Gun-related violent crimes drop as gun sales soar in Va.

[hack89]

Gun-related violent crime in Virginia has dropped steadily over the past six years as the sale of firearms has soared to a new record, according to an analysis of state crime data with state records of gun sales.

The total number of firearms purchased in Virginia increased 73 percent from 2006 to 2011. When state population increases are factored in, gun purchases per 100,000 Virginians rose 63 percent.

But the total number of gun-related violent crimes fell 24 percent over that period, and when adjusted for population, gun-related offenses dropped more than 27 percent, from 79 crimes per 100,000 in 2006 to 57 crimes in 2011.

The numbers appear to contradict a long-running popular narrative that more guns cause more violent crime, said Virginia Commonwealth University professor Thomas R. Baker, who compared Virginia crime data for those years with gun-dealer sales estimates obtained by the Richmond Times-Dispatch

http://www.timesdispatch.com/news/local/central-virginia/gun-related-violent-crimes-drop-as-gun-sales-soar-in/article_54cca13a-35ee-11e2-83f0-0019bb30f31a.html

[ileus]

1. Virginia is for lovers...

Firearm Freedom Lovers...



I'm proud to say I've helped those stats.

[Loudly]

2. VA has had more than its share of spree killings. Easy access to guns and ammo is why.

[hack89]

4. And you of course have actual facts and stats to back that up, right?

I can't imagine you would even consider pulling that out of your butt.

[sarisataka]

5. Read closer

"As a scientist, you don't want to focus on individual instance. That's what gets people into making these overgeneralizations about things like some of the tragedies that have been gun-related in the United States."

[Berserker]

8. Easy access to guns and ammo is why

the spree killings occur? Now that's some funny shit right there!

[sarisataka]

3. Beat me to it

I was just about to post this article.

I like that the reporter is making an effort to be neutral and let the conclusions come from the data

-more guns do not equal more crime
-more guns may not be the cause of falling crime rates
-certain crime percentages involving a gun appear to change relative to gun sales, without increasing the overall rate

also the removal of guns not likely to be used in crime and how that changes the relationships and the quote that legal gun owners and not the problem, from a V Tech family member.

[oldbanjo]

6. More guns do reduce crime that's

why in Ga a city made a ordance that every home owner must have a gun, crime dropped. The city is Kennesaw.

[sarisataka]

7. The point made was

there is a correlation (between gun sales and crime) but not to the level to positively state it is a cause.

The dynamic of the multiple factors behind crime rates make it nearly impossible to state any one factor that will increase/decrease crime rates. That being said, there clearly is a casual relationship that in areas where pro-gun policies have coincided with reduced crime. Can we say the increase in guns was the main or even a contributing factor-- I think that depends on which side of the fence you are on.
What we can say, fully supported by the data, is that more guns did not increase the crime rate. (not that that fact stops people from making the claim anyway)