ExRx.net

I love stats Jason, because you can make them say whatever you want.

Candadian violent crime rate - 2010 899 per 100K
[url]http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/85-002-x/2011001/article/11523/c-g/desc/desc01-eng.htm
[/url]
US violent crime rate - 2010 403 per 100K
http://www.disastercenter.com/crime/uscrime.htm

In 2010, Texas had a violent crime rate of 450 per 100K. which ranks us 15th. Interestingly, Washing DC with some of the strictest gun laws ranking... #1 with 1330 per 100K.
http://www.infoplease.com/us/statistics/crime-rate-state.html

For what it is worth, I don't think there is a good answer one way or another.

LTC Grossman wrote the following. I think it is applicable. I've posted it before.
http://www.gleamingedge.com/mirrors/onsheepwolvesandsheepdogs.html

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Thanks TimD.

Sorry - this got way off of being random.

I ate 2 brontosaurus ribs and 2 cups of beans for dinner.

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Thanks TimD.

I'm not attributing it to any one factor, nor am I advocating for (or against) gun control measures. I think the reality of the situation is that affecting other push factors like education and poverty is going to result in much more tangible results than disarming (or arming) citizens. Saying things like "assault rifles should be banned" or "CCW would've stopped this" is just silly and reactionary, and I think has more to do with a 24 hour news cycle manipulating people's emotions than an actual statement on the security of Americans.


I specifically chose statistics for homicide because the legal definition and reporting of homicide is almost universally agreed upon by first world nations, and is rather immutable; dead is dead is dead. (I also chose to use wikipedia as a single source). Choosing to look at something like "violent crime" that can vary wildly in definition from nation to nation, now that is using statistics to say whatever you want. That Canada's murder rate is dramatically lower than America's, and that Texas' murder rate is above average in America, is indisputable fact.

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don't you know there ain't no devil
that's just god when he's drunk

The Canadian number includes common assault where I don't thing the US number does. There may be other differences as well but this alone would account for the difference.

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Let thy food be thy medicine, and thy medicine be thy food.~Hippocrates
Strength is the adaptation that leads to all other adaptations that you really care about - Charles Staley
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Thanks TimD

I can't help but believe that a well-placed 40 cal slug landing squarely on James Holmes' bullet-proof vest would have ended the whole episode! I also can't believe that there wasn't an armed citizen in that whole theater. But of course, there may have been some who were not in a position to get off a shot. I also find it hard to believe that no one jumped him from behind, even willing to sacrifice him- or her-self. Of course, I don't know what the effect of the smoke grenades was. It might be possible that very few could actually see him.

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Our greatest fear should not be of failure, but of succeeding at things in life that don't really matter.--Francis Chan

This was posted by one of my friends on Facebook:

"After a very protective diet of nothing but the most processed foods (specifically engineered for consumption), I ate "natural" unprocessed cheese which is one of the raw ingredients in Cheez. And avocado which is something like a guacamole made by someone who has never had guacamole before.

"Anyway, my tummy hurts. I'll probably have to stay on a super-strict diet of twinkies for like a week to get over this."

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Our greatest fear should not be of failure, but of succeeding at things in life that don't really matter.--Francis Chan

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Our greatest fear should not be of failure, but of succeeding at things in life that don't really matter.--Francis Chan

I find Thomas Sowell's facts and reasoning on this subject to be compelling.

http://townhall.com/columnists/thomassowell/2012/07/24/news_versus_propaganda/page/full/

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Our greatest fear should not be of failure, but of succeeding at things in life that don't really matter.--Francis Chan

I find it more than a little interesting that so much of the debate over gun control revolves around incidents like the recent mass shooting in Colorado. These incidents, while serious, are relatively rare and far from being typical examples of American gun violence.

For example, in the wake of the movie theatre shooting I've heard a number of people speak of the need for a new Assaut Weapon Ban. However, semi-automatic rifles are only used in something like 1% of all shootings.

It's also worth mensioning that the Clinton Assault Weapon Ban had no real effect on the availability of high-cap semi-auto rifles. If anything, more people purchased AR-15s and civilian AKs because of the ban.

ENOUGH POLITICS MORE RANDOM







what's the most humane way to kill a mouse stuck in a sticky trap? Serious question

Most humane? The quickest way possible. Use a brick to crush the head - it is an immediate painless death. Brutal and gruesome for you, yes... but it is quick and humane for the mouse.

Sorry, one last stat fun on homicide rates. Remember Jason, we can make stats say whatever we want. Let's look just at Texas.
The homicide rate in Texas in 1995 was 9.0. Concealed hand guns (permitted) started in 1996. The rate immediately dropped to 7.7. In 2010 - 5.0. Since concealed hand gun permits went into effect in Texas, homicide rates have dropped 45 percent with a 14.5% reduction in year one.

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Thanks TimD.

I don't think that's "making statistics say whatever we want" at all. I think that's valid statistical data that indicates since 1995, the homicide rate in Texas has dropped dramatically. Since homicide is relatively immutable, it's an excellent data point and from there you can extrapolate all kinds of meaningful datum. You could compare it to gun ownership (as you've done) or compare it to the national homicide rate for the same time period or Texas' economy or the incarceration rate and come up with some very detailed explanations on a number of factors that influenced that change, including the very real possibility that CCW reduced the homicide rate. And it would still be over 6 times higher than here, which indicates it's a far, far more complicated matter than arming or disarming citizens, and any one-size-fits-all statement about gun control is missing the forest for a tree.

I'm eating an entire deep dish sausage and ground beef pizza and washing it down with pint of ice cream.

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don't you know there ain't no devil
that's just god when he's drunk

I folded the trap over (it's like 2 bits of A4 paper side by side), put it in a plastic bag, then stamped on the plastic bag.

Couldn't think of a nicer, faster way.

Does anyone else hate bulking as much as I do? You take perfectly good foods and have to eat so much of them that they cease to be pleasant treats and become soul-crushing slogs.

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don't you know there ain't no devil
that's just god when he's drunk

you pansy, bulking's great fun. It's dieting that sucks.