In the last post, of course, we looked at the grades issued by the Organization Formerly known as HCI and the murder rates in Washington and Houston, two places with almost diametrically opposed grades and gun laws. Some will say more than just the murder rate needs to be considered. Which, of course, is true, as more crimes than just murder (i.e., rape and robbery) may be facilitated with guns. So, let's look at them. From the sources cited in the last post:
2004 Rapes
Washington: 218, or 39.3 per 100,000
Houston: 908, or 44.4 per 100,000
2004 Robberies:
Washington: 3,057, or 552.2 per 100,000
Houston: 10,182, or 498.3 per 100,000
2004 Aggravated Assaults:
Washington: 3,863, or 697.9 per 100,000
Houston: 12,065, or 590.4 per 100,000
2004 Total Violent Crimes (incl. homicide):
Washington: 7,336, or 1,325.3 per 100,000
Houston: 23,427 or 1164.0 per 100,000
Washington leads Houston in all those categories, with the exception of rape. The total violent crime rate of Washington is 13.8 percent higher than that of Houston. And even with the fact that the murder rate in Houston is lower than that of Washington, it's more than a little short-sighted to focus just on violence perpetrated with guns, especially in light of the numerous studies on defensive gun uses (Lott, Kleck, the Clinton Justice Department -- certainly no friend of the American gun owner, etc.) that show the numbers of them to be at the very least in the hundreds of thousands. I am firmly convinced that if the Bradys, et al. really gave a damn about making America a less violent place, they would among the most vigorous, unconditional advocates of the natural right to arms, as opposed to the disarmament shills they are.
UPDATE: Numbers had to be run again, and yes, they were double- and triple-checked...boy, do I ever feel like a heel...
2004 Rapes
Washington: 218, or 39.3 per 100,000
Houston: 908, or 44.4 per 100,000
2004 Robberies:
Washington: 3,057, or 552.2 per 100,000
Houston: 10,182, or 498.3 per 100,000
2004 Aggravated Assaults:
Washington: 3,863, or 697.9 per 100,000
Houston: 12,065, or 590.4 per 100,000
2004 Total Violent Crimes (incl. homicide):
Washington: 7,336, or 1,325.3 per 100,000
Houston: 23,427 or 1164.0 per 100,000
Washington leads Houston in all those categories, with the exception of rape. The total violent crime rate of Washington is 13.8 percent higher than that of Houston. And even with the fact that the murder rate in Houston is lower than that of Washington, it's more than a little short-sighted to focus just on violence perpetrated with guns, especially in light of the numerous studies on defensive gun uses (Lott, Kleck, the Clinton Justice Department -- certainly no friend of the American gun owner, etc.) that show the numbers of them to be at the very least in the hundreds of thousands. I am firmly convinced that if the Bradys, et al. really gave a damn about making America a less violent place, they would among the most vigorous, unconditional advocates of the natural right to arms, as opposed to the disarmament shills they are.
UPDATE: Numbers had to be run again, and yes, they were double- and triple-checked...boy, do I ever feel like a heel...
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