Sunday, January 23, 2011

Bigger Magazines and Violent Crime

Data beats propaganda.

Virgnia violent crime went down after larger magazines became available again in 2004; from 282 per 100,000 in 2000, fairly level, until a year or so after 2004, down to 227 in 2009. http://vaperforms.virginia.gov/indicators/publicSafety/crime.php

After 5 years of larger magazine sizes, the decrease accelerates! The 2009 Virginia rate is the 7th lowest in the nation.

More Liberty, and Safer Citizens.

Liberty is Good.

Notice the Peoples Republic of Maryland, with uber-restrictive gun laws and 20 round magazine limitations IS MUCH MUCH WORSE than gun friendly Virgina. Also notice that larger magazines in Virgina did not lead to massive liberal bloodbaths in Maryland (despite the mythology).

Is Maryland benefitting from Virginia and National laws?
Someone is going to have to study that.


Years of data - Beats the spin on media hype, doesn't it?

What else was Virginia doing these last few years?
Expanding Open carry
'Shall Issue' Concealed Carry
Unrestricted Magazine sizes
And crime was going down. Hmmmmmmmm.

I'm not saying crime reducing is what led to magazine sizes changing, or that magazine sizes changing is what led to reduced crime. The data is being shown. And the data debunks the lies being told in the media.

Why the focus on Virginia today? Well, CA over at Western Rifle Shooters Association links to articles where some geniuses noticed that in the years since larger magazines have been legal, that police are finding more of the legal magazines! Brilliant!
(Silly observation, really. But pushed as important findings by collectivists here)

The media lies don't end. Collectivists want to take your Liberty.
Seek data to keep informed. Liberty depends on the Truth.


How about National 'violent crime rates' after larger magazines were again available?
FBI data shows national violent crime also going down after those larger magazines magazines are available.

What else was was happening Nationally during these last few years?
Expanding Open carry
More 'Shall Issue' Concealed Carry
Nationally unrestricted Magazine sizes
And violent crime was decreasing? Hmmmmmmm.

Liberty is good.

The data debunks their mythology.

Liberty depends on the Truth.



Data beats propaganda.

[update] Tip of the hat to Borepatch for catching/correcting some of mine. He tried. What's still wrong, is all mine.

[update 2] Tam has a great post regarding magazine size, and the best comment:
"I relate the magazine restriction to governing all cars to 30mph because drunk drivers kill people. If they could only reach 30mph, fewer deaths would result."
-Joseph
Surely, that wins the internets (?)

5 comments:

Borepatch said...

Point of order: probably the most this proves is that magazine size is entirely uncorrelated with crime rate. It looks like the rate of decline in Virginia's rate is roughly the same as the rate of decline in Maryland's.

Which means that bans based on magazine size can be expected to have zero impact on crime rate. Which is exactly your point.

Megan McArdle had an outstanding post a while back on how most gun stats are crap, and are abused by the Usual Suspects for the usual ends. Her point was about Shall Issue states and crime rates - the very BEST you can say for restrictive gun control arguments is that Shall Issue laws have NO correlation with decreased crime. That's the best you can get out of the statistics, if you're the Brady crowd.

sofa said...

Good point.
Several sentences could be read that way, and one was misleading, in the manner identified.

Fixed. Thank you. The facts do just fine, without needing any help.

sofa said...

"the rate of decline in Virginia's rate is roughly the same as the rate of decline in Maryland's.

Which means that bans based on magazine size can be expected to have zero impact on crime rate."

It may also suggest that Maryland benefits from Virgina and National laws.

NotClauswitz said...

Nice work!

Off Grid Survival said...

Great Data, I love when people point out the facts instead of emotional crap that is reported in the mainstream news