From the San Diego Reader we get an analysis of the 2021 FBI crime report. San Diego's 10% killed by strangers
The article mostly focuses on the infamous stranger-committed-murders in San Diego. That being what passes for sensational journalism, I guess. But I am interested in the first part of the article. Also, the FBI doesn't call it the Crime Report anymore. It is Crime in America, or something. And fewer and fewer police departments report crime stats to the FBI. In part that is because the FBI keeps changing the format police departments need to submit, and in part it is because if they don't report it, it never happened, at least not as far as the statistics are concerned.
You are more likely to be murdered by someone you know than by someone you don’t. The latest FBI statistics show that fewer than 10% of the 20,000 people who were murdered in the United States in 2021 were killed by strangers. And yet, getting attacked and killed by a complete stranger remains reliable fodder for nightmares, horror movies, and true crime podcasts.
And journalists also rely on that "Strager Danger" motif. "If it bleeds, it leads," was the mantra of newspapers and news broadcasters for a long time. It still is, if the Leftist narrative is served.
Why would they want to say that alter the statistics to say that "Crime is Down?" Because otherwise they might have to reevaluate all their soft-on-crime, open-borders policies, and they don't want to do that.
So, about 2000 people were murdered by complete strangers. That seems like a pretty significant amount.
ReplyDeleteI am guessing that the other 18,000 were killed by people who were "known" to the victim. Betting this includes gang rivals, violent and unstable ex-companions, violent and unstable domestic companions, violent and unstable family members, violent and unstable neighbors, and violent and unstable co-workers. Almost every story I read about a murder, the suspect has significant issues and violence and tragedy was reasonably foreseeable. This doesn't invalidate having a gun for protection. You may need to stop the asshole you know, just like you might need to stop the asshole you don't.
Yes, that is the point of the post... The Left loves to throw around the statement, "If you own a gun, you are more likely to shoot someone you know." I usually point that out in these posts but it does get repetitive after a while. I suppose I will have to go back to doing just that.
DeleteAs you say, the "people you know" can include everyone from a jealous ex, to the creepy guy at your local coffee shop, to a disgruntled ex-employee, etc. But the Left loves to say that if "you shoot someone you know" it must be a mistake or a tragedy or ...
Violent and unstable people, whether you know them or not, may become violent and unstable.
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