NYT - Steady Decline in Major Crime Baffles Experts

[Anti Federalist]

So, economic suffering didn't increase crime, a reduction in prison inmates (this surprised me) didn't increase crime, it doesn't appear that the "experts" are willing to contribute it to the surveillance state (thank god) or increased numbers of cops, which actually has remained static or dropped, depending on location, as the reason for decreasing crime.

Could it possibly be the fact that more citizens are armed than ever before, and exercise their right to "bear" arms openly and concealed?

http://www.lewrockwell.com/rep/gun-ownership-up-crime-down.html

http://www.karenselick.com/GunOwnershipViolentCrimeEng.gif

Well, one would certainly think so.

Unless you were writing for the New York Times.

Then, like Ron Paul on Sean Shamity's show, that idea becomes That Which Shall Not Be Named.



Steady Decline in Major Crime Baffles Experts

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/24/us/24crime.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss

[Anti Federalist]

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[ababba]

The empirical identification of this is difficult because causality runs in both directions. The level of violent crime also impacts the level of gun ownership because people buy guns to defend themselves more when there is more violent crime. (This goes in the opposite direction but should be handled carefully).

Steve Levitt has some research that argues that legalized abortion is the primary cause for the decrease in violent crime. The key is that the decrease happens exactly when the first legalized abortion babies would have come of age.

[cindy25]

maybe less crime is reported because more people fear the police. or they just realize police do nothing as far as getting items back.

[oyarde]

maybe less crime is reported because more people fear the police. or they just realize police do nothing as far as getting items back.

Yes , the general population has grown in the groups of people less likely to report crime , it is possible , I suppose ...

[Ekrub]

The book freakonomics made the claim that crime has gone down due to roe v wade. It has been disputed but it's an interesting theory.

*look who disputed it ;)


" But now economists at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston are taking aim at the statistics behind one of Mr. Levitt's most controversial chapters. Mr. Levitt asserts there is a link between the legalization of abortion in the early 1970s and the drop in crime rates in the 1990s. Christopher Foote, a senior economist at the Boston Fed, and Christopher Goetz, a research assistant, say the research behind that conclusion is faulty.

[Ekrub]

http://www.isteve.com/abortion.htm

Here is the back and forth between levitt and the fed economists. Levvitt admits to an error however when adjusted for the previous error he still has the same findings.

[Agorism]

What happened in 1988.

Isn't crime really low in Japan as well. Maybe we'll be like them.

[XTreat]

I buy into the Roe Vs. Wade theory. Makes good sense to me.

[Ekrub]

Levitt also says that the reduction in crime amounts to only one less person killed for every 100 babies aborted, and he doesn't take a pro-life or pro- choice stance with his findings

[Verrater]

http://www.nraila.org/Issues/FactSheets/Read.aspx?id=206&issue=007

[ItsTime]

People are so depressed they can't even get up the energy to rob someone.

[amonasro]

Paris has a low crime rate and nobody has guns except the heavily armed security with Steyr AUGs at places like the Louvre.

The tradeoff is that everyone walks around like depressed zombies.

[My First Name Is Paul]

Switzerland has the lowest crime rate and most households have automatic rifles and hand grenades in them.

[Pericles]

I had to do a double take at the number of guns legally owned stat until I realized that the chart was showing the UK. Anybody that thinks less than 6% of the US population owns guns ......

[Agorism]

This is why we need the department of Pre-crime aka the Patriot Act to statistically sort out who is likely to do something wrong and keep them under surveillance and data mining.

[awake]

They are entering government where they don't count in the "stats". Law breakers don't exist in the havens of the state. Once there, they work night and day to make what is legal in to the illegal, and the illegal into the legal.