Could the Anti's be Correct?

[mekender]

you have to also consider that NC for its size has a fairly low population that lives outside of large metro areas... when a great majority of a states population lives in metro areas with heavy population density, crime will be higher per 100,000... i would imagine that if you went county by county in NC, you would see there are about 6 high crime areas... the triad, the triangle, wilmington, charlotte, fayetteville and jacksonville... this accounts for approximately 12-15 counties in a state with 100 counties...

 

[kermit315]

and lets not forget that the anti's argument is that CCW states have rises in crime, along with wild west style gun fights, which we all know is bogus.

 

[The Unknown User]

Correlation does not prove causation.

They are just as right to present this data as we are to say the DC handgun ban caused a rise in crime.

 

[SDC]

There are also a bunch of confounding effects that may APPEAR to show one thing, but, in fact, show another. You can graph the various visible minority populations of each state versus its crime/murder/rape rate, and end up showing that the higher each state's minority population, the higher its crime rate, but that simultaneously ignores things like alcohol and drug abuse, poverty, single-parent families, etc., etc., that are likely to be the REAL root cause of those higher crime rates.

 

[Kevin108]

To me, crime stats are a mixed bag. Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't the numbers for murder also counting BGs killed by the police or in self-defense? Also can't reports be manipulated to call one type of crime another?

 

[tepin]

Dr. Lott has already figured this out the 'right' way:
http://www.amazon.com/More-Guns-Les...bs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1205074166&sr=8-1

 

[Shooter57]

Stat's can be made to show anything you want them to. If your wife/girlfriend beat you up everynight for stopping to have a beer and the cops showed up and filed a report it would be reported as a violent crime.
no firearms used but the anti's will say there was.

 

[MachIVshooter]

To me, crime stats are a mixed bag. Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't the numbers for murder also counting BGs killed by the police or in self-defense?

Not on the FBI UCR, but that is a Brady bunch tactic. When they say "Kids killed by guns", they are including all firearm related deaths for all people under the age of 25. Homicide, suicide, accident, shot by police or by a civilian defending him/herself, etc. They're not picky; so long as a bullet was the cause of death, they'll use it.

 

[Don Gwinn]

Almost nobody is wrong all the time, about everything. This is why it's not a good idea to accept utilitarian arguments against gun control. The forces that shape crime statistics are complex and even chaotic.

 

[txgho1911]

Not everyone with the right gov papers will carry. Not all who carry will have gov papers. Not all who have gov papers and who carry will lift a finger to help a fellow man who didn't jump through the hoops to get the gov papers to carry.
Some 200+ years ago malitia service was compulsory. Keeping a firearm in many jurisdictions was mandated.
So what percentage of the population there even own weapons?

 

[Beagle-zebub]

Don't you need a permit just to buy a handgun in North Carolina? I've always wondered how the hell that happened.

 

[Pat-inCO]

Could the antis be correct?

Sure could. Just like the Bronco's could have won the Super Bowl for the twentieth time in a row.

 

[Ragnar Danneskjold]

If guns cause crime and murder, why was there even more crime and murder before guns were invented?