Justifiable Homicides Up

[TxD]

Interesting info here: http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/200 ... able_N.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

FBI: Justifiable homicides at highest in more than a decade

Northeastern University criminal justice professor James Alan Fox describes an emerging "shoot-first" mentality by police and private citizens.

By Kevin Johnson, USA TODAY
The number of justifiable homicides committed by police and private citizens has been rising in the past two years to their highest levels in more than a decade, reflecting a shoot-first philosophy in dealing with crime, say law enforcement analysts.
The 391 killings by police that were ruled justifiable in 2007 were the most since 1994, FBI statistics show. The 254 killings by private individuals found to be self-defense were the most since 1997.

The FBI says a homicide committed by a private citizen is justified when a person is slain during the commission of a felony, such as a burglary or robbery. Police are justified, the FBI says, when felons are killed while the officer is acting in the line of duty. Rulings on these deaths are usually made by the local police agencies involved.

Some law enforcement analysts say the numbers represent changing attitudes on the streets, where police have felt more threatened by well-armed offenders, and citizens have taken greater responsibility for their own safety.

Northeastern University criminal justice professor James Alan Fox describes an emerging "shoot-first" mentality by police and private citizens. For several years, police departments have armed their officers with higher-powered weapons to keep pace with criminal gangs. "Clearly there is a message out there that citizens may be able to defend themselves" as well, he says.

Alfred Blumstein, a Carnegie Mellon University criminologist, says the gun "legalization movement" also may have helped create a "greater willingness" among citizens to act in self-defense.

Forty-eight states provide various rights to carry firearms. Illinois and Wisconsin do not, according to the National Rifle Association. In a landmark decision, the Supreme Court in June carved out a right to individual gun ownership, ruling that the Second Amendment allows citizens to keep guns in their homes for self-defense.

The NRA and other analysts say most laws allowing gun possession have existed for years and would not likely account for a recent spike in self-defense killings.

Instead, Wayne LaPierre, the NRA's executive vice president and chief executive officer, says the Sept. 11 attacks and the widespread looting and violence after Hurricane Katrina spurred some people to take more responsibility for their own safety.

Immediately after those events, LaPierre says the group's gun-safety trainers reported "big increases" in NRA-sponsored courses. "Americans are simply refusing to be victims," he says.

Florida State University criminologist Gary Kleck says the FBI underestimates self-defense killings by citizens because the ones that are not precipitated by felony crimes may not get counted. "Less than a third of (citizen killings) are reported," he says.

[HighVelocity]

Some law enforcement analysts say the numbers represent changing attitudes on the streets, where police have felt more threatened by well-armed offenders, and citizens have taken greater responsibility for their own safety.

[bryang]

LaPierre says the group's gun-safety trainers reported "big increases" in NRA-sponsored courses. "Americans are simply refusing to be victims," he says.

Amen to that... I will NOT be a victim!

-geo

[shootthesheet]

"In a landmark decision, the Supreme Court in June carved out a right to individual gun ownership, ruling that the Second Amendment allows citizens to keep guns in their homes for self-defense."


The Supreme Court decision did no such thing. It only recognized the long existing right to Keep and Bear Arms. Nothing was created but only restated.

Not a bad read though.

[casingpoint]

The FBI says a homicide committed by a private citizen is justified when a person is slain during the commission of a felony, such as a burglary or robbery

Really? If so, it certainly answers something I asked on this forum some months back, when one is justified to shoot during a robbery. Apparently anytime.

[KBCraig]

This report doesn't cite any significant statistics. It notes that justifiable homicides are up, but doesn't address the crimes which create the justification. The conclusion that there is a "shoot first mentality" is editorializing without foundation.

[John]

This report doesn't cite any significant statistics. It notes that justifiable homicides are up, but doesn't address the crimes which create the justification. The conclusion that there is a "shoot first mentality" is editorializing without foundation.

It is not a very well written article. gun "legalization movement"

[CompVest]

I think that it is not a "shoot first" issue but a refuse to be a victim issue. It would be more telling if a study was done of these "justified homicides" showing what would have happened to the shooter if they had not shoot the BG.

[DMG]

It sure is a giant leap for them to say that there is a "shoot first attitude" when the police shootings were justifiable and the private citizen shootings were in self defense. DMG.

[Paladin]

The 254 killings by private individuals found to be self-defense were the most since 1997.

I have to wonder what percentage of those were in Texas...

It's funny how the article talks about private individuals "shooting first" when you so often read about self defense stories where the BG is armed...

Are law abiding citizens supposed to let themselves be shot before they return fire?

[anygunanywhere]

The 254 killings by private individuals found to be self-defense were the most since 1997.

I have to wonder what percentage of those were in Texas...

It's funny how the article talks about private individuals "shooting first" when you so often read about self defense stories where the BG is armed...

Are law abiding citizens supposed to let themselves be shot before they return fire?

Of course. Good guys never shoot first!

ANygunanywhere

[bdickens]

Yeah. You're supposed to curl up in the corner and wet yourself in a non-threatening manner before you die.

[anygunanywhere]

Yeah. You're supposed to curl up in the corner and wet yourself in a non-threatening manner before you die.

That depends. I would much rather die than wet myself.

Anygunanywhere

[Paladin]

This has some charts on justifiable homicides for the past several years. It appears that the primary reason that police and regular citizens use deadly force is because they were attacked. The second most common reason for using deadly force was "disrupting a crime"

http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/homicide/j ... tm#justify

[stroo]

One of the interesting things I see is that there are numerous studies that show defensive uses of guns 500,000 to 2 million times a year. Yet these stats only show 200-500 justifiable homocides by citizens a year. Even if you triple that number as Gary Kleck suggests, you still have a huge number of defensive uses of guns each year that do not result in the death of the BG. Doing the math, at worst, less than .3% of defensive uses of guns actually results in a justifiable homocide.