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It seems there is something in the news every day about gun violence. The recent mass shooting in Isla Vista, California, a movie theater riddled with bullets in Colorado, children and teachers gunned down at school in Connecticut, and the list goes on. While you may be seeing more and more shooting, the fact is, overall gun homicide rates have dropped dramatically over the past two decades, according to a recent study.
More than half of Americans believe gun violence has increased over the past two decades, but what you’re watching on the news, may be skewing your view.
That recent study said compared to 1993, the peak of US gun homicide, the rate was 49 percent lower in 2010, even though the population had grown. In other words, fewer people are dying by guns.
Another theory links reduced crime to 1970s-era reductions in lead in
gasoline; children’s exposure to lead causes brain damage that could be associated with violent
behavior.
According to
one hypothesis, legalization of abortion after the 1973 Supreme Court Roe v. Wade decision
resulted in fewer unwanted births, and unwanted children have an increased risk of growing
up to become criminals.
The firearm suicide rate (6.3 per 100,000 people) is higher than the firearm homicide
rate and has come down less sharply. The number of gun suicide deaths (19,392 in
2010) outnumbered gun homicides, as has been true since at least 1981.
originally posted by: Euphem
a reply to: eXia7
Would probably be effective to get people advocating gun rights to start spreading this message. Just this alone would sway millions of people to the other side....
originally posted by: Domo1
a reply to: MarlinGrace
They get far too much press, and I personally think that there is only one way to combat mass shootings.
Thread on it
We need to all agree to not publish or use their names. Make the event seem trivial and ignore the thing. I'm all for free speech, but I think voluntarily choosing to not turn these jackasses into anti heroes and publish their manifestos giving them a platform and a place in history that they desire would help to curb things.
Uptick in mass shootings correlates well with how fast information is passed.
it hasn't come about from arming everyone or gun sales because similar decreases are happening in European countries without guns.
originally posted by: beezzer
a reply to: Domo1
My friend, it's never been about guns.
It's always been about control.