I have lived here all of my life and have never been witness to gun violence.
I tend to believe that gun violence, like many other crimes are generally concentrated in urban areas. I live in the country where the population is thin enough to reduce anonymity. In a city, you can do bad things to other people, and stand a good chance of never seeing them again, not so in a rural area. I did live in Miami for several years, and there were things about it that I adored, however, I found it too tense to offer a good quality of life. You really had to watch your back 24/7. I will never forget the morning that I was driving to work and saw two men, in suits and ties, doing fisticuffs in the median of the road. Like I say, the atmosphere is tense.
I returned to my rural home, and while not free of violence, it is easier to avoid places where trouble is more likely to start. What is really interesting is that my rural county actually has a higher rate of violent crime than Miami, but it is mainly concentrated in the drug distribution circles. Most of the time with young men with more testosterone than sense. (and the more testosterone, the more likely you are to carry a gun.) Since I get my dope at the pharmacy and not behind the minute market, I avoid that issue. I also treat everyone that I meet with respect and courtesy which tends to be calming to all parties. Eye contact with confidence, a nod and a smile is disarming.
The gun statistics are interesting. While ultra-conservative Texas has the most guns and the most per capita, they are way down the list of gun violence. California, the liberal stronghold, has some pretty strict laws regarding gun possession but nearly leads the nation in the number of guns in the hands of the people.
Guns, and gun violence is a complicated issue and has not received the serious study that it deserves. While many of us would prefer to see a country devoid of firearms, it is wise to recognize that that will never happen as long as we are a Democracy. What the far right does not consider is that if they get their way and assume total rule, the conservative leadership is liable to do what liberals were never able to do. I can see confiscation of firearms as happens in all dictatorial states; sometimes folks get what they deserve.
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