Playing around with numbers

[SirGeorgeKillian]

I got bored and started throwing some numbers around in my head. I broke out the calculator and did some Googling. Here are my references:
http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr...ables/table-20
http://www.bradycampaign.org/stategunlaws/scorecard/

I added up the totals from all 50 states, (I know Florida isn't on that list for some reason, and the virgin islands and DC are, and Illinois data isn't complete) but bear with me here. I then looked up the 10 states with the highest "report cards" for strict gun laws straight from the Brady campaign's website. Took all of their numbers and added them up, using the following criteria of 2011 murders: Hand Gun, Rifle, Shotgun, Knife or cutting instrument, and Hands first feet ect. The results are stunning, and I figured I'd post them here as it might be insightful. Keep in mind, the top 10 states only account for 20% of the national total of states.

In Handgun murders: The top ten were 39.6% of the national average
In Rifle murders: The top ten were 27.24% of the national average
In Shotgun murders: The top ten were 28.37% of the national average
In Knife murders: The top ten were 34.65% of the national average
In Hand murders: The top ten were 31.46% of the national average

The top ten states according to Brady's report card: CA, MA, NJ, CT, HI, MD, RI, IL*, PA, MI.

I know this information could be viewed as skewed as it doesn't take into account population. After my afternoon OSHA safety nap, I will probably try to tackle that.

I hope some of you will find this info useful or at least entertaining at the minimum.

[wildgene]

...wouldn't sweat it being a little skewed...

...I mean Mother Jones reports Wyoming as #3 in "gun deaths", ignoring the fact that NY State has 40 times the population of WY, or that Detroit has double the population of WY & had 600+ gun related deaths compared to 18, I think, in WY. Or they report that no armed citizen has ever stopped a mass murder, ignoring all the attempted mass murders that have been stopped by armed citizens who stopped the perp before he could get a high enough body count for Mother Jones to consider it a mass murder...

...so, even if you're off by a state or two because you didn't factor population, I wouldn't sweat it. It doesn't seem to phase the liberal media...

http://townhall.com/tipsheet/leahbar...oting-n1487684

[bruchi]

Clearly someone's math is not up to speed, FBI-Brady Campaign...

I gather this totals are all from the same year...the "top ten" deal confuses me.

Then this confuses me even more:

Handgun murders 39.6%
Rifle murders 27.24%
Shotgun murders 28.37%
Knife murders 34.65%
Hand murders 31.46%

This adds up to 161.32%

Why does it not add to 100%?

Total firearm murders is 95.21% nice BIG number!

and this is not including the Florida totals..."playing with numbers" seems right!!!

[alphasigmookie]

I think he was meaning that it's the total of all us murders in that category in the specific states.

Not factoring in population is an issue though. CA, IL, PA and NY are provably around 1/3 of the total population.

[alphasigmookie]

Oops NY wasn't included, but MI, NJ, and MA are pretty big too. I'd guess the list still accounts for maybe 30-35% of the population.

[Vic's Viewpoint]

I'm amazed that MD is among the top ten. This place is an armed camp - cops everywhere! I understand that Baltimore leads the state in murders of all kinds, followed by a couple of cities in Prince George's County, which abuts the DC line.

Brrrrrr........

[FiveSeven]

They don't add up because each category is its own percentage of 100%. 39.6% of hand gun murders happen in those ten states. The other 60.4% of murders happen in the other forty states, and so on and so forth.

[bisley]

While I do believe that any honest analysis of legitimate statistics will favor gun ownership and civilian self-protection, I cannot think of a single debate on the subject that has ever provided a forum in which the public can hear such honest and logical discussion.

Gun control topics never come up, except when the anti-gun groups think they can take advantage of the raw emotion that these tragedies invoke, among folks who have little or no knowledge about the proper use of guns, or any reasonable self-defense plan. In such a setting, pro-gun folks can only try to delay debate on the subject, until enough time and distance from the tragedy allows logical thought again.

All plans to counter the political opportunists who exploit these emotions must involve forcing delays that will insure people are actually listening to the debate. There are real solutions that can diminish the problems we have with unstable people committing mass murder - they just have to be considered by intelligent people who genuinely want useful solutions.

[steffen19k]

Instead of banning firearms, lets ban liberalism. There is literally no place for it anywhere on earth.

[bruchi]

They don't add up because each category is its own percentage of 100%. 39.6% of hand gun murders happen in those ten states. The other 60.4% of murders happen in the other forty states, and so on and so forth.

That way makes sense but it starts with:

"I added up the totals from all 50 states"

and this at least to me is confusing"

[SirGeorgeKillian]

They don't add up because each category is its own percentage of 100%. 39.6% of hand gun murders happen in those ten states. The other 60.4% of murders happen in the other forty states, and so on and so forth.

I took the number that was presented for each of the states and added them up. Then figured my totals from that. They do add up.

[bruchi]

Perhpaps it is so confusing to me because I did not read the links as it seemed that your post was sufficient? Lazy is as lazy does.

[FiveSeven]

I took the number that was presented for each of the states and added them up. Then figured my totals from that. They do add up.

That's what I figured.