Mass Shootings

[Miss P]

First link after I typed this into Google: "School shooting statistics"

http://youthviolence.edschool.virginia.edu/violence-in-schools/school-shootings.html

I think I proved my point.  Pretty simple to see and find out for yourself - don't trust everything that you feel in your gut just because your gut normally goes with what is on the news - which is usually blown way out of proportion.

I rest my case.

This graph actually shows school shootings rising since 2001, doesn't it?

Anyway, as I said, I agree with you that they are rare.  But unfortuately, there's been an increase over the last several years despite Congressional and state legislative efforts to get guns out of schools and schools' preventative measures like mental health screening and metal detectors.

[contrarian]

A bit off topic: Harlem is pretty safe, and not a "hotbed of crime," as only Unbiased Observer has had the sense to point out.  jsia.

I'm going to go out on a limb here.  Sure I don't have any hard numbers to back me up.  But I'm going to say that Dekalb, IL has an exceedingly far lower rate per 100,000 persons of violent crime than New York.  Just saying.

As far as being concerned about crime, I'd rather be in a classroom in DeKalb than on a street corner anywhere in NY.

[Miss P]

A bit off topic: Harlem is pretty safe, and not a "hotbed of crime," as only Unbiased Observer has had the sense to point out.  jsia.

I'm going to go out on a limb here.  Sure I don't have any hard numbers to back me up.  But I'm going to say that Dekalb, IL has an exceedingly far lower rate per 100,000 persons of violent crime than New York.  Just saying.

As far as being concerned about crime, I'd rather be in a classroom in DeKalb than on a street corner anywhere in NY.

::shrugs:: It's your life.

New York's 2005 violent crime rate was 673/100,000 and it has gone down since then.  Illinois doesn't participate in the FBI's unified crime statistics reporting, so I can't tell you what it is in DeKalb.  Chicago's was 1,196/100,000; Peoria's was 815/100,000; Rockford's was 862/100,000; and Springfield's was 1,362/100,000.

[Principled.]

the first link definitely proves that it isn't on the decline (and your second link relies on the evidence from the first). It's still the lowest it's been since pre2000, correct, but it certainly isn't on the decline. It appears to be steadily on the rise, and if you add the last 3 years, I'm sure this prevalence I've been referring to certainly becomes more relevant.

You stated that it's decreasing, correct? I certainly don't think you can effectively argue that based merely upon a change in extreme highs.

 [I also find it ironic that you blame the media for using their bias to 'rile us up' and persuade us in the direction they would have us go regardless of accuracy, yet you reference a news media article to prove your point (and perhaps to provide yourself solace), when in fact the source of said article clearly relies on data like the one you provided..data which clearly suggests a divergent end from the one they are promoting..from the one you are trying to achieve. But I suppose that's neither here nor there. ]

[contrarian]

A bit off topic: Harlem is pretty safe, and not a "hotbed of crime," as only Unbiased Observer has had the sense to point out.  jsia.

I'm going to go out on a limb here.  Sure I don't have any hard numbers to back me up.  But I'm going to say that Dekalb, IL has an exceedingly far lower rate per 100,000 persons of violent crime than New York.  Just saying.

As far as being concerned about crime, I'd rather be in a classroom in DeKalb than on a street corner anywhere in NY.

::shrugs:: It's your life.

New York's 2005 violent crime rate was 673/100,000 and it has gone down since then.  Illinois doesn't participate in the FBI's unified crime statistics reporting, so I can't tell you what it is in DeKalb.  Chicago's was 1,196/100,000; Peoria's was 815/100,000; Rockford's was 862/100,000; and Springfield's was 1,362/100,000.

Comparing DeKalb to those cities is apples and oranges.  DeKalb is rural agricultural primarily.  Home to Corn, Cindy Crawford, and NIU.  2005 violent crime estimated from the below link (it says violent crime 8.9% of total crime, and crime reported at 3216 per 100,000) is 287/100,000. 

http://www.dcedc.org/quickFacts/crime.html

For reference I live not far from DeKalb now, and went to school there.  Aside from what you expect whenever alcohol is involved, violent crime just didn't happen.  Well, when I attended one of the students got a bit upset when his girlfriend broke up with him, so he killed her and her parents.  However that happened in her home town 45 miles away, so I'm not including it as a DeKalb crime.

[Miss P]

Home to Corn, Cindy Crawford, and NIU. 

Actually, New York is home to Cindy Crawford.

Also, according to the FBI, the NYC violent crime rate was 293/100,000 for 2007.  No, I can't account for why it's changed so much, but that just goes to show you there's a lot of wiggle room in these numbers.  I suppose it depends on whether you're using victim reporting or police department investigations.