10-22-2015, 01:37 PM
(10-22-2015, 12:19 PM)Donovan Wrote: My point is that a violent culture, whether affluent or dirtpoor, will find ways to commit violence on a massive scale. They just use what tools are available to them.
I get your point.
I think poverty contributes to a violent culture. Unfettered power and greed can too. There are undoubtedly (in my mind) many other contributors to violent crime as well.
Fortunately, we don't have a tyrannical government, not in my view at least. But, we do have too many people living below the poverty level, in my view at least.
Of the top 10 most dangerous cities in the U.S., in terms of violent crime per capita, 8 have poverty rates above 20%. The other two cities are just under 20% and still far above the national poverty rate. ( Ref: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/15...64864.html ) That's not proof of causal relationship, just an example to support what is, in my opinion, a correlation.
Anyway, some tools/weapons used to inflict violence, in rich or poor hands, are easier and more efficient means of threatening/killing people and causing accidental death than others - guns being at the top of that list.
So, while I agree that better gun safety/control measures will not eliminate violent crime, I do think that some additional gun safety/control measures and better enforcement will prevent some intentional and unintentional deaths of non-criminal U.S. citizens. That's a worthwhile pursuit, in my view.