1. The dark side of America?
Guns and Crime
The dark side of America?

2. Is America dangerous? I was born and raised in Los Angeles and
History of America
(from “Bowling for Columbine” 2002, Michael Moore)
I was born and raised in Los Angeles and
NEVER saw or HEARD of a gun (except in one case—a suicide),
NEVER saw or heard of a robbery,
and only knew one girl who had been raped.
BUT I have been robbed in Japan!
=Japan is more dangerous than America??!

3. Three Famous School Massacres
Columbine　1999　
 Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold
Virginia Tech　2007
Seung Hui Cho
Ikeda Elementary School 2001
Mamoru Takuma

4. Why are there guns in the US?
Many people use guns for hunting.
The second amendment to the Constitution (in the Bill of Rights)
“The Right to Bear Arms”
3. The NRA (National Rifle Association)

5. How many guns? probably about 1 gun per person in the country. But…
over 200 million privately-owned guns
More owned by military, police and museums,
probably about 1 gun per person in the country.
But…
WHY????

6. How many guns do you own?

7. Guns and Race

8. Gun Control Laws: Yoshihiro Hattori and the Brady Bill
background checks
5-day waiting period (still true in some states)

9. How much crime? Crime rates depend on where you are
Violent crime by city (per 100,000 people)
Burbank Los Angeles
National average of violent crime:
763 (1991)
506 (2001)
454.5(2008)　per 100,000 people

10. Crime rates are going down！

11. SO… IS America dangerous?
It depends on where you are
Bigger cities have higher crime rates
Poorer areas in bigger cities have higher crime rates
The moral: “Look where you leap”

12. A final story:
My student went to Disneyland. He came back and complained that his wallet was stolen. He was carrying $200 in cash.
In a few hours, I got a call from Disneyland. They said they had found a wallet with his name on one of their rides.
It had his identification, credit cards, and yes—
all $200 in cash.