Legitimate source of crime rate statistics

[brianjronk]

After discussing with a buddy of mine today about 2A, he didn't believe me that more guns equals less crime. He asked for examples of either states or countries that have more/less gun control and how the crime rates have increased/decreased. Everything I googled showed up on gun sites and forums. Where would I find statistics from a legitimate, not tied to the NRA type, source to convince this guy???

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[2ANewbie]

John Lott has a book about such things (More Guns, Less Crime), but I don't think that it is that simple of a relationship. One way to view it is comparing violent crime (this link is for census data for 2006 ( <broken link removed> ) and how the Brady Campaign ranks the states from their view
( <broken link removed> ).
The causal relationships between them is not close from either the John Lott's or the Brady Campaign's perspectives. My guess is that the causes of violent crime are pretty complex related to cultural and family issues. I don't think that poverty is the main issue because I grew up in a poor area (St. Louis in the 50's), and we didn't run around robbing and shooting each other.

 

[pokerace]

take a look at Kennasaw GA.

 

[Misterbill]

Look at FBI crime statistics on the UCR (Uniform Crime Reporting) stats. Look at states and rates with heavy gun control vs. little or no gun control. Surprisingly, Texas, which has this awesome rep for gun laws actually has pretty crappy gun rights (getting better every day) and WA, which overall has had little to zero gun control for decades has very low comparative violent crime rates.

The key is to look at violent crime rates overall, not just gun crime, which is vastly mis-reported just due to a lack of comprehensive info more than anything else.

Also remember that prior to the mid-90s most states didn't report consistently to the FBI because there was no incentive to do so. (That changed under the Clinton crime bill in 1993).

John Lott's "More guns, less crime," is also an excellent resource. Also look to crime rates reported in England pre and post gun confiscation laws. You'll find that violent crime overall in the UK is HIGHER than the USA (Yes, I was amazed myself, but it's true).

 

[Browning55]

A lot of people don't understand the reverse correllation between gun ownership and crime. I think those people are called congressmen.

 

[MountainBear]

It's not as simple as more guns equals less crime. There is a strong possibility that more guns does help to lower violent crime rates due to simple deterrence. The better the possibility someone will face violent repercussions for their actions, the less likely they are to do it. It's simply human nature. But there are other significant factors involved as well. Areas with high crime rates seem to be areas with a high concentration of people. Urban areas with large amounts of people stuck in a small area seems to lead towards higher crime. Other factors such as poverty, education, etc. also have an impact.

I certainly do not believe that less guns is the answer. Far from it. I firmly believe in our rights not only to keep our arms, but also to bear them in defense of our person or property. But simply removing gun regulations will not lower crime rates like a magic bullet (no pun intended). But it won't raise them either, so I figure we should error on the side of following the constitution...

 

[deen_ad]

The least accurate is the HCI site, most accurate is the NRA site as judged by several newspapers a while ago.

Eight U.S. Presidents have been NRA members. They are: Ulysses S. Grant,
Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, Dwight D. Eisenhower,
John F. Kennedy, Richard M. Nixon, Ronald Reagan and George Bush

80 MILLION gun owners didn't shoot anyone today, a few criminals did!

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The "Feedback Score" is low by 4, not everyone posts it I guess.

Deen
NRA Benefactor/Recruiter
Washington Arms Collector member
South West Washington Arms Collector member

 

[G1GRANDEUR]

I think it's the economy that brings crime. (High gas price and food price)

Now days all I see/hear on the news is someone got shot, killed, robbed for money or foods.

 

[Browning55]

We can reasonably infer certain relationships despite other intervening factors. Take the Washington, D.C. gun ban of 1967. The very next year their murder rate went up 102%. That's more than significant by any standards. Turning good people into victims by robbing them of their right to defend themselves (if they so choose) is a double crime.

It took 43 years before the Supreme Court finally corrected that mess - and then by only one single vote. Once something gets a liberal foothold it's extremely hard to dislodge.

 

[CEF1959]

I think this statistical argument has been completely played out. There are dozens of articles on each side.