walking around open or conceal carrying thing is pretty regional.
I live in a very safe area of an overall very safe state. I've seen foreigners assume that we all walk around in fear of our lives... uhhhh, nope.
I live near Nashville and there was an amusing story in the local newspaper a few years ago about a young kid from the U.K. that had moved to town in order to make it in country music. The funny part is she was so afraid of being shot she would run from her hotel to a nearby waffle house to eat. The newspapers in England were so full of stories about guns in the U.S. this poor girl thought it was a combat zone.
BTW- I don't know if she ever made it in the music biz.
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