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« WashPo: NRA faces challenges | Main | Oops... »

Gun crime rates vs. public knowledge of the same

Posted by David Hardy · 7 May 2013 03:56 PM

An interesting study. Over the last twenty years, gun homicide rates have fallen by 49%, and nonfatal firearm crime has fallen even more greatly.

But the Pew survey found that only 12% of Americans know this. 56% think gun crime has gone up over that period, and 24% think it has remained stable.

It'll be interesting to see whether the decline will be covered by the mass media. It'd conflict with their agenda in at least two ways. (1) Pushing gun control. (2) Pushing fear, because fear sell.

3 Comments | Leave a comment

Nor'Easter | May 7, 2013 4:44 PM | Reply

I agree. They will not only ignore it but actively try to "bury it". The latest Official Line is that Gun Violence is "out-of-control" and therefore needs lots of new laws to keep the peasants from hurting each other - for our own good, of coarse.
It is therefore up to us to propagate it in all ways possible.
The bottom line - dare I say it - More Guns, Less Crime.

Windy Wilson | May 8, 2013 12:21 PM | Reply

The article mentions several possible explanations, including
1. Baby Boomers aging out of the violent age group,
2. Abortion after 1973 reducing unwanted babies who grow up to be more likely criminals (ignoring the fact that before Roe the states were a patchwork of laws, about half of which already hewed to the Roe standard, so a "drilling down" should show the reduction due to the Roe factor to be strongest in states that had the Roe standard imposed on them by the SCOTUS).
3. Removal of lead in gasoline, with the claim that the lead induced brain conditions conducive to violent crime.
4. The vibrant economy helping to hire the low skilled,

I'm surprised that they didn't mention the AWB, hypothesizing that the non-availability of an AR with 30 round magazine (implicated in such a miniscule proportion of crimes with firearms) meant the criminal did not then buy a pistol which was not affected by the AWB and which accounted for virtually all crimes committed with a firearm, but decided to not commit a violent crime at all, as overall violent crime went down in the 20 years since 1992.

But I think the "Three Strikes" laws passed in various states also had an effect. It's hard to return to a life of crime, knocking over liquor stores and coshing old ladies when you're cooling your heels in Pelican Bay or Leavenworth.

jdunmyer | May 9, 2013 5:39 PM | Reply

I've seen this article at least twice now in newspapers, so it is NOT being ignored.

Darned if I know why...???

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