The Firing Line Forums - View Single Post - Anyone have the statistics for gun related crime in Chicago, LA etc?

BlueTrain · November 28, 2012, 07:35 AM

I've looked them up several times and found fairly good results, just using Google. But I found two problems trying to do that.

The first was finding statistics for the particular jurisdiction. There was a place that had lots of statistics by town. But I don't live in town. I live in Fairfax County, Virginia, which is not organized as a city. It didn't show up at all. I did get some statistics from the county's own website.

Another thing is getting the particular statistic you want. There are no statistics, for example, for "home invasion," because it is not a legal term. Likewise, I don't remember if I saw any statistics that included weapons or how a homicide was carried out, though the FBI probably has some like that. But their statictics are practically overwhelming and not so useful when you're talking about one place.

I do recall, however, being surprised at some of the things I did find. Birmingham, Alabama, is worse than El Paso, Texas, and my hometown in West Virginia is worse than where I live now, just outside Washington, DC. So be prepared for some mild surprises.

November 28, 2012, 07:35 AM	#9
BlueTrain Senior Member Join Date: September 26, 2005 Location: Northern Virginia Posts: 6,141	I've looked them up several times and found fairly good results, just using Google. But I found two problems trying to do that. The first was finding statistics for the particular jurisdiction. There was a place that had lots of statistics by town. But I don't live in town. I live in Fairfax County, Virginia, which is not organized as a city. It didn't show up at all. I did get some statistics from the county's own website. Another thing is getting the particular statistic you want. There are no statistics, for example, for "home invasion," because it is not a legal term. Likewise, I don't remember if I saw any statistics that included weapons or how a homicide was carried out, though the FBI probably has some like that. But their statictics are practically overwhelming and not so useful when you're talking about one place. I do recall, however, being surprised at some of the things I did find. Birmingham, Alabama, is worse than El Paso, Texas, and my hometown in West Virginia is worse than where I live now, just outside Washington, DC. So be prepared for some mild surprises. __________________ Shoot low, sheriff. They're riding Shetlands! Underneath the starry flag, civilize 'em with a Krag, and return us to our own beloved homes! Buy War Bonds.