'This is not normal': Cape sees 15 shootings in less than a year

[SecularMotion]

The amount of gun violence in Cape Girardeau is a new and troubling phenomenon for city councilwoman Shelly Moore, who has lived in the city for 50 years.

“This is not normal,” she said.

The style and circumstances around some of the shootings alarms Stop Needless Acts of Violence Please (SNAP) members, who met for a vigil Friday night near the site of Airious Darling’s killing March 31.

The first Cape Girardeau/Bollinger County Major Case Squad investigation of 2015 began in the afternoon of June 29. Paige Smith was sitting on the porch between two other women when she was shot in the head in a drive-by shooting.

http://www.semissourian.com/story/2296310.html

[flamin lib]

1. I have it on good authority that this is absolutely normal and not an increase over

previous years. Do I need a sarcasm thingy here?

[jonno99]

2. “This is not normal,” Ok - what has changed over previous years? nt

[ileus]

3. Sounds like it's time for citizens to start carrying.

you can't be too safe...

[TeddyR]

4. DC and Baltimore

Who have some of the more stringent gun laws in the country experienced huge spikes in murders last year.

In Baltimore, the number of killings reached 344 last year, up from 211 a year earlier, the report stated. (This was the deadliest year there since 1993, according to the Baltimore Sun.) Washington had 162 homicides, up from 105 the year before, while Chicago reported 465 homicides, compared with 411 the previous year.

And this from the same story:

When we have asked criminologists about increases in crime or violence — either nationally or in specific places — they often respond the same way: Yes, it may be up, but it is so much lower than it used to be.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2016/04/21/homicides-were-up-last-year-in-some-major-u-s-cities-just-three-cities-saw-most-of-the-increase/?hpid=hp_local-news_pn-homicides-1230pm%3Ahomepage%2Fstory

[jimmy the one]

6. big bad scary towns (crime rates)

Baltimore had a spike in murders due the killing of freddie gray last year, & subsequent rioting & civil unrest.

I know it's a bit dated at 4 years old, but even with the spike in balto's murder in 2015, the 4 gun control cities overall fared better in 2012 than the 9 pro gun cities listed below:

...all rates, 2012...pop ..... violcr... murder... property
Gun control cities
Los Angeles 3,855,122 ....... 481 ....7.8 ......2,269 (+~14%vcr,2014)
Baltimore 625,474 .........1,405 ......35 ..... 4,660
New York 8,289,415 .........639 ...... 5.1 ....1,722 (still safest >500k population)
Chicago 2,708,382 ...........N/A .....18.3 .... 4,152 (handguns ok 2011)

Pro gun cities:
Tenn Memphis 657,436 .......1,750 ....20.2 ....6,312
Dallas 1,241,549 ..................675 .....12.4 ...4,373
Houston 2,177,273 ...............992 .....10.0 ...4,945
Kansas City 464,073 ...........1,263 ......22 ....5,525
Nashville 620,886 ..............1,216 .....10.0.....4,195
St. Louis 318,667 ..............1,776 ......35 .....6,902 (siccw 2005)
Detroit 707,096 .................2,122 ......54 ....5,792 (siccw 2002, leans gun)
New Orleans 362,874............815 .......53 .....3,772
Oklahoma City 595,607 ........919 ......14.3 .... 5,941.8
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_cities_by_crime_rate_(2012)

[Eleanors38]

5. Sounds like a lot of gang and gang wanabe activity...

It appears the phenomenon of violent gang activity is deeply entrenched in some cultures, and will remain that way unless more fundamental social policy changes are made. Since much gang activity is centered on prohibited drugs (and the territorial disputes which arise therefrom), yet another prohibition policy -- banning guns -- is just as likely to fail as the drug bans. In fact, the violence problem will probably be exascerbated.