Better or Worse?

If you are talking about within the United States, I think the whole culture has been desensitized to violence and accustomed to a perpetual war industry. I consider that crime worse than (but tangentally connected) to the gun violence on our streets.

 

It doesn't seem like it but the amount is actually going down. I think the amount of really bad ones is going up so I can gives the impression it is going up.

---------- Post added 28th Dec 2012 at 04:06 PM ----------

U.S. violent crime down for fifth straight year - CNN.com

 

Take into consideration, that's one crime out of goodness knows how many. Not saying that it's going up, but that's just the worst thing happening right now. Media covers what sells (based on the companies affiliations and beliefs.) There are countless other things going on (good and bad) that no one covers because they aren't considered sensational enough to warrant the time, money, and effort. Also keep in mind that this was something big enough to get national attention. A lot of things aren't, particularly heart-warming acts of kindness or bravery. The media loves to report the bad stuff, but rarely the good!

 

I'm not downplaying its significance, but it really is just an isolated incident, albeit shocking. Unfortunately there are many, many other violent crimes committed that aren't widely reported in the media as they occur in areas and circumstances that are sadly commonplace.

Crime in the United States - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This says that there were almost 15,000 murders committed in America in 2010, and whilst the USA's murder rate has halved in the last twenty years, it's still far higher than any other industrialised country.
The UK's violent crime rate has been declining over the last few decades as well, although the Lesser Depression since 2008 has meant that it's beginning to uptick slightly. (or at least, that's a likely explanation)

 

I'm coming onto the idea that all these recent shootings are a creation of politicians (allied with some of the media) with something to gain by disarming the populace.

Call me a tinfoil hat wearer, but it's just too convenient. High-profile massacres all involving a SPECIFIC gun setup (.223 caliber AR-15 with flash hider and 30rd. magazines) are decried as reasons to crack down on "assault weapons", despite the fact that the Sandy Hook shooter used pistols to do his murdering, and the firefighter-killing guy was a felon who wasn't allowed to have guns at all. On the other hand, incidents like the December 17th San Antonio shooting (where a lawful concealed permit holder used his gun to save dozens of lives) are barely mentioned on the national scale. I see it as a cover-up because it goes against the media's message that widespread gun bans are necessary.

On the whole, more legally owned guns = less crime, and the murderers are less likely to have defenseless targets. It's a big mess, but I think the right course of action will find popularity sooner or later.

 

Not to make it sound like conservatives don't have their media, because they do. Fox News is basically a laughingstock for how hard they spin stories to the right. But overall, it's becoming impossible to ignore.