Paid To Pray

[BedellBrave]

what was done?

Looks like the hiring of more cops thru the COPS program may have been something that contributed to the drop:

Link

"It would be unrealistic to expect crime to continue dropping sharply as it did in the 1990s, but that is no reason to undermine the progress brought by successful policies. With recent FBI data showing crime on the rise, it is time to reconsider the massive de-funding of one of the most successful federal anti-crime measures of the 1990s: the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Community Policing Services (COPS) program. The program, authorized by the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, provides grants to state and local police to hire additional officers and adopt aspects of "community policing."

The COPS program distributed nearly $1 billion in hiring grants to state and local police in each fiscal year from 1995 to 1999. Yet the amount of COPS funding allocated to helping state and local departments hire more police has declined dramatically over the past several years. The funding allocated for this purpose in fiscal 2005 was just $5 million. COPS has been effective in putting more police officers on the street. The best available evidence suggests that more police lead to less crime. Thus, COPS appears to have contributed to the drop in crime observed in the 1990s.

Given that the costs of crime to American society are so large - perhaps as much as $2 trillion per year - even small percentage reductions in crime can reap very large benefits. Our calculations suggest restoring the $1.4 billion COPS budget that prevailed in fiscal 2000 is likely to generate a benefit to society valued from $6 billion to $12 billion. COPS appears to be one of the most cost-effective options available for fighting crime..."

[57Brave]

Are the "prayer shamers"the same people that wage war on Christmas . Or pushing a constitutional ammendment to ban guns ?

Or "are they the baby killers Walter ?"

[BedellBrave]

The needle seems to be stuck on your record 57. It's annoying.

[gilesfan]

we did/do and still have a HUGE gun problem

even cutting it in half for mass shooting

and justing shootings in general

it is too much, i am curious if anything was actually done or if abortions and the stats os having abortions helped it like it does crime

So did it just miraculously drop?

[acesfull86]

Causation =/= correlation, but there has also been widespread loosening of gun control laws over the same span that our violent crime rate halved

[57Brave]

The needle seems to be stuck on your record 57. It's annoying.

There are no prayer shamers --

So be annoyed - but quit peddling info (or faux outrage ) that doesn't stand the light of day

[57Brave]

Now we have gotten gun violence down to what, 75% more than the rest of the civilized world ?
Quite an accomplishment there

I think it funny ( ironic, not ha ha ) hearing Sturg argue that gun violence has come down so we should be satisfied with the status quo when just a few weeks back he was asking for prayers for the family and friends of a TV broadcaster that was senselessly shot and killed.

Bet their family isn't satisfied with the "progress" we've made on gun violence. Or the families of those shot in San Bernadino or ... or ... or...
Met a parent of a child that was evacuated during the Sandy Hook shooting this past summer.
I know they are not satisfied, heard it with my own ears.
Wasn't a political agenda either.
Just said, this isn't that ****ing hard.

Don't forget, there is one common denominator in all of the shootings - be it black on black, Muslim on christian , pro lifer shooting up a Planned Parenthood Women's Center
They all used bullets and guns.
One common denominator.

Kinda like getting a headache whenever you bang your head against the wall.
At some point one has to make the connection that when you bang your head against the wall, you get the headache.
Everytime

I have to laugh at the quibbles about how the data of mass shootings is collected.
Really, that is your argument that mass shootings are really not that prevalent ?
Really?

Broken record huh ?
The point of the thread which you saw plain as day was the weapons industry finances campaigns of Congressmen and Senators, both state and federal to vote against any form of weapons regulation. To save face they try to get a free pass by saying they and we should pray it goes away.
Well, the mother in Sandy Hook didn't want Rob Potmans (or yours or mine for that matter ) prayer , she wanted his vote or or good faith efforts to stop this non sense.
Broken record my ass

[acesfull86]

I think I'm living in bizzaro world...a mass shooting happens and the same people push the same ideas that wouldn't have applied to said shooting.

Ban assault weapons!

[57Brave]

I think I'm living in bizzaro world...a mass shooting happens and the same people push the same ideas that wouldn't have applied to said shooting.

Ban assault weapons!

What in the world are you talking about ?

Of course assault weapons should be heavily regulated if not banned.
It is childish thinking otherwise
//

and yes, you are living in bizzaro world any half wit with a bad attitude can buy war weapons --
Not the working definition of a well regulated militia

[acesfull86]

Define assault weapons.

There is no definition...they are whatever a particular legislator says they are.

California has an assault weapons ban. The guns purchased were legal under the definition of the law.

You're going to say then change the law...I'm going to say, to read what, exactly?

[57Brave]

Listen ace, my thoughts are the manufacturing and selling of all weapons - all kinds - are regulated so heavily that in order for any semi-automatic (let alone automatic) weapon to see the light of day would require so much red tape and so taxed that they would in effect ban themselves.
I might be the wrong person to ask for a definition

I don't know how the San Bernadino shooters acquired their weapons.

Perhaps some legislator somewhere will coral a consensus for a definition.
What legislative definition do you lean towards ?

[acesfull86]

"Semi-automatic" encompasses almost every gun on the market. So when you say "no one is saying ban ALL guns" that basically IS what you're proposing. Heavily tax them...so basically keep them exclusive to the wealthy and people of means? My legislative definition would be fully automatic, which have already been banned for decades, so maybe I'm not the person to ask either. Then again, I think the main issue in the San Bernardino story is radicalized Muslims carrying out a terrorist attack on American soil, not "gun control."

[57Brave]

The fact remains they shot those people with semi-auto weapons and bulletd.

Yes. radical Islam is a problem As is Radical Christianity, Radical anything... But those are different discussions than the prevalence of weaponry. Can we pray away radical religion of any stripe ?
Can we outlaw radical religion of any stripe ?

What is the source of radical religion ?

[sturg33]

Would you be taxing these manufacturers when the government comes calling to buy these weapons?

[50PoundHead]

I'm not for banning any particular weapon, but it just seems that the bar should be higher for the purchase of assault rifles. Was there any particular reason why Ryan Lanza's mother needed an assault weapon? I realize that gets into a gray area, but if we are requiring people to take classes for conceal-and-carry, would it be plausible for people to have to demonstrate the need for owning and ability to ably fire an assault rifle?

[MrShwag]

OMG! Stephen King has me convinced! Although at first sight I thought that was Ted Kaczynski, which really would have done the trick

[goldfly]

Fine, I will compromise

all guns are legal

Every bullet is $1,000 then though

[BedellBrave]

There are no prayer shamers --

So be annoyed - but quit peddling info (or faux outrage ) that doesn't stand the light of day

Sure there are - you've tried it as has gold, following y'all's playbook. Now, y'all try to spin things to try to not look so bad. Carry on.

[zitothebrave]

Fine, I will compromise

all guns are legal

Every bullet is $1,000 then though

Ok Chris Rock.

[BedellBrave]

"Semi-automatic" encompasses almost every gun on the market. So when you say "no one is saying ban ALL guns" that basically IS what you're proposing. Heavily tax them...so basically keep them exclusive to the wealthy and people of means? My legislative definition would be fully automatic, which have already been banned for decades, so maybe I'm not the person to ask either. Then again, I think the main issue in the San Bernardino story is radicalized Muslims carrying out a terrorist attack on American soil, not "gun control."

Can't waste a tragedy, right? Isn't that the mantra?