[Parallax]

Or maybe the liberal gun laws are a consequence? They thrive because of a large number of supporters who may have an unacknowledged desire to be able to commit a cold blooded murder or two or more at will some day?

Yep, that's it! The secret is out. There are only two types of gun owners in America.
Those who are mass murderers, and those who want to be.

[wildweasel]

One way of looking at the second amendment.

[Parallax]

Looks pretty dismal until you factor in the 2.5 million times each year guns are used defensively.

[boriscleto]

Gun Deaths by State: Findings | AlterNet



I live in the state with the most restrictive gun laws in the country. Yet there is at least 1 shooting a week in the City of Syracuse. Probably because it is so easy to get a gun in PA. Of course there are 10 times as many stabbings every week so maybe we need some more knife control laws.

[Blue]

[Blue]

Gun Deaths by State: Findings | AlterNet



I live in the state with the most restrictive gun laws in the country. Yet there is at least 1 shooting a week in the City of Syracuse. Probably because it is so easy to get a gun in PA. Of course there are 10 times as many stabbings every week so maybe we need some more knife control laws.

You can vet this against the FBI UCR data for murder in 2008. For example, Tennessee reported 408 murders in 2008 of which 240 were with firearms. New York reported 835 murders and 475 were with all types of firearms. In the U.S., there were 245 justifiable homicides by civilians (204 with firearms). Law enforcement were reported with 371 justifiable homicides with 368 by firearms.

The thing that skews the map is probably that ~ 50% of suicides are with a firearm (more men use a gun). That only accounts for part of suicide. Accidents account for ~ 3% and even police have accidents. There were about 33,000 suicides by all means in 2008 which is well over double the murder count by all means that year and the murder rate was high that particular year.

[seacapt]

Gun Deaths by State: Findings | AlterNet



I live in the state with the most restrictive gun laws in the country. Yet there is at least 1 shooting a week in the City of Syracuse. Probably because it is so easy to get a gun in PA. Of course there are 10 times as many stabbings every week so maybe we need some more knife control laws.

Did Bloomberg draw that map? Sure makes NY look like the safest place to be in the continental US.
Oh the horror of those poor souls who live in such unsafe places as Wyoming and Montanna.
Prime example of how one can statistically and graphicly support any arguement

[gokenin]

Did Bloomberg draw that map? Sure makes NY look like the safest place to be in the continental US.
Oh the horror of those poor souls who live in such unsafe places as Wyoming and Montanna.
Prime example of how one can statistically and graphicly support any arguement

Very true most people will look at the colors and not do the math that this is per 100,000 people the states that are in the red have populations that are lower than other major states that are in light yellow so the impact would be statistically higher as a percentage of population for the state

[Parallax]

[seacapt]

Very true most people will look at the colors and not do the math that this is per 100,000 people the states that are in the red have populations that are lower than other major states that are in light yellow so the impact would be statistically higher as a percentage of population for the state

Yes and the fact that Alaska and DC are the only red zones must have something to do with Sarah Palin.

Back to topic sort of... Will be interesting to see if any insight to motive comes out today. I can't help but speculate that this was somehow in his twisted thought process part of his thesis work.

[Parallax]

I also suspect that very high percentage of those in Alaska are due to hunting accidents, not murder or manslaughter. Probably a different story in D.C., though.

[seacapt]

I also suspect that very high percentage of those in Alaska are due to hunting accidents, not murder or manslaughter. Probably a different story in D.C., though.

If some dimwit shoots a brown bear with a 380 pistol then gets maulled to death would that count as a gun related death?

[Blue]

I also suspect that very high percentage of those in Alaska are due to hunting accidents, not murder or manslaughter. Probably a different story in D.C., though.

Remember they like to lump suicides in there as well for maximum shock. Suicides by firearm alone are well over 2x murders by all methods. And that is only part of the suicides total. On the average, firearm accidents account for ~ 3% which includes hunting accidents and dumb stuff in the living room.

[boriscleto]

I also suspect that very high percentage of those in Alaska are due to hunting accidents, not murder or manslaughter. Probably a different story in D.C., though.

Alaska has a murder rate of about 4.4 per 100,000. That is comparable to New York's 4.5 per 100,000.

http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/murder-rates-nationally-and-state#MRord

In DC it is about 22 per 100,000. Down from about 100 per 100,000 20 years ago.

[Blue]

Alaska has a murder rate of about 4.4 per 100,000. That is comparable to New York's 4.5 per 100,000.

http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/murder-rates-nationally-and-state#MRord

There is a problem with the 2008 numbers. Alaska had a total of 27 murders reported in 2008 and 13 of those were with firearms. NY had 835 and 475 by firearms in 2008. That is murder, not justifiable or suicides.

FBI UCR murder by state and method for 2008

Table 20 - Crime in the United States 2008

If some dimwit shoots a brown bear with a 380 pistol then gets maulled to death would that count as a gun related death?

No, the bear ate the evidence.