U.S. Murder Toll From Guns Highest in Big Cities: CDC

HealthDay News ^ | May 12, 2011 | Steven Reinberg

[SWAMPSNIPER]

The true impetus behind the gun grabbers isn't violent crime, it is the fear of defensive and coercive force in the hands of common people.

There are well meaning fools aiding in the effort but they are only tools.

[B4Ranch]

Naw, there’s got to be more than one living in the whole city.

[PiperShade]

The “Gun Control Debate” - like so many so-called “social issues” - is characterized by covert “profit” agendae of its proponents.

I cited the UCR because its the most “pure” data source I know of. But evens so its more of an indicator than pure fact. It relies upon its “reporters” - various police organizations across the nation - to assess, analyze and classify data of individual cases they report.

FWIW, historically, cities have been “crime centers” mostly because, (As Willie Sutton is reputed to have remarked about banks, “They’re where the money is.”). Often such crimes are violent. And “Gangs” of urban criminals have existed for so long they’ve become a part of our folklore as well as history. Ironically the genesis of many of our modern urban gun laws came about as crime gangs used their political clout to prevent their victims from armming themselves ! NYC’s “Sullivan Law” is one such, traceable to prostitutes, small business owners and immigrants arming themselves to resist shakedowns.

More directly to the point of the article cited, its my opinion the prevelance of violent/firearm crime in urban areas is directly related to racial/cultural issues. Both Hispanics and Blacks, (especially males) place a great deal of emphasis upon “respect” or “face”. So much so even minor social disputes are often seen as “disrespecting”; leading to physical violence as retaliation. Further, handguns or, “heat”, - and the willingness to use them - are perceived as increasing the individuals’ “street cred” or stature. IOW, Gleck and others looking more dispassionately at the circumstances have hit closer upon the root causes of the problem. But its one that’s unacceptable to and undescribable in the liberal/PC idiom, hence can’t exist. >PS

[OldPossum]

Worthless pap if they don't mention race. Blacks are responsible for at least half of the murders in the US despite being 12-13% of the population.

Those are the data often cited, but it's not complete right. You see, I really doubt that black females kill any large number of people. So, you need to divide that 12-13% in half, making it 6-6.5% of the population.