WORLD: Violence & Firearms

Liberals, in their seemingly unending quest to disarm the American people, nearly continuously claim that stricter gun control laws reduce violent crime and make America a safer place in which to live.

Conservatives, in their seemingly unending quest to maintain the right of arms for the American people, nearly continuously claim that more lenient control laws reduce violent crime and make America a safer place in which to live.

Both sides have made such directly conflicting claims for decades and do not look like they’ll be shifting from their respective positions anytime soon. That being the case, it behooves people to do a bit of research into the available data in order to form an objective opinion. To that end I researched the FBI’s Violent Crime Statistics and the Brady Campaign State Scorecards.

This is where I totally enrage both sides of the gun control issue. Publishing non-partisan, objective data tends to do that.

Some key points of my findings are shown below. They do not well fit the claims of either side of the argument of gun control.

Top 10 Least Violent States

State	Violent Crime / Capita	Brady Campaign Rankings
Maine	0.00118	12
Vermont	0.00124	9
New Hampshire	0.00137	11
North Dakota	0.00142	4
South Dakota	0.00169	6
Rhode Island	0.00227	47
Utah	0.00235	4
Idaho	0.00239	6
Wyoming	0.00239	9
Connecticut	0.00256	54

So, according to the FBI’s statistics on violent crime, the ten (10) safest (least violent crime per capita) states have Brady Campaign scores ranging from 4 (very lenient) to 54 (fairly strict). Indeed, the safest is Maine with its rather Wild-West-esque Brady Score of 12 and the most dangerous – of the safest ten – is Connecticut with its Brady Score of 54. It seems that there is little or no correlation at all between gun laws and violent crime in the ten (10) least violent American states.

Looking at the other end of spectrum, the ten(10) states with the highest violent crime rates per capita, we see a worrisomely similar lack of correlation between gun laws and violent crime.

Top 10 Most Violent States

State	Violent Crime / Capita	Brady Campaign Rankings
South Carolina	0.00788	9
Tennessee	0.00753	7
Nevada	0.00751	11
Louisiana	0.00729	2
Florida	0.00723	6
Delaware	0.00689	22
New Mexico	0.00664	6
Alaska	0.00661	4
Maryland	0.00642	53
Michigan	0.00536	22

So, according to the FBI’s statistics on violent crime, the ten (10) most dangerous (most violent crime per capita) states have Brady Campaign scores ranging from 2 (extremely lenient) to 53 (fairly strict). Even within this most dangerous ten (10) states there is no direct correlation between violent crime rates and the strictness or leniency of gun control laws.

Most telling though is the similarity in the Brady Scores between to ten safest and the the ten most dangerous states. Both group have a very similar set of scores and a very similar scattering of the scores in question.

Composite of Safest & Most Dangerous Sorted by Brady Score

State	Violent Crime / Capita	Brady Campaign Rankings
Connecticut	0.00256	54
Maryland	0.00642	53
Rhode Island	0.00227	47
Delaware	0.00689	22
Michigan	0.00536	22
Maine	0.00118	12
Nevada	0.00751	11
New Hampshire	0.00137	11
South Carolina	0.00788	9
Wyoming	0.00239	9
Vermont	0.00124	9
Tennessee	0.00753	7
Florida	0.00723	6
New Mexico	0.00664	6
Idaho	0.00239	6
South Dakota	0.00169	6
Alaska	0.00661	4
Utah	0.00235	4
North Dakota	0.00142	4
Louisiana	0.00729	2

Given these results, it seems difficult – if not completely impossible – for an objective opinion to be formed that there is a direct correlation between the strictness or leniency of gun control laws in the states and those states’ respective levels of violent crime. I think it would behoove both the Liberal and Conservative camps to consider another point of contention.

Originally on Reflections From a Murky Pond

Updated: 07/22/2009 22:05

Jonolan Rate:by 1 Ratings
Article tags: 2Nd Amendment America Conservatives Crime Freedom Gun Control Gun Rights Law Liberals Politics

comments

America is by far the most violent nation in the world (anyone who watched Bowling for Columbine has been made aware of many biased facts in this regards). The fact that this violence is often attributed solely to lax gun laws is laughable … Canada has more lax gun laws and is far less violent. There is far more to America’s violent tendencies than simply gun laws.

This is a great post, Jonolan. I have yet to see the facts laid out in such a manner. I think that we are in agreement, in part, in our view on gun control. I have no desire to see American’s loose their right to bear arms, however there are times that I think that some common sense would be well rewarded.

If people want to own firearms, so be it. If they shoot someone, I think that they should loose this right. People with Violent Tendencies should be checked, and people with criminal pasts should be checked. Bearing arms should not be a right, it should be a privilege. Privileges should be taken away, and there shouldn’t be means for people to go around checks (Gun Shows).

These are, of course, simply my opinion on this matter.

Posted Date: 07/22/2009 20:08

shark 0 Recommend Report Abuse

Say what you will, guns are dangerous. With so many gun related deaths it is hard to argue that if they were completely removed from society people would be safer. I think that only the police should be armed outside of houses and the right to bear arms in the constitution should only amount to shotguns, semi-automatic rifles and muskets. I don't know about you, but the fact that any redneck can buy an automatic weapon at "Nedz Gunz" just scares the shit out of me.

Posted Date: 07/26/2009 01:29

Hammer 0 Recommend Report Abuse

We cannot remove guns in the whole world how ever we wanted to, but what we can change is the attitude of its user. Any kind of firearm, whether it is AK 15, AK 47 or Ruger 10/22 will be harmless if we use it responsibly and consciencesiously.

Posted Date: 08/21/2010 12:18