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mrstickball said: ...Or we could go after the root causes of crime and murder in America. I think that'd be far more effective. But that's just my opinion. There's a reason that crime rates in America vary between sub-European levels and as bad as the worst nation(s) on Earth. |
From recent UNODC report:
Not all homicides involve a weapon. But while killers can prove to be particularly ingenious regarding the manner in which they dispose of other people, 42 per cent of global homicides are actually committed by firearm. Homicides in the Americas are more than three and a half times as likely to be perpetrated with a firearm than in Europe (74 per cent vs. 21 per cent), whereas sharp objects are more than twice as likely to be murder weapons in Europe, where they predominate, than in the Americas (36 per cent vs. 16 per cent).
The role played by firearms in homicide is fundamental and, while the specific relationship between firearm availability and homicide is complex, it appears that a vicious circle connects firearm availability and higher homicide levels. Firearms undoubtedly drive homicide increases in certain regions and where they do members of organized criminal groups are often those who pull the trigger.
Though it should be noted that UN expert acknowledged the fact that the role of firearms remains mostly indecisive and data is skewed, there're arguments that could support contradicitory opinions on the matter. And a hell of a lot of other reasons within the society for homicide rates to be high or low besides firearms availability.
But I was mostly referring to the incidents of mass murder like this one, that are very well addressed by sane gun contol program, though statistically they are just little bumps on the big graph, and not necessarily will lead by itself to lower homicide rates. And since I don't see there're good chances for that to happen, get used to this.
