The real question is why are our societies becoming more violent in general? Violent crime is on the rise in the EU at a crazy rate. Trying to blame guns is avoiding the issue.
The murder rate in San Jose is 3.3/100,000, 10 miles away the murder rate in Oakland is 28.6/100,000... exact same gun laws, that is, fairly restrictive by US standards.
Lets take a look at good ole Tejas where gun laws are a bit looser. In Dallas, people are getting murdered at a rate of 13.3/100,000, while right next door in Fort Worth, the rate drops to 7.0/100,000...drive south a bit further and you get to Austin with 3.1/100,000.
Why are the rates for San Jose and Fort Worth so different to Oakland and Dallas? That's the question that needs to be answered. Apparently guns don't really make all that much of a difference.
edit
Just to throw some more statistics, took a look at the census information for Austin, Dallas, and Fort Worth. The most interesting is Dallas and Ft. Worth. Right next to each other, Ft. Worth is poorer, about the same level of education, close to the same demographics, but yet your chances of being murdered are almost twice as high 15 miles to the east in Dallas.
Austin
percentage white 65
percentage black 10
percentage identifying themselves as hispanic (or mixed hispanic) 36
percentage with high school diploma 83
percentage with at least bachelors degree 40
personal income per capita 24,163
Dallas
w 50
b 26
h 35
hs 70
ba 28
inc 22,183
Ft. Worth
w 59
b 20
h 30
hs 72
ba 22
inc 18,800
The murder rate in San Jose is 3.3/100,000, 10 miles away the murder rate in Oakland is 28.6/100,000... exact same gun laws, that is, fairly restrictive by US standards.
Lets take a look at good ole Tejas where gun laws are a bit looser. In Dallas, people are getting murdered at a rate of 13.3/100,000, while right next door in Fort Worth, the rate drops to 7.0/100,000...drive south a bit further and you get to Austin with 3.1/100,000.
Why are the rates for San Jose and Fort Worth so different to Oakland and Dallas? That's the question that needs to be answered. Apparently guns don't really make all that much of a difference.
edit
Just to throw some more statistics, took a look at the census information for Austin, Dallas, and Fort Worth. The most interesting is Dallas and Ft. Worth. Right next to each other, Ft. Worth is poorer, about the same level of education, close to the same demographics, but yet your chances of being murdered are almost twice as high 15 miles to the east in Dallas.
Austin
percentage white 65
percentage black 10
percentage identifying themselves as hispanic (or mixed hispanic) 36
percentage with high school diploma 83
percentage with at least bachelors degree 40
personal income per capita 24,163
Dallas
w 50
b 26
h 35
hs 70
ba 28
inc 22,183
Ft. Worth
w 59
b 20
h 30
hs 72
ba 22
inc 18,800