In my state (NC), I'm pretty sure less-lethal weapons like stun guns are certainly allowed with a carry license, and you don't even need a license for pepper spray or a heavy cane (though be aware that swinging a club willy-nilly can rise to the level of deadly force). I'm not really up on my Tazer laws because I carry a Kimber pepper spray in that role.

If your state's carry and licensure rules prohibit stun guns and pepper spray, you should work to get them changed. Some jurisdictions that are paranoid about weapons in the hands of noncriminals do ban them (Massachusetts and possibly New Jersey treated pepper sprays as firearms for a long time, and may still) but most of free America doesn't, that I'm aware. Some do require licensure, though, so check your state laws.

Facts are almost unknown to some in this debate...You always provide!

But they all know better, just more doctored numbers from the NRA shills at the FBI.

Thanks Ben.

Go to the following page:
Select a. "United States Total, b. "Murder and nonnegligent manslaughter, and
c. Years "1995 through 2004"

http://www.ucrdatatool.gov/Search/Crime/State/RunCrimeTrendsInOneVar.cfm


You will get the following:

icon: Here's another inconvenient truth about murder rates and the AWB ban of 1994-2004
Go to the following page: Select a. "United States Total, b. "Murder and nonnegligent manslaughter, and
c. Years "1995 through 2004"

Wondering about icon today. He titles his post using 'murder RATES', then posts a listing of murder TOTALS, as well as a link to the population census. He doesnt seem to know what to do with these two tables, to get an actual rate.
You don't have a calculator icon? they sell adequate cheap ones at the dollar stores you know.
Or do what I do, just google online calculator & voila.

So, I guess this following is icon's 'inconvenient truth'; and I just list the start year & end year, since with the figures icon provides the rate will generally steadily decline within what I post:

year ... total murder/nnMS ..... population .... RATE per million
1995: ........ 21,606 .................. 266 mill ........ 81.23
2004: ........ 16,148 .................. 293 mill ........ 55.11

So icon does a fine job, despite needing old reliable book 'statistics for dummies', in showing that while the assault weapons ban was in effect 1995 - 2004, murder & non negligible manslaughter rates declined by 32%.

It should also be noted that the assault weapon ban should not be given full credit for this decline, as the percentage of gun owners in the country also declined by about 35%, during the period ~1992 thru 2000 (lower the gun owner rate, lower the violent crime rate). And the Clinton anti crime initiative is in there too.

Bravo, icon, you friendly today.

the AWB should get no credit at all.

Lets not forget that Adam Lanza's rifle was perfectly legal under the 1994 AWB. It was also perfectly legal under CT's much stricter AWB.

As you noted, it was 55.1 per million in 2004- but dropped to 49/million last year

ezra: Total murders were up in a few large cities, with Chicago accounting for a good portion of the increase, per news reports.

Lifting the handgun ban in chicago in 2011 sure has worked wonders in reducing the murder & rate there, hasn't it?
Since you are referring to 2015 stats, you are speaking of an increase from 2014 to 2015, where chicago had an increase of 58 murders, and giving it a 17.2/100k homicide rate. 2014: 432 2015: 488 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crime_in_Chicago
(wapo link below) analysis of preliminary crime data found that about 770 more people were killed in major cities last year {2015} than the year before,
58 out of 770 isn't that 'good a portion', as you said, just 7.5%. Chicago always seems more violent since it has near 3 million people, but when one compares rates, the more valid method of comparison, there are far worse cities than chicago, crime wise.

But it's actually a mixed bag. Chicago homicide thru the years. Don't 'trump' it up.


Here's a clever graph(s) which shows about a dozen cities with higher homicide rates than chicago in 2015, with about half being pro gun cities. Also (the first graph, there are two) note that there are ~24 cities which had GREATER increases in homicide rates than chicago in 2015: https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/national/2015-homicides/
The biggest spikes came in baltimore & pro gun st louis: There has been a spike in murder rates in a quarter of the largest cities in the U.S. with particular spikes in St. Louis and Baltimore. New York Times information on 2015 murder rates..

Wow. Look at all the pro gun cities in this one:
<img style="-webkit-user-select: none" src="">

2014 ..........pop ...... violcrrate.. murderrate
Chicago .......2,724,121.. 884.. 15.1 {murd rate also spiked 2016}
Houston ........2,219,933.. 991.. 10.9
Memphis........... 654,92.. 1,740.. 21.4
Kansas City.......468,417.. 1,251.. 16.7
St. Louis ....... 318,574.. 1,678.. 49.9 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_cities_by_crime_rate_(2014)

A blast from jimmy's past. Compare. Contrast. Discuss.:
..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 {~900?} ...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)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1172&pid=190723

or at least certain neighborhoods are.