So.... we should probably outlaw cars and knives, either one of those could be used to kill/maim a bunch of people in short order. Maybe instead we should each take responsibility for protecting ourselves and our fellow man. If we lived in a society where one in ten citezens took it upon themselves to carry a weapon for personal defense, how many of these lunatics would be stopped? Better yet, how many would reconsider their actions entirely. Human beings are an inherantly violent animal and, like it or not, the world is controlled by the CONTROLLED application of violence. I would prefer that the sane be the ones in control. Not the lunatics. Take away my ability to defend myself, and you have simply turned me into a target.
VIOLENCE
Shoot Down This Theory
Published Apr 11, 2009
From the magazine issue dated Apr 20, 2009
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In one month, eight mass killings in the U.S. have left 57 people dead. A unifying theory has emerged: it's the "dismal state of the nation's economy," says an April 8 story in The Washington Post. Other outlets concur. NEWSWEEK's Kurt Soller tested the meme with three leading criminologists.
Richard Rosenfeld, president-elect, American Society of Criminology: "There are too few mass murders to draw a meaningful connection … [And] there's no way to prove whether those killings would have occurred under different economic circumstances."
Alfred Blumstein, former director, National Consortium on Violence Research: "There's not much linking these shooting events, and certainly not the economy ... If anything, it's a mixture of notoriety [and] retribution against one's enemy. Any sort of pattern here would be a copycat effect."
Roger Lane, author, "Murder in America: A History": "Mass killings are different from ordinary homicides; the psychological profile is closer to suicide … It's usually just that the shooters are utterly crazy, which has nothing to do with economic conditions."
© 2009
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