Murders up in New York, other big cities

[Beet]

By KAREN MATTHEWS, Associated Press Writer
28 minutes ago
 
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, drugs, 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.

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[CARLHAYDEN]

Well, lets take a look at the assertion re handguns.

According to the National Survey of the Private Ownership of Firearms

"Handgun owners tend to be white, conservative, between the ages of 40 and 64, divorced, and living in rural America. Those with some college education are more likely to own a handgun than those without, and those with higher incomes are more likely to own a handgun than those with lower incomes."

Now, according to the Uniform Crime Reports, 'murder' rates by black assailants are more than seven times the rate for white assailants.

Persons age 40 through 64 have a below average murder rate, only one fourth the rate of those age 15 - 39.

Rural areas experienced murder rates below the national average and far below that of the big cities.

I am unaware of any adequate data linking murder rates to poltical beliefs, marital status, education or income (although there are studies that indicates that violent felons are more likely to never have been married, have a below average educational attainment and below average income).

In short, the 'gun availability' is simply a red herring.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

And yet they are still better places to live than suburbs.

Interesting fact: Mankato has a higher per capita crime rate than NYC.

[Gabu]

And yet they are still better places to live than suburbs.

Interesting fact: Mankato has a higher per capita crime rate than NYC.

You know, you wouldn't catch nearly as much flak if you made the small change of attempting to pass off your personal preferences and opinions as objective fact.

[TheresNoMoney]

As incomes go down, crimes go up.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

And yet they are still better places to live than suburbs.

Interesting fact: Mankato has a higher per capita crime rate than NYC.

You know, you wouldn't catch nearly as much flak if you made the small change of attempting to pass off your personal preferences and opinions as objective fact.

But no one has been able to rebuke my anti-suburb points.

When I asked you how you don't die of boredom in suburbs, you said you do a bunch of stuff that someone can do anywhere, including the cities. Therefore, no one has managed to provide examples of how cities are NOT vastly more fun than suburbs.

[CARLHAYDEN]

No it isn't, Carl.  If guns were not available, people wouldn't get shot.  Saying the majority of gun owners are old rednecks doesn't change the fact that these young oppressed use guns to shoot.

As for why the murder rates are on the way up - it is inevitable as the working class becomes more and more impoverished.  Also the 'war on drugs' and other brutal State actions cause violence.

First, are firearms more widely available in places like Vermont and South Dakota than in the District of Columbia or New York?

Second, which set of jurisdictions listed above has the higher murder rates?

Third, is the murder rate in New York higher or lower today than it was when the Sullivan Act was passed?

Fourth, is the murder rate in the District of Columbia today higher or lower than it was in 1975 (the last year before the gun ban)?

[Nym90]

The increased murder rate probably has much to do with a growing income disparity between the wealthy and the poor. It shouldn't be too surprising that this would correlate with increased rates for all crimes, including murder.

[freedomburns]

Oakland has about a half million, I think.  This year has the highest murder rate in ten years.  As of yesterday, Oakland police had recorded 148 homicides. That's a 57 percent increase from the previous year and the most murders the city has seen in a decade.

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