Trend analysis of the murder rate in the U.S. over the last 110 years. - Stephen Mack #TeamMomo from iPhone

One is too many. - Louis Gray

Agreed. But we should be able to feel safer today than we did 10 or 20 or 30 years ago. Instead, I think most people feel less safe. - Stephen Mack #TeamMomo from iPhone

I think that's because there's a lot more to feeling safe than just not having to worry about getting murdered. - Victor Ganata

According to the stats presented here, people feel more safe now than they used to feel and own fewer guns: http://themonkeycage.org/blog... I think those stats have matched the decline in the homicide rate, - John (bird whisperer)

Wow, John, thanks. That's a great article. It makes some of the exact same points I was intending to make but does so much more comprehensively and goes much further. - Stephen Mack #TeamMomo

The lower crime rate is one of the recurring talking points at Free Range Kids. http://freerangekids.wordpress.com/faq... - Betsy #TeamMonique

Betsy, thank you, that's a great FAQ. - Stephen Mack #TeamMomo

The media and internet mean we hear more about crimes around the world and faster so some people might feel less safe, especially for a time period right after a tragedy like the Aurora one. I'm glad you are also pushing out the facts so people that might be worried can also see the weigh stats against perception. - Rachel Lea Fox

If you ever watch the local news, it's easy to understand why the level of fear is disproportionate to the level of violence. Murder and mayhem always lead. - Kevin (aka ThreadKilla)