We're pretty much exactly between Mexico and Canada in terms of our rates of violent crime

[Recursion]

In a a larger sense we're between Western Europe and Latin America in our violent crime rates.

We're a colonial country. But not quite as colonial as Brazil. (But more colonial than Canada.) Colonial countries are violent and unequal.

This is something I keep coming back to. You can look at the US as a very failed developed nation or the most advanced developing nation in the world. And the fact is we by nature have some characteristics of both groups, and there are few pat answers about what will work here because nobody else has a developed economy with a developing population like we do.

[Hydra]

1. Good points, and violent crime is going down as quality of life goes up

I wish I could say the same about crime at the top- that seems to be exploding through the roof.

[Lizzie Poppet]

2. Not much correlation with strictness of gun control.

Canada's restrictions are right in the middle, and they have the lowest murder rate. Mexico's gun control laws are absolutely draconian...and they have the highest rate of the three.

Great point about what a mixed bag the US is in terms of being a successful developed nation.

[Recursion]

3. Yup. Very little (nt)