According to the FBI, there were 1.2 million violent crimes committed in the US last year.
According to the UK government, there were 1.94 million violent crimes in the UK last year.
www.ons.gov.uk/ons/dcp171778_296191.pdf
There are almost exactly five times as many people in the US as in the UK – 314 million vs. 63 million.
The violent crime rate in the UK is 3,100 per 100,000, and in the US it is 380 per 100,000 population.
Why didn’t Piers Morgan mention this inconvenient fact? Americans are much safer than Brits. In the UK, criminals know that their victims are unarmed and defenseless – just as Adam Lanza did.
This has been knows for years now but very relevant today because it vividly shows the failure of trying to create gun free zones that is really an open invitation to crooks who take advantage of the opportunity.
Reblogged this on Climate Ponderings.
I believe that part of the high crime rate is due to the fact that British have a wider classification of what constitutes violent crime.
I have lived both places. There is much less violent crime in the US, unless you live in an inner city.
I was looking at some homicide stats for Australia recently. You could see where deaths by guns has been going down. It also looked like death due to knives was taking up the slack and no real change in homicide rates has occurred since Australia banned owning guns.
Australia also has 500% more rapes than the US. I personally sleep well knowing that I can defend myself, unlike the defenseless women in Australia.
http://www.cyberwarzone.com/homeland-security-has-advice-confronting-mass-murders-scissors
This is one meme that really needs to be put to bed. The simple reason is that the statistics have been misunderstood. Please read the link:
http://dispellingthemythukvsusguns.wordpress.com/
Chris and everyone, what do you see as the goal of this discussion?
Chris, I appreciated your analysis but, when we try to link numbers and words between two countries separated by a common language it results in an unsolvable problem. Your numbers, based on the skewed definitions used by each nation, rely on our interpretation of their definition. As an example our violent crime definition includes “aggravated assault…. or threat of force”. In many cases this is maps very well to the British statement which is trying to soften the discussion by saying, “Around a half of violent incidents identified by both BCS and police statistics involve no injury to the victim.”
Next, both sources fail to assess the impacts of geography and demographics. Neither source support the ability to extract statistics on problem areas that skew the overall report. For example, the violent crime rate in Chicago as compared to other major cities, the arson rate in Detroit as compared to New York City, the cultural make up of stable and unstable cities, the vast differences in crime statistics between rural and urban locations, the comparisons are endless.
Lastly, I respect your opinion regards gun control but, banning an inanimate object while stating a “hope” that we will reduce the loss of life is misguided and tragically flawed. As an example, mass murderers simply see weapons, semi-automatic pistols and rifles, single action firearms, knives, clubs, etc., as a means used to meet their goal. If all semi-automatic “assault rifles” sales were banned; if the millions of semi-automatic of all types were confiscated, these mentally deranged individuals would simply find another means to execute their plan. For example, MSN has reported on a mass murder in China. The weapon… a knife. 22 elementary school children were murdered in a very gruesome and personal attack. If you do some additional research, you see that a knife has been used in several mass murders in China. These children were not protected by the very strict gun laws in China. Can China ban knives, can we? The point is that a ban on a category of firearms, or any weapon for that matter, is the classic showboating quick fix that has become the norm in Washington. We deserve more… Where is the work to assess how we can help these sick people who have a need to hurt defenseless people in “gun free zones”? Where is the work to help self-esteem and self-worth, and provide aid to people before they lash out? Personally, I believe we are seeing the results of the past 70 years wherein the population has been told that family, faith, and our founding principles need to be ignored or “Changed”. Many of these people lacked the guidance and support needed. Further the problem is compounded by government at all levels failing to establish needed support when family and faith fails.
Our focus should be on our societal problems not the effectiveness or availability of a hunk of metal.
“violent crime” or assault in the UK can include spitting on someone, throwing an egg at them, literally anything that can cause someone to feel any pain or discomfort whatsoever. In the UK you can have an assualt conviction (classed as violent crime) for spraying someone with a waterpistol (even if it only has water in it)., Have a look at the figure of hospitalisations and deaths for violent crime and you’ll see the true story
The point I was making was that there is no doubt that a country without general ownership of firearms has a lower murder rate, that is not only common sense but is backed up by research. The statistics that have been misused to show that the Uk has a higher rate of violent crime have been misunderstood and the opposite is the case.
The elephant in the room here is that a large number of people that own firearms, or collect them, if they are being honest with themselves, do so as it makes them feel powerful. The last sort of person who should own them.