A little truth about gun violence and two suggesttions that would cut the homicide rate by 90%.

From the time Baby Boomers entered college to the time they were finished with college,  this country saw its sharpest increase in violent crimes in American history.  Should we, then,  blame “higher education” for violent crime increases or the mere existence of the Baby Boomers?  After all,  it is their children and grandchildren who are doing all the killings.  But,  whatever. 

According to the chart,   that exceptionally high rate of increase reversed itself,  without benefit of any gun laws,  in the early years of the Clinton Administration.  Near the end of 1994,  an assault weapons ban was passed into law and ended,  ten years later,  in 2004.  Since then,  the downward trend as to gun violence has continued to drop.  There is no evidence that the assault weapons ban had anything to do with the national circumstance. 

Since 1982,  there have been 60 mass murders,  not counting the Fort Hood terrorist murders,  with the gunmen using 138 different weapons,  the vast majority of which were legally purchased.  While we debate taking legal guns off the streets,  there are things we can do about the problem that would have short term and long term effects. 

   

First,  treat the nation’s gangland population as terrorist, and get them off the streets,  permanently.  Secondly,  ban all video gun violence.  If this latter suggestion raises Constitutional concerns,  then make the cost of buying these ridiculous videos so high as to prevent their wide spread use. Of course,  the mentally ill would still be around,  but homicides,  per se, would take an immediate dump,  and feeding the imaginations of the mentally ill would not be the money making priority it is today.