More gun deaths in DC than in Iraq

[Capt. Charlie]

My cousin sent me these stats. Very intersting, no?

If you consider that there have been an average of 160,000 troops in the Iraq theater of operations during the last 22 months, that gives a firearm death rate of 60 per 100,000.

The rate in Washington D.C. is 80.6 per 100,000. That means that you are 25% more likely to be shot and killed in our Nation's Capitol, which has some of the strictest gun control laws in the nation, than you are in Iraq.

Conclusion: We should immediately pull out of Washington, D.C.

 

[nagantfan]

Agree With Capt. Charlie

We should leave D.C. immediately.

Let them decide for themselves what kind of government they want!

Seriously, though, it's a sobering point the Captain makes. The more dangerous place in the world isn't where there's a war. It's where there is "peace" and draconinan gun control laws.

More guns, less crime?

Uh...yes, actually. Yes.

 

[Mike Irwin]

During Gulf War I the anti-gun crowd made a huge deal of it that in 3 days of combat fewer troops were killed in action than there were murders in New York or several other cities.

 

[Sulaco2]

We need a time table for withdrawl from DC. Put up a fence and check with the last ones standing after the fight is over about what rights they want. Unfortunately more and more areas in the country could use the same treatment.
Capt C. Your cousin sent you the info? I have seen in in several posts including Mad Ogre's recently. Any body know where this info came from orginally? I sent it to our local paper and they responded that it had no bearing on the issue of the war...go figure. Apparently only they get to pontificate at will...

 

[CarbineCaleb]

Sulaco2: I don't know that the newspaper is obligated to publish anything you send them, but you could always write a concise editorial expressing your opinions. if that doesn't work, start your own Blog!

 

[Capt. Charlie]

I have no idea. He lives in California, and knowing Bob, he probably got it from somebody that got it from somebody that got it..... . I'll ask him though.

 

[Sulaco2]

Carbine, believe me I know that but I have a relationship with the paper's editors forged over the years by my continuing writing and she generally sends me back a reason or reasons why they are not taking a view point, like mine. I just keep sending stuff in to remind them they are NOT talking in a vacuum and every once and awhile they use what I write. Fighting the good fight.

 

[JohnKSa]

The numbers are:

1. Wrong (2002/2003 numbers for DC are in the neighborhood of 40 homicides per 100,000 per year.)
2. Not firearms deaths--I've never seen a breakout showing only firearms deaths for either Iraq or DC.

Last time I got this message in email, I spent about 5 minutes with Google and a calculator and found that the homicide rate in DC (per 100,000 per year) was about 4x smaller than the death rate due to hostile action (per 100,000 U.S Troops in Iraq per year).

Of course, that doesn't change the fact that we should immediately pull out of DC.

 

[Lawyer Daggit]

When I was at Uni 20 years ago I did a thesis on gun control. When I looked at crime rates for various US cities and took the research down to a borough level - you have certain boroughs in NY with homicide levels not unlike better parts of the United Kingdom / Australia / New Zealand.

Other areas which are lower class ghetto's have homicide rates on par with the worst third world countries.

To sort out its gun violence problem America needs to end the kind of helplessness that breeds ghetto gangs and crack dependency.

I am sure the stats have not changed much.

 

[HappyGunner]

On American soil

In DC they died on American soil.

 

[Sulaco2]

HG, so that means they are less dead? I don't get your post.

 

[smince]

I think the GUNFIRE numbers are probably fairly close, since it seems the majority of American casualties are from IED's, RPG's, etc.

 

[Slateman]

Hmmm . . . . interesting statistics. But stats can mean anything you want

What about all the deaths due to car bombs and IEDs? And those numbers don't take into account all the Iraqis who have been killed.

 

[Skeetin'870]

When I are we going to have free elections in dc. When will the oppressed people (I.E us) Be able to walk freely and be unafraid tell me this antis tell me this

 

[Double Naught Spy]

Capt Charlie, the stats that you were sent are just numbers and even if accurate, have been interpretted in a very inaccurate manner because of a lack of relevance.

Are you really more likely to be in DC than Iraq? It depends. If you are a drug dealer or buyer in DC, your chances don't look good. What was it Marion Barry supposedly said about the high murder rate? It was something about the high murder rate was just drug dealers shooting one another.

In Iraq, people don't like to shoot at our troops unless they are ready to deal with a significant response. To avoid such responses, they go with IEDs. So, there may be a much lower shooting rate of American soldiers in Iraq than the general populace in DC.

Of course what the numbers are not comparing is one local population to another. The two datasets, therefore, are not compatible. As an Iraqi person, what are the chances of being shot in a non-military event? You probably won't find any such data on said events.

 

[utaherrn]

at least in Iraq, the good guys can arm themselves and fight back. Not so in D.C. because if you arm yourself in D.C. you're a de facto felon.

 

[jonathon]

Its sorta like during the DC sniper spree, they banned all "recreational" shooting in MD and DC

I had a friend go down to LA on a missions trip, they were in the park doing a sunday school for some of the ghetto kids and they heard the ocasional gun shot

 

[70-101]

at least in Iraq, the good guys can arm themselves and fight back. Not so in D.C. because if you arm yourself in D.C. you're a de facto felon

Yea right. Iraqi civilians are not allowed to carry firearms any more than DC civilians are. Unless of course they want to get arrested for being a possible terrorist. Only the Iraqi military and police can carry firearms.

 

[VaSig]

I've lived near DC for the last 21 years, and spent more than my share of evenings & weekends in the District, along with lots of my friends. I lived there for 2 yrs and now have 3 good friends that live in DC with their spouses/SOs.

None of the residents I know have ever been killed or assaulted with a firearm, nor any of my friends. I know a girl who got mugged in 1992 by a guy with a very big knife.

I know of 4 guys that went to Iraq. 1 of them is a really good buddy of mine, and he's the only one that came back alive. One was a former student of mine, he died when his Humvee got IED'd. The other two were friends-of-friends, both killed by gunfire.

So you can quote statistics all you like - MY experience is quite different.

 

[moa]

Cannot recall were I saw it, but I read that actual American combat deaths in Iraq due to firearms is less than 100. However, I was thinking those numbers may have changed with all the US combat operations recently executed in Iraq.

Also, the last I had seen on the subject, the US Marine Corps does not identify what caused American combat deaths.