Gun Stats -- Rural v. Urban

[CEF1959]

Interesting stats:

Gun death rates are similar in rural and urban environments.

But how they occur are different.

Homicides by gun are much more prevalent in urban areas per 100,000 people.

But suicide by gun is much more prevalent in rural areas per 100,000 people.

What surprised me was the fact that accidental deaths by gun are a lot more prevalent in rural areas per 100,000.

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE64O3OY20100525

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[Cougfan2]

The accidental death numbers don't necessarily surprise. I am just making an assumption here, but I would imagine the percentage of gun owners out of the total population is higher in rural areas than it is in urban areas and might lead to a higher percentage of accidental deaths.

 

[CEF1959]

Good point. Same thing with suicides I think (why slit your wrists if you have an alternative readily at hand?).

Interesting that overall gun death rates are about the same. But consider this: If gun ownership rates are higher in rural communities, and homicides by gun are lower in rural communities, doesn't that say something about the possible role of gun ownership in combatting crime? Then again, maybe homicides are less prevalent in rural communities for other factors. Hard to say.

Gun control advocates will point to the accidental death-by-gun stats and argue that guns are inherently dangerous. And they're right. But so are cars, booze, and power takeoffs. I doubt many urban dwellers die as a result of clothing caught in a pto. And I doubt many of the accidental gun deaths in rural communities come from "assault rifle" accidents or as a result of hi-cap mags. Hunting accidents happen in rural communities and are always tragic, but historically we know they will happen. They never happen in urban communities, skewing the stats.

 

[Cougfan2]

Good point. Same thing with suicides I think (why slit your wrists if you have an alternative readily at hand?).

Interesting that overall gun death rates are about the same. But consider this: If gun ownership rates are higher in rural communities, and homicides by gun are lower in rural communities, doesn't that say something about the possible role of gun ownership in combatting crime? Then again, maybe homicides are less prevalent in rural communities for other factors. Hard to say.

Gun control advocates will point to the accidental death-by-gun stats and argue that guns are inherently dangerous. And they're right. But so are cars, booze, and power takeoffs. I doubt many urban dwellers die as a result of clothing caught in a pto. And I doubt many of the accidental gun deaths in rural communities come from "assault rifle" accidents or as a result of hi-cap mags. Hunting accidents happen in rural communities and are always tragic, but historically we know they will happen. They never happen in urban communities, skewing the stats.

As much as some folks like to try to say that gun ownership rates contribute to lower crime, I think it's a red herring. I believe socio-economic issues have far more effect on crime rates than firearms ownership rates. Poverty, drugs, and gang activity have far greater effect on homicide rates.

 

[CEF1959]

I agree with that. But I'd make the further point that a culture of respectful, safe, pervasive gun ownership is a socio-economic fact every bit as relevant as class, income, social mobility, family stability, and the rest.

 

[Trlsmn]

Since we're bringing suicide statistics into this, if you look at Australia since there gun ban gun suicides rates have dropped dramatically and the Brady bunch has touted this statistic. What the Brady bunch has left out is that the suicide rate has not dropped it's just shifted to other means.

 

[Cougfan2]

I agree with that. But I'd make the further point that a culture of respectful, safe, pervasive gun ownership is a socio-economic fact every bit as relevant as class, income, social mobility, family stability, and the rest.

I don't disagree that safe pervasive gun ownership has an effect, I just doubt that is has the same level of impact as the socio-economic issues. If you look at where I live in Washington Co, while the level of gun ownership is relatively equal in the densely populated areas, the violent crime levels in the more impoverished neighborhoods are significantly higher.

 

[CEF1959]

Since we're bringing suicide statistics into this, if you look at Australia since there gun ban gun suicides rates have dropped dramatically and the Brady bunch has touted this statistic. What the Brady bunch has left out is that the suicide rate has not dropped it's just shifted to other means.

And suicide by kangaroo-on-the-barbie is a lot less tidy than a bullet to the brain.

 

[Trlsmn]

As long as we're on suicide jokes:

Suicide is the sincerest form of self criticism.

