What's up with the shootings lately?

[Galaril]

This is not atrolling thread but an honest question. It appears from my off and on news watching that in the past month there has been an inordinate number of shootings around the country? I remember of fthe top of my head:
-Binghamton,NY
-Radford Uni
-Seattle, Washington (Gas station robbery guy with 7 yr old daughter)
-Warwick,RI
-NJ
-Beverly Hills,Cal
-Pittsburgh, Pa police shootings
ETC

These are all just in the last couple of weeks and am wondering if it is the recession, the fact "some " people are nervous about losing the right to have guns, the liberal media over sensationalizing the gun violence for there anti gun agenda or is it just another day in America?

I found this article albeit CCN it seems to bring up a similar question as mine? And it also does bring up my second question if there is a true spike in mass shooting nationwide recently why are aren't there more cries for stricter gun legislation? Once again, I admit this string of mass shooting headlines could just be portions of the media trying publicize shootings that happen everyday in this country more so to stoke up gun control discussions (food for thought).

[sabotai]

Shootings happen everyday!

(I live near Philly)

[gstelmack]

Slow news period, so they are reporting them more.

Also, CNN loves these as they can make cool headlines from them and sell more T-Shirts that way.

[Galaril]

Shootings happen everyday!

(I live near Philly)

Right that is true but it seems they are appearing the national networks more these days. Maybe it is just slow news period.

[CU Tiger]

Maybe just slow news....or a conspiracy theorist, could say that a liberal media created an economic crisis to usher in change, and now is creating a gun crisis to usher away guns....

</br> I mean obviously thats insane...but a conspiracy theorist *could* claim such

[molson]

The question is why shootings are covered more nationally (if that's true). Actual crime rates, including homicides, are still incredibly low in most cities, by historical standards.

[BishopMVP]

If it bleeds, it leads. Plus once you can get a meme going (the economy is causing people to go crazy and shoot their families!) and bring talking heads on to argue about it for hours it takes on a life of its own and you start searching for stories to fit the predetermined storyline. Toss in the heightened attention leading to some copycats, and you've got a perfect storm.

The gun control thing isn't being spun that way because most of the killings in the US are done with guns purchased illegally anyways. Plus, the media (or at least the NYT) is trying to use the Mexican border cartel war as its backdoor to gun control, but they keep killing the argument by bringing up anti-aircraft missiles and automatic weapons which clearly aren't sold in gun stores in the United States.

[JonInMiddleGA]

anti-aircraft missiles and automatic weapons which clearly aren't sold in gun stores in the United States.

You really need to start shopping in some better places ;)

[Galaril]

You really need to start shopping in some better places ;)

Wha..wow.

[sterlingice]

You really need to start shopping in some better places ;)

Jon, at least a couple of times a week, you have a quote that just makes my day :D

SI

[CU Tiger]

FWIW I live in the Charlotte, NC Metro market and receive their local programming. murder, robbery and violent crime are down 32%, 27% and 31% respectively from the same time last year.

yet it has lead the news ever night for 3 weeks and been front page in the paper how the economy causes senseless killings.

not necessarily aimed at anyone in this thread but there are a lot of sheeple out there.

[Ksyrup]

I don't think it's the number of murders , but more likely the number of multiple death murder-suicides. I'd be interested to know whether these are more frequent now than they were, say, 25 years ago, or if we're just hearing about every single one of them because the highest profile tragedies (Columbine, VT, etc.) drew so much attention.

[cthomer5000]

News coverage of suicides also increases the suicide rate in the short term. So i'm sure it's entirely possible murder-suicides ARE up.

[Schmidty]

FWIW I live in the Charlotte, NC Metro market and receive their local programming. murder, robbery and violent crime are down 32%, 27% and 31% respectively from the same time last year.

That's because all the wackos are unemployed and can't afford firearms anymore.

[mauchow]

There were two shot and killed today in the big town of Appleton, WI.

[PilotMan]

The question should be why aren't we focusing on drunk drivers and deaths from auto accidents? No one seems to care anymore.

If a plane crashed every single day killing 120 people there sure as shit would be some attention paid. In 2006 over 42,000 people were killed in car accidents, Almost 40% of all car accidents are caused by drunk drivers. When will this be a priority?

It's a much bigger threat to you and me than shootings.

[molson]

I don't think it's the number of murders , but more likely the number of multiple death murder-suicides. I'd be interested to know whether these are more frequent now than they were, say, 25 years ago, or if we're just hearing about every single one of them because the highest profile tragedies (Columbine, VT, etc.) drew so much attention.

Obviously this doesn't include the last 3 years, but:

"The proportion of homicides involving multiple victims increased gradually during the last two decades from 3.1% of all homicides in 1976 to 4.4% in 2005."

http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/homicide/multiple.htm

Probably not a noticeable difference. I really think it's a smaller country today. People went crazy and killed their whole families in Idaho in the 80s, it just wasn't national news.

[molson]

In 2006 over 42,000 people were killed in car accidents, Almost 40% of all car accidents are caused by drunk drivers. When will this be a priority?


When you compare those stats to the penalties people get for DUIs in this country, it just doesn't make sense. I don't know what it will take for us to start taking this seriously. Maybe a series of celebrity deaths.

[CU Tiger]

Almost 40% of all car accidents are caused by drunk drivers.


