Portland has a high amount of rapes per capita

[Mr.SmithW]

Here's an interesting statistic I found. Although, Canada has a lower rate in murders than the USA, it has double the amount of rapes. It also turns out that using a weapon in self-defense is illegal in Canada. Carrying any type of weapon, including pepper spray, slingshot, swiss army knife, etc that is to be used to incur bodily harm against another human is illegal, whether or not it is used in self-defense.

I suppose a place like Canada is a rapist's paradise and the statistics prove it. Not only is it illegal to carry a weapon to defend yourself against a rape, but it is illegal to defend yourself. I suppose Canada's laws are on par with European laws, in the fact that the only person who can defend you against an attack is a sworn law enforcement officer, who probably is nowhere to be found when you need them.

I encourage our rapists to go north and leave our American women alone. Our women have the God-given right, as defended by our constitution to defend themselves from rape by any means necessary. Thank God our founding fathers were rational minded men (at least to their own citizens), unlike the greedy and conniving monarchy that still holds its foot in Canada.

Owning a weapon and training to defend yourself makes you a citizen, not a helpless peasant.

[Metlakatla]

Would you mind citing where you're getting your information about the rape rate in Canada? I did a search on it and didn't find anything but a bunch of blatherings on right wing blogs.

[ms.greenwood]

While you can bicker about whether or not restrictive gun laws actually reduce violent crime or not (I personally find the evidence for the US inconclusive) you are neglecting the one link that has been proven time and time again, the link between absolute poverty and income inequality and violent crime. The reasoning being that with high inequality the social cohesion or social capital of a society deteriorates increasing violence and paranoia. With this information we can explain why in the US Camden, NJ and Detroit have much higher homicide rates than Portland or Minneapolis (it has nothing to do with gun laws) and also why violent crimes Brazil, Mexico and Russia have murder rates exponentially higher than Finland, Sweden or Switzerland despite having much lower gun ownership rates.

Neither gun ownership nor gun control will make the US safer but narrowing the gap between rich and poor would. Ironically, I think many firearm advocates who claim to be so concerned for safety and freedom would balk at any attempt to actually address the underlying causes of our violent society.

I won't fill this comment with links but a quick google scholar search of the words "crime" and "income inequality" or "poverty" will reveal thousands of studies all painting the same picture.

[Mr.SmithW]

Here is a good statistic source comparing the rape rates of Canada and United States, amongst other countries, to one another.

Rapes (per capita) by country. Definition, graph and map.

[TDNY]

This thread is ridiculous.

[Metlakatla]

According to the graph, Canada's rape rate is right up there with Alaska's. I'd suggest that some common factors are at play that have nothing to do with guns.

Those Saudi women must be pretty well armed, by your reasoning.

[UrbanAdventurer]

Originally Posted by ms.greenwood

While you can bicker about whether or not restrictive gun laws actually reduce violent crime or not (I personally find the evidence for the US inconclusive) you are neglecting the one link that has been proven time and time again, the link between absolute poverty and income inequality and violent crime. The reasoning being that with high inequality the social cohesion or social capital of a society deteriorates increasing violence and paranoia. With this information we can explain why in the US Camden, NJ and Detroit have much higher homicide rates than Portland or Minneapolis (it has nothing to do with gun laws) and also why violent crimes Brazil, Mexico and Russia have murder rates exponentially higher than Finland, Sweden or Switzerland despite having much lower gun ownership rates.

Neither gun ownership nor gun control will make the US safer but narrowing the gap between rich and poor would. Ironically, I think many firearm advocates who claim to be so concerned for safety and freedom would balk at any attempt to actually address the underlying causes of our violent society.

I won't fill this comment with links but a quick google scholar search of the words "crime" and "income inequality" or "poverty" will reveal thousands of studies all painting the same picture.

I agree. Crime and poverty have been conclusively linked. If you carry a weapon in an affluent area or part of town, you're far less likely to ever have a use for it. Guns seem to be a mouthpiece for the prevailing social conditions. In areas of low poverty an social unrest, guns "keep the streets safe". In areas of high poverty, social unrest and inquality, they "make the streets more dangerous". The difference of course, is that in later scenario, people tend in higher numbers to hate their lives (feel hopeless and powerless) and hate each other, and they use the guns on themselves or each other in ways nobody would consider appropriate or healthy for society.

[UrbanAdventurer]

Originally Posted by Metlakatla

According to the graph, Canada's rape rate is right up there with Alaska's. I'd suggest that some common factors are at play that have nothing to do with guns.

Those Saudi women must be pretty well armed, by your reasoning.

Probably not in Portland either if I get what you're getting at.

What I mean to say is, if there's a shortage of women in a population who will willingly have sex with the majority male population, I think these sorts of shenanigans will present themselves simply because humans are humans (unfortunately, in many ways )

And then of course there's the poverty thing again. Poor minority women are far more likely to be victimized this way than affluent caucasian ones.

[Metlakatla]

Well, no, that actually wasn't what I was getting at. There is no real shortage of women in Alaska anymore...what the common factor is is the Native population. Unfortunately...it's really high in that particular demographic. Same thing with Canada.

[hamellr]

Originally Posted by Metlakatla

According to the graph, Canada's rape rate is right up there with Alaska's. I'd suggest that some common factors are at play that have nothing to do with guns.

Those Saudi women must be pretty well armed, by your reasoning.

Well, that and the fact that if they tried to tell anyone they've been raped, they get jailed, or killed.