 

[Cougfan2]

As long as we're on suicide jokes:

Suicide is the sincerest form of self criticism.

Now that's funny. Sick, but funny!

 

[Cougfan2]

We must do something about Kangaroo control.

http://www.metro.co.uk/weird/21505-man-killed-by-flying-kangaroo

 

[56kninja]

Interesting stats:

Gun death rates are similar in rural and urban environments.

But how they occur are different.

Homicides by gun are much more prevalent in urban areas per 100,000 people.

But suicide by gun is much more prevalent in rural areas per 100,000 people.

What surprised me was the fact that accidental deaths by gun are a lot more prevalent in rural areas per 100,000.

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE64O3OY20100525

I think it's more or less; If you handle guns a lot, you are sometimes given a false sense of security.. Which is why most Negligent discharges I read seem to be with an off duty Police Officer or Military member. This isn't factual of course, just a trend I have noticed.

And if you are carrying guns a lot more, the chance goes up.

 

[deen_ad]

As much as some folks like to try to say that gun ownership rates contribute to lower crime, I think it's a red herring. I believe socio-economic issues have far more effect on crime rates than firearms ownership rates. Poverty, drugs, and gang activity have far greater effect on homicide rates.

FBI stats are wrong when they show lower crime rates in areas that have high gun ownership?

Could you please give some cites of honest studies that show this or is this coming from the HCI site?


Deen
NRA Benefactor/Recruiter
WAC member
SWWAC member

 

[longcolt]

Interesting stats:

Gun death rates are similar in rural and urban environments.

But how they occur are different.

Homicides by gun are much more prevalent in urban areas per 100,000 people.

But suicide by gun is much more prevalent in rural areas per 100,000 people.

What surprised me was the fact that accidental deaths by gun are a lot more prevalent in rural areas per 100,000.

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE64O3OY20100525

The accidental death rate in rural areas is reflective of all the city dewlers going hunting in the woods and shooting themselves.

I would be interesting to see the actual resident location of the folks involved in accidents in addition to the location of where the accident occured. There are in fact a huge number of hunting accidents each year throughout the US, and most are non-rural individuals on huntng trips.

 

[madcratebuilder]

The accidental death rate in rural areas is reflective of all the city dewlers going hunting in the woods and shooting themselves.

That's funny!

I think it's more or less; If you handle guns a lot, you are sometimes given a false sense of security.. Which is why most Negligent discharges I read seem to be with an off duty Police Officer or Military member. This isn't factual of course, just a trend I have noticed.

The more you handle fire arms the more complacent you can become. I know I have to work at safe handling practices as I tend to become complacent when working on fire arms in my shop.

 

[ZachS]

The more you handle fire arms the more complacent you can become. I know I have to work at safe handling practices as I tend to become complacent when working on fire arms in my shop.

Not only that, the more you handle them the more opportunities you have to make mistakes.

 

[el gringo loco]

FBI stats are wrong when they show lower crime rates in areas that have high gun ownership?

Could you please give some cites of honest studies that show this or is this coming from the HCI site?


Deen
NRA Benefactor/Recruiter
WAC member
SWWAC member

The FBI stats are likely correct. However, just because two things happen at the same time, does not indicate that there is any sort of causality. Violent crime dropped in the late 1990s, but I don't think that anyone here would attribute that to the magazine capacity limitations and Assault Weapons ban that was in effect during that period of time.

I think that even if you had the same rate of gun ownership in a large city as in a rural area, the city would still have higher crime. A large city provides a degree of anonymity that allows people to perpetrate crime and still not risk getting the stigma and ostracization that would occur in a small town.

 

[deen_ad]

July/August American Handgunner, page 104, left sidebar

77%
Violent crime increase in UK since 1997

2,034
Violent crime per 100k in UK

1,609
Violent crime per 100k in South Africa

935
Violent crimes per 100k in Canada

466
Violent crime per 100k in US

Anybody have any idea where THEY got the figures? Someone is sure to ask for backup if I quote the info