Gun Ownership Skyrockets, While Violent Crime Drops…Again

[Perd Hapley]

Depends on who you ask.  For a fairly extreme example, here's a theory that many would take issue with.  Me, I don't buy all the conclusions myself, but it's one more factor that can be considered as possibly contributing.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legalized_abortion_and_crime_effect

I don't know why you think that folks here would dismiss that out of hand. For those of us who oppose abortion, its effect on crime statistics shouldn't matter.

[makattak]

Previously linked data, in chart form, and massaged a bit.


Uses 1960 crime rates as baseline.

Violent crimes are still 2.75X more common per capita than in 1960.  Down from a high of 4.75X in 1990.

Hmmm... murder is only slightly up while violent crime has increased by significantly more.

I wonder how much of that is a function of the progress of trauma medicine such that wounds that would previously have been fatal are not now? Thus, there is less murder, but more violent crime because more potential murder victims are saved by emergency medicine and surgery.

[sanglant]

don't forget more violent crime, because gang members that would have died, are also being saved.

[zxcvbob]

Re: Gun Ownership Skyrockets, While Violent Crime Drops…Again

What about teh "blood in the streets"?  Sarah Brady and her friends promised me blood in the streets.  I am disappoint.

[MicroBalrog]

Hmmm... murder is only slightly up while violent crime has increased by significantly more.

Murder is not 'slightly up'. It's about on the same level in 2010 as it is in 1960, in that chart. I am not sure where it gets 2010 data.

Also a non-graphical demonstration is friend:

http://www.disastercenter.com/crime/uscrime.htm

The murder rate in 1960 was 5.1, and 5.0 in 2009. 2010 data is not released yet.

If - which I hope it is the case - a 10% drop in murder rates occured in 2009 as the preliminary findings state, we'd find us a murder rate of merely 4.5 per 100,000 - approaching European murder rates faster and faster. (The average murder rate in Europe is 5.4, being buoyed up by Baltic countries).

[seeker_two]

Uses 1960 crime rates as baseline.

One could also point out that crime increased as liberal thought & politics became more mainstream and decreased as conservative/libertarian thought and politics became more prominent....food for thought.....

[makattak]

Murder is not 'slightly up'. It's about on the same level in 2010 as it is in 1960, in that chart. I am not sure where it gets 2010 data.

Also a non-graphical demonstration is friend:

http://www.disastercenter.com/crime/uscrime.htm

The murder rate in 1960 was 5.1, and 5.0 in 2009. 2010 data is not released yet.

If - which I hope it is the case - a 10% drop in murder rates occured in 2009 as the preliminary findings state, we'd find us a murder rate of merely 4.5 per 100,000 - approaching European murder rates faster and faster. (The average murder rate in Europe is 5.4, being buoyed up by Baltic countries).

Ok. That doesn't really address my musing. All it does is change my post to:

Hmmm... murder is only slightly up down while violent crime has increased by a significantly moreamount.

I wonder how much of that is a function of the progress of trauma medicine such that wounds that would previously have been fatal are not now? Thus, there is less murder, but more violent crime because more potential murder victims are saved by emergency medicine and surgery.