2010 Gun Laws vs. Gun Homicide Rates Correlation Table

[cbrgator]

That said, your graph is valuable in showing that there is no simple relationship between gun crime and controls. In fact, your graph implies no relationship at all, though I do believe there are relationships, but it is necessary to dig deeper (as John Lott did) to find them.

Correct. The purpose of this graph is to prove that very point - the irrelevance of gun control. I don't seek to show that more guns reduce crime. I will leave that for John Lott. The sole purpose of this graph is to illustrate that gun laws have no effect at all, positive or negative.

Many different factors taken together effect the gun homicide rate of a particular area. The point of this graph is to show that gun laws are not one of those factors.

 

[duns]

Correct. The purpose of this graph is to prove that very point - the irrelevance of gun control.
...
Many different factors taken together effect the gun homicide rate of a particular area. The point of this graph is to show that gun laws are not one of those factors.

I don't think your graph does show that gun controls are irrelevant. It fails to imply any causation but causation could be there nonetheless (and I think it is). As I said, much deeper studies are needed to investigate causation. I believe that the relationships between gun controls and crime rates such as gun homicides are masked by other factors when statistics are examined at very high level as in this case.

 

[wally]

I'd like to see error bars on the plot, say the mean and SD of the last five or ten years gun homicide rate data, and perhaps another plot of the total homicide rate also with error bars.

Its interesting, but basically its moot as criminals don't obey the law or they wouldn't be criminals. If I was ready to murder someone violating a gun law would be the last thing on my mind.

 

[Archaic]

You have to be careful with statistics, Louisiana has a pretty high PC rate, but its low population should skew it lower if you actually integrated the data.

Anybody that has looked at this graph and determined that there is no statistical correlation gets a cookie. I'd be interested to see the raw data and take a stab at calculating a 95% UCL for the top 25 vs the bottom 25.

Of course, the Brady ranking is such an arbitrary variable that it probably invalidates the whole thing, but its still fun to look at.

 

[Zane]

Of course, the Brady ranking is such an arbitrary variable that it probably invalidates the whole thing, but its still fun to look at.

Especially when you look and see what states are on the left of the graph. There is a pretty big difference in gun laws when you move from Illinois to Pennsylvania.

 

[seed]

Louisiana has New Orleans, which is really bad...especially after Katrina. Last I heard (and it's been a while), the place is still a huge mess. This very much contributes to an already horrible crime problem anywhere.

 

[hso]

gun laws have no effect at all, positive or negative

That's the same conclusion the National Academy of Sciences panel set up during the Clinton administration came to in 2004 and continues to be borne out since then. Restrictions, or lack of, on firearms ownership does not correlate to violent crime rates. The cause of high violent crime rates are the more complex social and economic issues of the communities.

 

[JellyJar]

Pity poor Louisiana!

Half is under water and the other half is under indictment! :banghead:

 

[cbrgator]

Archaic,
if you PM your email address, I can provide you with the raw data.


To those who say this graph shows essentially no correlation, that is correct and was the purpose of the graph.