Jason Kilgore of the Joyce Foundation has written another article that’s 99.9% tripe, but he DOES touch on one interesting notion:
Of course, many countries in Latin America are extremely violent, thanks to the drug trade. Adding armed guards in every school, office, and even ATM hasn’t stopped the violence there, proving beyond a reasonable doubt the foolishness of the NRA’s suggestion of militarizing school campuses to keep kids safe.
It was a throwaway line from Jason, but he really hits on a HUGE point. Latin America generally has VERY high crime, a good portion of that crime is “gun crime”, despite strong laws against private ownership and carry. Most of these countries have laws that Jason wants here, but they have more violent crime than we do.
Still when you actually LOOK at the crimes you see a similar trend. Antis like to focus on spree shootings when they talk about cases, but they also mention that these events are indeed very rare, and the REAL crimes happen in this volume every day across America. This is the basis for Colin Goddard’s “Living for 32”, was that 32 people were killed on campus that day, but that number is roughly the DAILY “Gun Death” rate in America.
But we don’t have a spree shooting in a school or mall or movie theater every day. We also simply don’t have spree shootings in areas without extra anti-gun laws. Where do these shootings happen?
Inner cities. Why those places? Well look at who DOES the shooting, and frankly who gets shot. Gang members. Gangs of course are social groups, but the difference between gangs and clubs are that gangs make their money, and their status through the sale of drugs.
They are the American drug cartels. Drugs are illegal, as are the other criminal acts done by gangs. Most gang members have criminal an incarceration histories. Gangs exist in pro-gun states, as well as anti-gun states. The laws don’t matter to them, there is a public demand for recreational drugs, and they can make money off of it. They can’t use our justice system to settle disputes within this trade, so they handle it “In House” with violence. Its not always guns, they’re just as likely to stab or beat each other to death than shoot.
All this talk of “Gun Control” while overlooking the real problem is barking up the wrong tree.
Is there any other reason why Jason didn’t expand on that issue?
I’m not sure that is the answer, either. People that live in small towns have drugs, too. I think we need to start having a real conversation about this, but political correctness will not allow it.
While whites are overwhelmingly the ones who commit mass shootings, the largest portion of violent crime is committed by blacks. This is why the cities with the highest crime rates have the largest black populations. That is not to say that race is what determines a proclivity for crime, but that the culture that is endemic among American blacks is one that encourages crime: the thug rap culture, where people who advocate getting a job are ostracized.
Sure, the drug culture plays into that, but there is a much larger problem here, and drugs are a small part of that. Being a drug dealer is one occupation where you can make a lot of money, and not worry about losing your welfare and food stamp benefits.
I agree with the culture angle. There’s a reason why Plaxico Burris tucked a gun in his sweatpants, and it wasn’t for protection or the 2nd Amendment. Its because in his eyes the gang-banger is higher on the totem pole than sports star. That is a HUGE problem.
Still I wonder about rural drug dealers. Certainly the white meth cookers in the trailer parks do just a much violence as the crack dealers in Housing projects.
I suspect its an issue with population density. You can hide in plain sight in a city, but in a small town you really need to watch your ass, because the cops are bored, and are just looking for an excuse.
I find the common denominator is the drugs.
I did a post on this:
http://street-pharmacy.blogspot.com/2013/01/the-numbers.html
The 28% of Americans that live in a city of 100,000 or more people are responsible for 53% of the homicides.
Well, the solution is clear then (at least following the anti-Rights cultists’ “logic”): We should ban cities of 100,000 or more.
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Missed this little gem in his screed
And, though last year I know of at least 37 school shootings in the U.S., schools are still statistically havens of safety (thank you, gun-free zones!) compared to the communities around them.
Our schools are havens of safety but we have to greatly restrict and or confiscate firearms to make our schools safe??
How does that work again Sparky?
Does he ever mention where all those guns in South America come from?
And whether anything is done to the corrupt “military” men who sell them?