Boomer, well that's a pretty big separation of statistics CDC vs FBI. Of course the CDC is counting all deaths , the FBI is counting murders, so considering we are at war and soldiers die but aren't listed as murders, then you can see how the the "firearm death" rate is going to get skewed.
Even if we call both numbers valid, there's about a 3000 death reduction for 2011. I think the numbers posted on the CDC tables were drawn from 2004 (I saw that on there) so either we have become about 25% "kinder and gentler" or the war connected firearm deaths have something to do with the numbers.
I honestly think that since this discussion is about VIOLENT CRIME then the FBI statistics are the ones to use as they are strictly about murder and what type of weapon was used.
I also have 2 personal thoughts about this discussion:
1) I think the video game / movie connection cannot be overplayed. When we (Americans) were kids we played "cowboys and indians" or "cops and robbers" because that's what we saw on TV. The aurora shooting coward had his hair dyed red and claimed he was "the joker" from the "Batman" movies. We saw several "joker" copycat cowards get arrested immediately after his arrest. The coward in the Clackamas mall shooting was yelling "I AM THE SHOOTER" while firing upon the shoppers. I bet there's some connection to that statement in a video game.
2) I don't like discussing this so much with non-Americans. That's not to put you down in any way, but this is OUR PROBLEM and we need to find OUR SOLUTION. Case in point - the same day the idiot coward killed all the kids in the Connecticut school, another idiot coward in China went on a rampage and slashed 22 or 23 kids at a school in China. But what did China's government do? they called for the American government to disarm us. So here's what I say to that - WHEN ANOTHER COUNTRY CALLS YOU TO LAY DOWN YOUR ARMS, THAT'S WHEN YOU NEED TO PICK THEM UP. Case closed. JMO, Steve
