READ FULL STORY HEREPhiladelphia ranks seventh amongst U.S. cities in violent crimes and eleventh in murder rate. Many residents point to an excess of firearms as playing a major role in the criminal activity and general dangers of living within the borders of the nation’s sixth largest city. Yet when it comes to gun control the latest sentiments from adults across America are that city governments do not have the right to ban handguns.
69% of American adults say cities do not have the right to prohibit their citizens from owning handguns. Just 25% believe city governments do have that right.
This recent survey compliments of Rasmussen Reports has been conducted during the midst of a Supreme Court case and decision as to whether the city of Chicago has the right to ban handguns. The Windy City’s murder rate ranks fifteenth in the country but the chances that the law will be upheld by the nation’s highest court might be slim. In June of 2008 the Supreme Court overturned a similar law in Washington D.C. that banned handguns. The ruling came in spite of the city’s long standing notoriety as one as the most violent in the country. In 2008 Washington ranked fifth in murder and sixth in robbery rate.
Americans are united behind their support for the rights guaranteed by the constitution in the second amendment across virtually all demographic lines. Seven in ten believe the constitution grants the average American citizen the right to own a gun. Just 14% do not believe in the constitutionality of that right with another 16% remaining uncertain. Clear majorities of U.S. citizens in groupings divided by age, gender, race and political affiliation support the basic freedom to own firearms.
One area where Americans are divided is on the topic of stricter gun laws. 49% believe current laws are about right but a sizable number of citizens (42%) say tougher anti-gun laws are needed to combat crime. Women and younger adults are more likely to support stricter gun laws then men and those over the age of thirty. By political party 65% of Democrats favor a stronger clamp down. Correspondingly 65% of Republicans disagree with a majority of unaffiliated voters (52%) also taking a more hands-off approach to the issue.
Americans are also closely divided in terms of gun ownership. 44% claim either they or someone in their home owns a gun against 48% say there are no guns where they live. With gun sales on the rise in recent years 57% of adults claim a fear of increased government restriction, perhaps coinciding with Democratic President Barack Obama entering office, as the primary reason for the increase. 23% meanwhile claim it was in response to the fear of increasing crime rates.
Those crime rates continue to grip many of the nation’s largest cities. Below are the ten highest ranked American cities with at least 250,000 residents in four different crime categories;
Total Violent Crime: 1) St. Louis, 2) Oakland, 3) Memphis, 4) Detroit, 5) Baltimore, 6) Stockton, 7) Philadelphia, 8) Cleveland, 9) Nashville, 10) Atlanta
Murder-Rate: 1) New Orleans, 2) St. Louis, 3) Baltimore, 4) Detroit, 5) Washington, DC, 6) Oakland, 7) Kansas City, 8) Newark, 9) Cleveland, 10) Pittsburgh, *11) Philadelphia
Robbery-Rate: 1) Cleveland, 2) Oakland, 3) St. Louis, 4) Cincinnati, 5) Memphis, 6) Washington, DC, 7) Detroit, 8) Philadelphia, 9) Baltimore, 10) Atlanta
Forcible Rape: 1) Cleveland, 2) Minneapolis, 3) Anchorage, 4) Colorado Springs, 5) Oakland, 6) Columbus, 7) Cincinnati, 8) Wichita, 9) Philadelphia, 10) Albuquerque
Camden, New Jersey and Wilmington, Delaware rank first and second in total violent crime for cities with populations between 60,000 and 100,000. They also rank first and second in the number of robberies, first and fourth in murders and Camden ranks tenth in rapes. The city of Chester meanwhile fell under 40,000 in population over a decade ago. If it did still exceed that total and could qualify among cities in the 40,000 to 60,000 population category however Chester would rank first in murder-rate, second in violent crimes and fourth in robberies.
Total Violent Crime: 1) St. Louis, 2) Oakland, 3) Memphis, 4) Detroit, 5) Baltimore, 6) Stockton, 7) Philadelphia, 8) Cleveland, 9) Nashville, 10) Atlanta
Murder-Rate: 1) New Orleans, 2) St. Louis, 3) Baltimore, 4) Detroit, 5) Washington, DC, 6) Oakland, 7) Kansas City, 8) Newark, 9) Cleveland, 10) Pittsburgh, *11) Philadelphia
Robbery-Rate: 1) Cleveland, 2) Oakland, 3) St. Louis, 4) Cincinnati, 5) Memphis, 6) Washington, DC, 7) Detroit, 8) Philadelphia, 9) Baltimore, 10) Atlanta
Forcible Rape: 1) Cleveland, 2) Minneapolis, 3) Anchorage, 4) Colorado Springs, 5) Oakland, 6) Columbus, 7) Cincinnati, 8) Wichita, 9) Philadelphia, 10) Albuquerque
Camden, New Jersey and Wilmington, Delaware rank first and second in total violent crime for cities with populations between 60,000 and 100,000. They also rank first and second in the number of robberies, first and fourth in murders and Camden ranks tenth in rapes. The city of Chester meanwhile fell under 40,000 in population over a decade ago. If it did still exceed that total and could qualify among cities in the 40,000 to 60,000 population category however Chester would rank first in murder-rate, second in violent crimes and fourth in robberies.
PHOTO CREDIT: ASSOCIATED PRESS / Haraz N. Ghanbari
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