Yes, I now the FBI has just released the preliminary report from 2011 re. annual crime. Yes I know there is a 4 percent decrease in the number of violent crimes that year compared to 2010. Included in the violent crime category are murder, forcible rape, robbery, and aggravated assault. I also note that murder is down only 1.9 percent compared to the other three major groups in that category of forcible rape, robbery and aggravated assault, all three down 4 percent.
You gunzels can interpret that any way you want to but I see it as an indication that there just might still be a problem with murders by guns. The National Rifle Assn. (NRA) hangs its hat, and its reputation, on what might be considered less than significant percent decreases when in the United states in 2009 (latest year) there were 3.98 gun homicides per 100,000 population. Now that’s significant.
Compared to Canada with stricter gun laws which is only 0.5. The United Kingdom , also more stringent gun laws, at only 0.1. How about Spain where residents are not allowed to own automatic weapons, must register firearms, at 0.18. OK, you say Sweden has less restrictive gun laws and it is only 0.19. But when you take a closer look at Sweden ’s laws, assault weapons aren’t allowed, background checks and training are required and concealed carry is restricted.
According to GunPolicy.org and the FBI, there were 12,996 total murders in 2010, 8,775 or 67.5 percent that were committed by total firearms, and 6009 or 46.2 percent using handguns. Something else that we know is the fact that firearm ownership in the U.S. is 88.8 per 100,000 population. That’s compelling numbers when just two other countries come up to only half that and most are from the tens to thirties, many even less. We are a gun-loving nation.
I have even seen some figures that indicate that murders will total 14,000 in 2011 which puts that 1.9 decrease above in question. I started writing about gun violence in the Nasty Jack Blog in October of 2011, and since then the gun culture has gotten more freaky by the month. In March I started documenting monthly shootings and deaths, adding number of wounded in May. Some figures concentrate on those killed by guns but equally important are those injured.
There were 49 shootings in March producing 48 gun deaths. That increased to 69 shootings in April (40.8%) with 66 deaths (37.5%). Then May exploded with 90 shootings increasing another 30.4% over April, and 69 dead just 3 over the prior month, 131 wounded. So far in calculations from March to April there is an 83.7% increase in shootings and a 43.8% increase in those dead from gunshots. Already the file on June is growing to proportions equal or higher than May.