[extropy-chat] Gun control yet again

[Mike Lorrey]

--- Damien Broderick <thespike at satx.rr.com> wrote:
> At 08:42 AM 4/2/2004 -0800, Mike wrote:
> 
> > > Australia is seeking to curtail the use of swords in self-defense
> > > of self, home and property.
> >
> >Have I ever said I'm not surprised? While crime is skyrocketing, in
> >spite of police jiggering of crime stats (like calling multiple
> >muggings on one night a single crime) in those countries, here in
> NH,
> >we have the lowest crime rates in the entire US. Our murder rate is
> >comparable to Switzerland, while our property crime rates are many
> >times lower than the rest of the industrialized nations.
> 
> I drag myself numbly again thru some googling. NH in 2000 had a
> population 
> of 1 235 786 and 22 people were murdered. My home state of Victoria
> had a 
> population of 4 765 900, 3.85 times larger. The number murdered seems
> to have been about 60, rather than the pro rata NH rate of 85.
> 
> See 
>
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/08/26/1061663788524.html?from=storyrhs
> 
> (Lately there's been a lot of naughty internecine murderous action
> between 
> crime families/gangs, which will have changed the stats, and has no
> bearing on the general topic.)

WHAT??? You can't cherry pick that. Gang crime is crime, pure and
simple. BTW: What are the violent crime rates and property crime rates
in Oz?

BTW: I am using 2003 statistics:
                 Vio-  Ppty   Mrdr/                              Mtr
      Pop. Crime lent  crime  n-neg. Frc.      Agg.        Larc  Vhcl.
           Index Crime        manslt rape Rbry asslt Burg. thft  thft 
NH
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Tot. 1.28M 28306 2056  26250  12     446  413  1185  4838  19468 1944  

rate/
100k       2220  161.2 2058.7 0.9    35.0 32.4 92.9 379.4 1526.8 152.5 

There were 12 total homicides in 2003 (that is murder and all
non-negligent manslaughter), which puts the rate somewhat below
Victorian rates.

=====
Mike Lorrey
Chairman, Free Town Land Development
"Live Free or Die, Death is not the Worst of Evils."
                                       - Gen. John Stark
Sado-Mikeyism: http://mikeysoft.zblogger.com

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