proposed laws

PA Bill Number: HB917

Title: Adopting the Uniform Family Law Arbitration Act.

Description: Adopting the Uniform Family Law Arbitration Act. ...

Last Action: Presented to the Governor

Last Action Date: Apr 29, 2024

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CPRC: Heather MacDonald's false claim about "Gun violence in particular is spiraling upward in cities across America" :: 05/31/2015

Heather MacDonald’s piece in this weekend’s WSJ tries to scare American’s nationwide with the claim: “Gun violence in particular is spiraling upward in cities across America.” Her piece starts this way:

The nation’s two-decades-long crime decline may be over. Gun violence in particular is spiraling upward in cities across America. In Baltimore, the most pressing question every morning is how many people were shot the previous night. Gun violence is up more than 60% compared with this time last year, according to Baltimore police, with 32 shootings over Memorial Day weekend. May has been the most violent month the city has seen in 15 years.

In Milwaukee, homicides were up 180% by May 17 over the same period the previous year. Through April, shootings in St. Louis were up 39%, robberies 43%, and homicides 25%. “Crime is the worst I’ve ever seen it,” said St. Louis Alderman Joe Vacarro at a May 7 City Hall hearing.

Murders in Atlanta were up 32% as of mid-May. Shootings in Chicago had increased 24% and homicides 17%. Shootings and other violent felonies in Los Angeles had spiked by 25%; in New York, murder was up nearly 13%, and gun violence 7%. . . .

.                                                             Population                Murder
.                                                             2014 .                      2015   2014      Comparison from

. . . . . . .                                                                                                             January 1 to
1        New York City New York         8,491,079                 115         102            May 17th
2       Los Angeles California              3,928,864               190        238            May 29th
3       Chicago Illinois                          2,722,389               159         145           May 29th
4       Houston Texas                           2,239,558               23           12            March 31st
5       Philadelphia Pennsylvania       1,560,297                 96           92             May 30th
6       Phoenix Arizona                        1,537,058                48           48             May 10th
7       San Antonio Texas                    1,436,697                24            32             May 10th
8      San Diego California                 1,381,069                20            21             April 30th
9      Dallas Texas                              1,281,047                30           30             May 10th
10    San Jose California                   1,015,785                 7              17              May 29th
11     Austin Texas                              912,791                     6              5               May 10th
12    Jacksonville Florida                   853,382                    20           29              March 31st
13    San Francisco California           852,469                    21            9                May 29th
14    Indianapolis Indiana                 848,788                    43           60              May 25th
15    Columbus Ohio                           835,957                    26            31             May 10th

Other data is available here.

The bottom line is that across the largest 15 cities in the US the murder rate has fallen by 43 from 871 to 828, a 5% drop.  Data for Baltimore is available here and for DC here.

http://crimepreventionresearchcenter.org/2015/05/heather-macdonalds-false-claim-about-gun-violence-in-particular-is-spiraling-upward-in-cities-across-america/