Can you source this?
Cause my BS alarm is going nuts....and this is from someone who recently lost a friend to a drunk driver.

fatal accidents, maybe...
ALL ACCIDENTS? doubtful

just think morning/afternoon commute fender benders have to be a large part of these numbers

[Galaril]

Can you source this?
Cause my BS alarm is going nuts....and this is from someone who recently lost a friend to a drunk driver.

fatal accidents, maybe...
ALL ACCIDENTS? doubtful

just think morning/afternoon commute fender benders have to be a large part of these numbers

That number may be abit high but still it sounds in the ballpark.

[sabotai]

I would think most morning/afternoon fender benders probably don't get reported to the police/insurance. (Just a thought. Not saying I can source or confirm the stated percentage from PilotMan)

[Galaril]

The question should be why aren't we focusing on drunk drivers and deaths from auto accidents? No one seems to care anymore.

If a plane crashed every single day killing 120 people there sure as shit would be some attention paid. In 2006 over 42,000 people were killed in car accidents, Almost 40% of all car accidents are caused by drunk drivers. When will this be a priority?

It's a much bigger threat to you and me than shootings.

I think one difference is that cars and planes purpose is transportation while guns are obviously not which IMHO is part of why people in general pay more attention to guns fatalities as opposed to auto accidents/plane crashes.

[sabotai]

According to: Drunk driving statistics (http://www.alcoholalert.com/drunk-driving-statistics.html)

"In 2006, there were 13,470 fatalities in crashes involving an alcohol-impaired driver (BAC of .08 or higher) – 32 percent of total traffic fatalities for the year.

16,005 people were killed in the United States in alcohol-related* motor vehicle traffic crashes (BAC of .01 or higher)."

[Schmidty]

I despise anyone that knowingly drives drunk, and that includes anyone on this board that I am normally cool with. It's like running around drunk with a loaded gun. You are scum and I hope you hit a tree and die.

[Schmidty]

Dola.

Well, maybe not die, but at least have to take a ton of aspirin and your car is totaled. And a bit of blood.

[RendeR]

Dola.

Well, maybe not die, but at least have to take a ton of aspirin and your car is totaled. And a bit of blood.


Yer a real hard ass Schmidty, a real hard ass I say.

[BrianD]

There were two shot and killed today in the big town of Appleton, WI.

For the record, I was not involved in this at all. :D

[CU Tiger]

NHTSA estimates that alcohol was involved in 40 percent of fatal car wrecks and in 8 percent of all car wrecks in 2000.

DUI Victim Lawyer (http://www.street-and-ragsdale.com/lawyer/law_specialties/dui_victim_lawyer.html)

so 40% of all fatalaties and 8% all crashes, that passes the sniff test much better

[molson]

NHTSA estimates that alcohol was involved in 40 percent of fatal car wrecks and in 8 percent of all car wrecks in 2000.

DUI Victim Lawyer (http://www.street-and-ragsdale.com/lawyer/law_specialties/dui_victim_lawyer.html)

so 40% of all fatalaties and 8% all crashes, that passes the sniff test much better

And that would include (which I think is an important point), cases under .08. Driving at .04, while legal, is still incredibly more dangerous than driving at .00. Miniscule changes in reaction time can make a huge difference.

[sterlingice]

For the record, I was not involved in this at all. :D

Dang. I lost the FOFC homicide pool with that one ;)

SI

[PilotMan]

I guess I should stop being word for word from some sites that can't seem to word the stats correctly.

The funny thing is that got more attention then the volumes of people who die in car wrecks each year. The sheer numbers are crazy, but it happens so much it's taken for granted. Look at how much attention SARS got, or the bird flu in asia.

People dying in wrecks are a hazard of the activity, but we regulate things much more fiercely that kill way less people (I have to pass a colorblindness test each year, but aviation is a bad example because many have died to get the rules that we have that make us safe in the air.)

The fact is that shootings are more random, more visicious and get peoples attention way better than single car rollovers because someone was drunk. We ask ouselves who is to blame for murderous rampages, but we never ask why so many are killed each year in cars, and we continue to do little about it.

[CU Tiger]

I guess I should stop being word for word from some sites that can't seem to word the stats correctly.

The funny thing is that got more attention then the volumes of people who die in car wrecks each year. The sheer numbers are crazy, but it happens so much it's taken for granted. Look at how much attention SARS got, or the bird flu in asia.

People dying in wrecks are a hazard of the activity, but we regulate things much more fiercely that kill way less people (I have to pass a colorblindness test each year, but aviation is a bad example because many have died to get the rules that we have that make us safe in the air.)

The fact is that shootings are more random, more visicious and get peoples attention way better than single car rollovers because someone was drunk. We ask ouselves who is to blame for murderous rampages, but we never ask why so many are killed each year in cars, and we continue to do little about it.


I wasnt trying to bust your balls..it just jumped our at me.
That said I still think you are ignoring the % factor. probably somewhere around 90% of all Americans ride in a car daily and many (myself included) probably average 8-9 hours on the road each day. If 100,000,000 ride in a car and 2,500 die that seems like a relatively safe activity for the benefit given.
However if 30 have a gun put in their face on a daily basis and 2 die that is a bit more probable. I guess the moral of that story is avoid situation where a gun will be in your face or be prepared to shoot back.

[molson]

Someone mentioned the New England Craiglist murder/robberies, it looks like they got their man, a clean-cut, Boston University medical student who may have had gambling debts. He apparently made texts from every crime scene. The poor fiance is in complete denial. Should be an interesting story when all this is sorted out.

BU student charged in hotel killing - Local News Updates - The Boston Globe (http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2009/04/bu_student_char.html)
Charges conflict with portrait of clean-cut student - The Boston Globe (http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/04/21/charges_conflict_with_portrait_of_clean_cut_student/)