POLITICS - Demographics For Crime and Legal Gun Ownership

[Blaine]

I wonder if anyone (NRA?) has figgered out the crimes commited per 100,000 of NRA members or any other membership of high standing, including shooters with carry permit. It would be fun to compare the numbers to other groups.....Congress, for example.

[Hobie]

I wonder if anyone (NRA?) has figgered out the crimes commited per 100,000 of NRA members or any other membership of high standing, including shooters with carry permit. It would be fun to compare the numbers to other groups.....Congress, for example.

They have for groups like CHP holders and such.

[Jeeps]

Problem is, you never know what number THEY are putting into the equation.

We all know the anti's will stretch it one way, so it only goes without saying
that the pro's will stretch it the other. (just cuz I like it doesn't mean it's right)

A nice list of the FACTS would be a wonderful thing.

Please post if ya find anything interesting.

[Andrew]

I like poking around here.

Surprisingly, alot of the charts show violent crime steadily decreasing ever since ol' slick willy got into office. Weird.

[AJMD429]

Decreasing crime may have more to do with increased CCW freedoms during the past couple decades than with who was president.

[Ysabel Kid]

The media will twist numbers and lead stories with headlines that never tell the whole truth. Recently they were lamenting the number of homicides committed by returning Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. The implication is that men and women returning from the war were time bombs waiting to explode. When you looked at the numbers though, and compared them to the homicide levels for the same age brackets, veterans are about 1/5th as likely to commit murder as their same age group from the general population!

Same analogy goes with suicide, etc.

[Kismet]

I like poking around here.

Surprisingly, alot of the charts show violent crime steadily decreasing ever since ol' slick willy got into office. Weird.

Have you by chance read the book Freakonomics? It is a great book where a couple renegade economists use their economics training to answer some crazy questions. For example, they gather a bunch of data to show that many Chicago public school teachers were cheating on their student's tests; they show that a realtor will sell your home, on average, for 3% less than their own home; and they talk about why low level drug dealers live with their mothers - turns out that the drug biz is just like big biz.

Anyway, they address this question. As controversial as it may be, their conclusion is that the legalization of abortion was the primary reason for the drop in crime starting in the '90's.

Please note folks, the book is interesting, non-political, and I don't care what your views are on abortion! I am just passing on their conclusion.

Michael in NH

[Old Ironsights]

I will second (and third) the recommendation to read Freakonomics.

It's an amazingly interesting book.

[Andrew]

Have you by chance read the book Freakonomics?

No, but I will look into it. I actually just finnished Big, fat liars by Morris Chafetz(that's were I got my new sig-line), which is about statistics and what-not. Very good book.