dc koop

I think Hollywood has over many years hyped up the impression that crime was rampant during the depression and prohibition. True there were notorious gangs involved in everything from bootlegging to bank robberies but it's also true that in Chicago for instance most people never saw a bank robbery or the sound of a Thompson

scrubbedexpat091

The link below has FBI uniform crime reports from 1930 to 1959.

Uniform Crime Reports [United States], 1930-1959

morpeth

My curiosity was how much has crime increased overall since the 1920's or 1950's, and how much of the increase was that due to changes in culture, policing/laws, and changes in poverty levels.

For example if poverty rates by 2000 below those of the 1950's why would crime rates be higher if poverty the main determinant ? Or compared to the 30's ? The reason I ask is almost everyone I have ever spoken to in the Midwest who was alive in those earlier periods says overall crime occurrences much lower.

I realize a complicated subject and of course poverty a big factor, but if poverty rates have gone down ( at least through say 1995) why would crime be higher ( I am assuming it is) than 1950s,late 1940's or even 1930's ?

zzrmark

I don't understand the reasoning in that argument, surely those who like to go out taking potshots at Bambi can show greater reason to own a gun than 'unemployed' Jamal from the hood can.
People are often surprised when I relate tales of my youth with many an evening spent roughing up nature with a pump action shotgun, in the UK. Admittedly, permits for pump action shotguns were withdrawn sometime shortly afterwards but it is still fairly easy to get a permit for a shotgun in the UK...if you live in the countryside. The average townie, regardless of his mental capacity, has little valid reason to own a bristling armoury.

The NRA would have you believe that the only thing to stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun but just how often does the 'good guy' get to stop the bad guy. There haven't been overly many reported since OJ exercised his right to shoot the 'bad guy'...

Anyhows, who needs to worry about getting shot by some random nutcase when there is far greater risk of death/injury from the number of muppets who think that the best time to take a selfie/ update their arseface status is whilst hurtling along some busy road at 70mph?

tom169

This. And people figure skating in their car across 4 lanes of traffic.

dc koop

One phenomenon that has surfaced in the past few decades is the random shooting. I think the first one was Columbine and afterwards they seemed to occur at ever increasing frequency. People have always easily killed each with firearms in this country but it was always over some grievance or dispute, now people get gunned down for no reason at all. In the wrong place at the a wrong time. I wouldn't blame the media of course but the intense coverage that follows a shooting must have inspired some of the psychotic, paranoid loners to do the same

dc koop

There's a whole different culture and way of thinking up in Wyoming. I wouldn't criticize them for what they do as a pastime. They may kill Bambi but sometimes deer can be destructive to property and there are too many of them. At least anyway they're not killing each other and hunting rifles are the weapons of choice.
What I dont understand is why an urban American wants to own a weapon with highly destructive firepower. They're no good for hunting and hardly any better for competition target shooting unless turning a target into matchwood in ten seconds is what it's all about

scrubbedexpat091

Random shootings happened before Columbine, it was certainly not the first.

1949

The Story of the First Mass Murder in U.S. History | History | Smithsonian

1984 in San Diego 21 killed randomly by a shooter at McDonalds.

1991 at Lubby's in Texas.

1966 University of Texas tower

To name a few that happened before Columbine.

zzrmark

Isn't that exactly what I wrote, juat paraphrased???

Anian

More people had nothing to steal in those days, and even fewer people to sell it to for cash.

Of course, perception of crime does not mean actual crime. Many people think there is more crime than there is, just take a look at this:
Most Americans Still See Crime Up Over Last Year | Gallup
Crime (not just violent crime) has been dropping steadily for decades now but people still feel less safe than they did when it was at the peak in the 80s. Fear is a great motivator if you sell guns or run the police/military and want a bigger budget.

velkyal

Biggest culture shock was coming from a very liberal society in the Czech Republic after a decade to one which is inherently conservative, and even repressed in many ways, that and nobody knowing what the hell a chocolate teapot is.

dc koop

Not to forget the drug problem. Robberies and thefts these days are often motivated for the need to have ready cash for drugs.

Heroin addiction according to the media is becoming something of a major problem

mrken30

Not sure if you can buy chocolate teapots here.

https://www.firebox.com/Chocolate-Teapot/p7499

Firebox will won't ship to the US

http://www.schokolat.co.uk/chocolate-teapot/

Hiro11

Agree with this. To me it seems like obvious common sense that a background check should be required to own a firearm. Not sure I agree with this. Worrying about magazine capacity and select fire (automatic weapons) is a bit of a red herring. A low capacity semi automatic pistol like a 1911 is plenty deadly. Magazines can be swapped very quickly, in fact low capacity pistols are common in shooting competitions where speed is a factor. Similarly, a semi automatic or even a bolt action hunting rifle can be shot extremely quickly and are both very powerful weapons. Likewise given the deadliness of any rifle, the definition of an "assault rifle" is extremely vague. Actually, an AR-15's .223 cartridge is much less powerful than a standard .308 hunting cartridge. After all, the Second World War was fought essentially with hunting rifles.

Hiro11

Random mass murder is obviously horrific but it's a distraction from the real cause of the gun murder rates in the US: grinding day-to-day dumbassery in Chicago, Saint Louis, Detroit, New Orleans, Houston, DC etc. Mass murders seize headlines but focusing on them isn't helpful in fixing the US's real problems with violent crime. To me, mass murder is as much a symptom of mental health care failures and elimination of forced institutionalization as it is a symptom of gun laws.

/starting to sound like an NRA loon here, I'm sorry. They do have a point though.