homicides fail to decrease, news at 11

[chelidon]

The state of New Hampshire just announced for 2008, the exact same total reported number of homicides statewide in 2008 as in 2007, at 19. And yes, that's for the whole state, for the entire year.

The NH murder rate per 100,000 people was the lowest in the nation at 1.1/100,000 (.0011%). New Hampshire also had the second-lowest rate of overall violent crime in the nation. The only other U.S. states besides NH with murder rates below 2 per 100,000 (.002%) in 2007 were Hawaii, Iowa, Maine, Montana, North Dakota, Rhode Island, and Vermont. I don't know what to make of that, but there it is. Except for Hawaii (which has its own unique culture, as I can safely say, having grown up there), they're all cold states, and almost half are the far northeast states There well may be many other correlations (average income, average education level, population density, etc), but, you know, if I have to trade cold winters for a minimal homicide rate, I'll take it.

From the list of 2008 homicides, the weapons of choice were:

1. Guitar, boot
2. Firearm
3. Sword
4. Knife (or other stabbing weapon)
5. Motor vehicle
6. Weapon not specified (blunt object)
7. Firearm
8. Weapon not specified (still under investigation)
9. Firearm (justifiable homicide, self-defense)
10. Pool table
11. Weapon not specified (information not released)
12. Weapon not specified (traumatic injury)
13. Knife (or other stabbing weapon)
14. Knife (or other stabbing weapon)
15. Weapon not specified (blunt object)
16. Baseball bat
17. Baseball bat
18. Knife (or other stabbing weapon)
19. Axe

Clearly, guitars, pool tables and baseball bats really need to be better regulated in NH.

Comments

[ravenedgewalker.livejournal.com]

maybe we're just more reluctant to defile cricket bats....

and yes, my mother always told me to watch out for those guitarists....