Murder Rates

The vast majority of Americans do not commit the crime of murder simply because they are afraid of prison, hell, or both. Of those capable of murder, many commit the crime because it suits their needs and they think they are clever enough to get away with it. Other people become murderers because they are either insane, stupid, or incapable of controlling their impulses. The later two groups of killers are not deterred by prison or the death penalty. A nation's murder rate is largely determined by the mentality, morality, and character of its citizens. It is less about poverty, capitalism, the criminal justice system, or guns. There are poor countries with low murder rates, capitalistic nations where murder is rare, and low murder rates in societies where every citizen owns a gun. And finally, law enforcement and murder have lives of their own. Good law enforcement does little to prevent murder, and bad policing plays a small role in facilitating it. America's relatively high murder rate comes from the nature of its people.