It Must Be the Guns

• December 30, 2006

NEW YORK — After many years of decline, the number of murders climbed this year in New York and many other major U.S. cities, reaching their highest levels in a decade in some places.
Among the reasons given: gangs, the easy availability of illegal guns, a disturbing tendency among young people to pull guns when they do not get the respect they demand, and, in Houston at least, an influx of Hurricane Katrina evacuees.
In New York, where the city reported 579 homicides through Dec. 24 — a nearly 10 percent increase from the year before — the spike is mostly the result of an unusually large number of “reclassified homicides,” or those involving victims who were shot or stabbed years ago but did not die until this year. Thirty-five such deaths have been added to this year’s toll, compared with an annual average of about a dozen.
At the same time, Police Department spokesman Paul Browne noted that this year’s total is only slightly higher than last year’s 539 homicides — the city’s lowest death toll in more than 40 years.
Browne blamed the rise in part on the availability of guns, particularly weapons from out of state. The city this year sued dozens of out-of-state gun shops that it says are responsible for many of the illegal weapons on the streets of New York.

OK first of all what changed? Guns didn’t get all of a sudden more easy to get. If last years murder rate was a 40 year low did you credit the fact that there were illegal guns for the reduction in crime.
Another point would be that most illegal guns do not come from gun shops. They are stolen by citizens, policeman, national guard armories. If we were to shut down every gun store and remove all guns from lawful sources the criminals would merely smuggle their guns in. One method they could use is have every illegal alien carry a couple over or disguise them as a bale of marijuana.
Of course the AP writer ignored the great body of work that shows that crime drops when honest citizens can protect themselves. That just doesn’t fit his agenda.
I got a kick out of this paragraph:

Andrew Karmen, a criminologist at John Jay College in New York, said that while there are various theories for the drop in murders in New York and other cities in the 1990s, no one knows for sure why it happened. And if they are going up again, no one knows the reason for that, either, he said.

Umm could it be that we had more criminals locked up in jail where they aren’t a threat to the decent members of society? Could our rise in murder rate be illegal aliens that have filled in for the reduction of domestic criminals on the streets? Just a couple of theories of mine.

Tags: Guns

http://SayAnythingBlog.com The_Whistler_ofnd

You know the most polite large events I’ve ever been to have been gun shows. A biker bumps into you and you both apologize.

Contrast that with a craft show and the old grannies who haven’t been polite since she was conquered by the doughboys.
Pilgrim

Yeah, okay…the guns did it. The fact is that many of those murders were committed by conscienceless thugs who feel empowered because our society tells them that they deserve respect. Earning respect doesn’t occur to them. I breathe, so dammit, respect me.

Their respect comes from the barrel of a gun. Thug culture, particularly the gangster rap culture, has been embraced by the media and shoved down our throats. This is the result.

I have to say that I think uncontrolled illegal immigration is beginning to play it’s own part in the drama. A part of those so called “immigrants” are out of control thugs as well.
http://SayAnythingBlog.com The_Whistler_ofnd

I agree with you Goon. The Powerline guys have done more than anyone on the Minneapolis crime problem being a lack of enforcement.

This post by them would be a good place to start reading about that.
http://proof-proofpositive.blogspot.com/ proof_positive

Gun laws work…not! I remember when Dianne Feinstein was mayor of San Fransisco. She and the city council passed a law (later overturned) forbidding the private ownership of handguns in the city.
I was listening to KCBS news radio, which announced the story, followed by the story of a fellow who robbed a liquor store in the city using a sawed off shotgun.
Now despite the fact that it was illegal to make a sawed off shotgun (depending on the length), it was illegal to carry a loaded weapon in city limits, it was illegal to rob a liquor store, and it was illegal to use a firearm in the commission of a robbery, this enterprising young man still managed to pull it off.
I suspect that people who tend to join gangs and murder members of other gangs, just might be able to ignore the same types of laws.
kbiel

Could our rise in murder rate be illegal aliens that have filled in for the reduction of domestic criminals on the streets?

