Posted by Kromey at 2:29pm May 8 '13The good news, if you're the type to care about human life, is that the DoJ has just released a study that once again confirms the same trend that's been ongoing for 20 years: Crimes committed with guns continue to decrease.
That's bad news, though, if you're the type more troubled by personal freedom than pleased with the reduction of senseless tragedy.
Murder committed with a gun is down 39% between 1993 and 2011, and non-fatal crimes committed with a gun have plunged 69%.
Yet most Americans think the opposite is true, that more crimes are committed with guns than twenty years ago.
It is a well-known trend that US news outlets have been increasing their focus on crime, although whether that can account for this discrepancy between reality and perception is unclear. It's also interesting to note that women and minorities were more likely to believe "gun crime" was on the rise than men and whites.
Experts debate why overall crime has fallen, attributing the drop to all manner of causes, such as the withering of the crack cocaine market and surging incarceration rates.
Some researchers have even linked dropping crime to reduced lead in gasoline, pointing out that lead can cause increased aggression and impulsive behavior in exposed children.
The Pew Research Center intends to examine crime issues more fully later this year.