Shoot Yer Gun

I was feeling a little confused about guns today.

I live in Oklahoma, where everybody loves guns.
Personally, I know that guns are tools to hurt or kill animals and people, while shields and force fields are things which protect you.
I understand a difference between killing somebody and protecting myself.
A Kevlar vest protects.
A gun kills.
Therefore, I see little need for guns, as I believe that I'm happier for not having killed another person.
But people in my state love guns.

I remember when I lived in Hell's Kitchen in New York City.
Nobody there wanted guns around.
Very few guns in Hell's Kitchen.
From my window, I watched a man give anal sex to another man for drugs, and then the first man was knifed in his chest and left for dead in a parking lot.
On my way home to my apartment, I saw a group of police surrounding a man who was brandishing a knife against them, as the Knife Man's eye was dangling out of its socket.
But nobody was talking about having a gun around for self defense.
Nobody.
I remember when I lived in the Cass Corridor, in the heart of Detroit's downtown.
Nobody there wanted guns around.
Even the gang members.
There were lots of guns in Detroit.
But nobody was advocating they stay around.
Some nights I would hear gunshots on the streets.
Some nights, it sounded like a war zone.
I woke up one morning to find a street sign by my house had been riddled with bullets during the night.
But nobody was advocating having a gun for home or self defense.

Then Oklahoma happens.
The most dangerous thing that I've been involved with in Oklahoma was when a gaggle of police officers surrounded me and my 16-year-old when we were scouting for locations to shoot one of his school movies. The 5 police cars showed up because, as they said, they were bored and had nothing to do. Oh, and incidentally, the place where we were was noted to be occupied by homeless people. But, really, they had nothing to do. They were bored. Those were the words they told me. They. Were. Bored.

And Oklahoma is where people want guns to protect themselves.... From The Boredom.

So I was confused.
I lived in places where I saw violence and crime happening, but nobody wanted guns.
Then I lived in a place where the cops were bored, and everybody wants guns.

So I did some research.
Seems that in 2010, the 15th best state to live in was New York. Meaning that 35 other states were worse to live in. One of those states was Oklahoma, which was considered the 13th most dangerous state. Meaning that 37 more states were safer to live in than Oklahoma. In this same list, it's noted that Michigan saw one of the biggest improvements in the crime rate in 2010.

I wonder if Oklahoma would be less dangerous if they, too, decided they didn't want to kill everyone?

http://www.dailyfinance.com/2010/04/07/the-15-safest-state-to-live-in-based-on-2010-crime-rankings/
http://www.dailyfinance.com/2010/04/05/most-dangerous-states-crime-rankings-for-2010/