PA Bill Number: HB809
Title: Further providing for definitions and for prohibited acts and penalties; and providing for syringe service programs authorized.
Description: Further providing for definitions and for prohibited acts and penalties; and providing for syringe service programs authorized. ...
Last Action: Referred to JUDICIARY
Last Action Date: Mar 5, 2025
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.