I keep hearing the pro-illegal…er…undocumented immigration side saying that the “migrants” are just doing jobs that Americans don’t want to do. Here’s a prime example!
http://ndgoon.blogspot.com/ goon

Gun laws work…not! I remember when Dianne Feinstein was mayor of San Fransisco. She and the city council passed a law (later overturned) forbidding the private ownership of handguns in the city.
I was listening to KCBS news radio, which announced the story, followed by the story of a fellow who robbed a liquor store in the city using a sawed off shotgun.
Now despite the fact that it was illegal to make a sawed off shotgun (depending on the length), it was illegal to carry a loaded weapon in city limits, it was illegal to rob a liquor store, and it was illegal to use a firearm in the commission of a robbery, this enterprising young man still managed to pull it off.

Interesting a sawed off shot gun, probably was gun that was cut down, and was once a legal fire arm that was probably stolen from a law abiding citizen. So add a few more crimes to that already long list.

I would be willing to bet if the cops caught that person they wouldn’t spend much time in jail because of over crowding.
http://magyartruth.blogspot.com/ Chief RZ

Mickey. Correct. Law abiding citizens with right to carry authorization reduce crime. A good book on the subject was published about two years ago. It was the results of 20 years of statistics. A county by county analysis of crime and “gun control”. A statistically significant finding was that in counties that had “outlawed” guns, the crimes were much greater that in adjoining counties that allow law abiding citizens to possess, use, and defend themselves.
http://ndgoon.blogspot.com/ goon

Whistler that is an awesome story, it would be interesting to find out how many of these cities that are reporting increases in crime is a result of being run by the left wing.

I noticed that Minneapolis is exerencing a rise in crime, seems that all those gangster that were thrown in jail during the 1990′s are out of jail and now out commiting crimes again. How about throw their ass in jail for good.

While I don’t want to pay more of my hard earned money in taxes for liberal handouts ie, to pay for health care and social security to illegal immigrants and social problems I wouldn’t mind paying a few more dollars a pay check to put dirt bags behind bars and keep them there.

Its not guns its the failure of the left leaning politicians to enforce the laws that are already on the books.
Mickey

I was at a large gun show today. It was interesting to see hundreds of weapons, knives and open amunition all over the place and not one threat of violence from anywhere in the facility. At anytime someone could of loaded a gun and started shooting…

I can only conclude that people who have a genuine interest in guns are responsible, safe citizens.
http://SayAnythingBlog.com The_Whistler_ofnd

I would say that locking criminals up is a good way. It might not be the only way.

What is the police chief doing?
http://www.bikebubba.blogspot.com/ Robert Perry

Larry makes a good point; crime is a multivariant system, so blaming one factor or the other is generally too simplistic.

That said, the case for New York’s strong decline and Minneapolis’ increase seems to arise at least in part from how many cops are on the street. Giuliani put more cops on the street, Rybak puts a grass roof on City Hall and builds a new main library (while shutting lots of others).

And regarding logic, I especially like how NYC is blaming guns sold today for a rise in murders related to wounds suffered years ago. Perhaps the good folks can begin their study of logic with the principle of “causality,” and how the effect cannot predate the cause without violating this principle.
http://richmondlostnfound.blogspot.com/ Larry Lanberg

Richmond VA, where I reside, had a terrible stretch of years where the homicide rate was (per-capita) about the worst in the nation. I think one recent year we were “#1″ in this regard.

Almost every night, beginning around midnite, I hear the gunshots. Sometimes they will wake me up out of a sound sleep.

But even so, 2006 was a special year for us. The homicide rate actually dropped! This is greeted as very promising news (it’s never really dropped before). And considering that other cities saw an actual increase…

There has been no change in the gun laws here. Guns are still relatively easy to acquire. And yet there are less shootings than before. The decrease is attributed to the thoughful work of our newest police chief — who doesn’t advocate Republican policies of lock ‘em up ‘n’ throw away the key.

The point of me posting this info is:

Homicide Rates may have very little to do with the existence, or non-existence of, gun laws, nor are they necessarily connected to types of sentences given at trials.

There’s something else playing into the equation.

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