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Murder Rates vs. Firearm Murder Rates
Self | Feb. 7th, 2013 | Sampleman

Posted on 02/07/2013 7:38:54 AM PST by SampleMan

We hear a lot in the media about “firearm murder rates”, but I don’t really care about how someone is murdered, but rather whether they are murdered at all. The U.S. ranks 1st in firearms per person, but 98th overall by murder rate, putting us on the better side of mid-pack. The Swiss rank 2nd in firearms per person and have an almost nonexistent murder rate.

Of the 20 countries with the most firearms per person, none have exceedingly high murder rates compared to the rest of the world. Indeed, when averaged, the murder rate of these 20 countries would rank among the lowest. Safer than Luxembourg! So does firearm availability correspond to high murder rates? The facts clearly indicate that it does not.

Conversely, looking at the 75 countries that have the highest murder rates, 200-1800% higher than the USA, all heavily restrict or prohibit the private ownership of firearms. Sounds a lot like Chicago and D.C. doesn’t it?

Australia used to allow private firearms and had one of the lowest murder rates in the world. After passing a near complete ban, Australia’s murder rate has increased, while similar country’s rates have continued to decline. Non-lethal assault and robbery rates in Australia have exploded.

Predators seek out easy targets. It turns out that armed societies really are polite societies when you bother to examine the facts. The only weapon that makes a 5 ft—100 pound woman the equal of a 6 ft—200 lb. man is a firearm. The predator knows this before even considering kicking in the door. Thus, even the unarmed are protected by the predator knowing that the possibility exists. This effect can be likened to the protection that nuclear weapons provided during the Cold War, despite never using them.

The Demolsheviks wish to trade a relatively low firearm murder rate, for a much higher rate of murder by stabbing, beating, etc., not to mention skyrocketing assaults.


TOPICS: Your Opinion/Questions
KEYWORDS: banglist; firearms; guncontrol; guns; murder; secondamendment

1 posted on 02/07/2013 7:39:04 AM PST by SampleMan
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To: SampleMan
WOULD BANNING FIREARMS REDUCE MURDER AND SUICIDE?, Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy, Volume 30, Number 2, Spring 2007 (pp. 649-694)
2 posted on 02/07/2013 7:47:56 AM PST by E. Pluribus Unum (TYRANNY: When the people fear the politicians. LIBERTY: When the politicians fear the people.)
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To: SampleMan

very good bump


3 posted on 02/07/2013 7:48:17 AM PST by George from New England (escaped CT in 2006, now living north of Tampa)
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To: SampleMan

Taking a research design class and really wish this was published! :)


4 posted on 02/07/2013 7:48:42 AM PST by huldah1776
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To: huldah1776
All of the murder rate and gun ownership data is published. Its just a matter of correlating it. Something the media has no desire to do.
5 posted on 02/07/2013 7:51:23 AM PST by SampleMan (Feral Humans are the refuse of socialism.)
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To: SampleMan

6 posted on 02/07/2013 7:58:45 AM PST by Travis McGee (www.EnemiesForeignAndDomestic.com)
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To: SampleMan

I like this, however, I’m thinking we have to get more “base”....get in LIBS faces...and ask them....WHY do you want children and women killed? Why won’t you let them have protection?


7 posted on 02/07/2013 8:06:30 AM PST by goodnesswins (R.I.P. Doherty, Smith, Stevens, Woods.)
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To: Travis McGee

Actually, they do not want to take up all guns. They just want yours and mine. Look back at NAZI Germany, With just a few machine guns,a few rifles and some barb wire a few NAZIs could control as many as 20,000 Jews in a concentration camp. And anyone ove here that does not think that the regime in power here has the same plans for us are only deluding themselves.


8 posted on 02/07/2013 8:07:50 AM PST by sport
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To: Travis McGee

But my point isn’t that handguns are used more or that rifles are used less, the point is that the method of murder doesn’t matter, unless that method increases the rate.

The facts are clear that firearm availability makes murder less common in general, while simultaneously making murders by firearm more likely.

People who desire to kill someone are only deterred by getting caught or getting hurt themselves. Trying to murder people who may have a firearm greatly increases the perps risk of getting hurt or dead.

In a society without firearms, a predator need only identify a weaker victim and then attack them at their leisure. Grabbing a small woman from her car or kicking in the door of an elderly man’s house carries almost no risk, if no one has firearms. And these are the very crimes that skyrocket when citizens are disarmed, like Chicago, D.C., and Australia.


9 posted on 02/07/2013 8:19:08 AM PST by SampleMan (Feral Humans are the refuse of socialism.)
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BFL


10 posted on 02/07/2013 9:26:08 AM PST by zeugma (Those of us who work for a living are outnumbered by those who vote for a living.)
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To: SampleMan

If you removed the crimes committed by Negro males aged 14-55, who make up less than 2% of the total US population, from US statistics our crime rates would be on par with those of the safest nations in the world.


11 posted on 02/07/2013 9:33:22 AM PST by Count of Monte Fisto
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To: Travis McGee

Any idea if the handgun total includes killings by cops?


12 posted on 02/07/2013 11:08:08 AM PST by zagger
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To: SampleMan

What the “Demolsheviks” really want is for us not to be able to shoot at THEM.


13 posted on 02/07/2013 11:20:50 AM PST by Let's Roll (Save the world's best healthcare - REPEAL, DEFUND Obamacare!)
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To: SampleMan

Good points. What are the data sources for the murder rates and gun ownership rates?


14 posted on 02/07/2013 11:35:29 AM PST by Atlas Sneezed (Universal Background Check -> Registration -> Confiscation -> Tyranny -> Genocide)
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To: Beelzebubba

I used the straight wiki data, but obviously the bibliography for that is listed.

Just search “Murder rates by country” and “Firearm ownership by country.


15 posted on 02/07/2013 11:40:46 AM PST by SampleMan (Feral Humans are the refuse of socialism.)
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To: SampleMan

I think what you are really saying is that increased gun ownership reduces the murder rate.

The same is true in terms of violent crime.

I wonder if the MSM (or Piers) will ever report that???


16 posted on 02/07/2013 12:00:21 PM PST by jda ("Righteousness exalts a nation . . .")
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To: SampleMan
The numbers I have seen show that the Australian murder rate was going down and has continued to do so, though in a very small amount.

http://www.aic.gov.au/statistics/homicide.html

There is a fair amount of fluctuation due to the relaively low numbers (about 250-300) per year.

17 posted on 02/07/2013 12:00:27 PM PST by marktwain (The MSM must die for the Republic to live. Long live the new media!)
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To: marktwain

I looked at that again, and there does appear to be statistical disagreement. All I’ve put my finger on so far is that the declining stats say “homicide” and the increasing stats say “murder”.

I’ll keep investigating.


18 posted on 02/07/2013 5:37:15 PM PST by SampleMan (Feral Humans are the refuse of socialism.)
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