Skeptics Stack Exchange
Skeptics Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [violence]

behavior involving physical force intended to hurt, damage, or kill someone or something.

53 questions
144
votes
2 answers

Are violent video games a better explanation of school shootings than access to guns?

This site already has a question on the general relationship of video games and violence. But the recent Florida school shooting has raised a more specific set of claims that deserve to be addressed. According to this Rolling stone report, the…
matt_black
  • 56,186
  • 16
  • 175
  • 373
140
votes
4 answers

Is the USA murder rate at a high? Specifically is it at a 45 year high?

Current US President Donald Trump is on record as repeatedly saying that "The murder rate is the highest it's been in I guess 45-47 years." Is that true?
ReasonablySkeptical
  • 4,350
  • 3
  • 15
  • 18
118
votes
1 answer

Have more Americans been killed in schools than in military service this year?

I've just come across a tweet by @spectatorindex that reads: In 2018, more Americans have died in schools, with twenty-nine people killed, than in military service, where thirteen troops have been killed. Are those figures true?
mgarciaisaia
  • 1,171
  • 2
  • 8
  • 11
103
votes
6 answers

Does America not lead the world in mass shootings?

According to an OpEd in the NY Post by John Lott and Michael Weisser that cites a report by the Crime Prevention Research Center, America doesn't lead the world in mass shootings. "Of the 86 countries where we have identified mass public…
James G.
  • 1,942
  • 2
  • 13
  • 23
89
votes
5 answers

Was there violence on both sides in Charlottesville?

Was violence perpetrated by factions on both the left and the right side of the political spectrum during this rally? A specific quote by US president Donald Trump is: TRUMP: The driver of the car is a disgrace to himself, his family and this…
kingfrito_5005
  • 977
  • 1
  • 6
  • 10
80
votes
6 answers

Do violent video games cause violent behavior?

I have been following this question casually over the past couple of years, and it seemed to me that there was no strong consensus either way on the subject. However, I recently read an editorial from one of the scientists involved in the Supreme…
anthony137
  • 2,393
  • 20
  • 19
75
votes
3 answers

Is America “the only nation where this [a mass shooting] regularly happens”?

The Onion, a satirical newspaper, re-uses a headline each time a mass shooting occurs in the US: “No Way To Prevent This,” Says Only Nation Where This Regularly Happens Most recently for the shooting in Uvalde, TX. This tradition has its own…
KRyan
  • 1,530
  • 2
  • 12
  • 20
52
votes
2 answers

Is there currently riots/looting *ONLY* in Democrat cities in the USA?

trumptweet : So pathetic to watch the Fake News Lamestream Media playing down the gravity and depravity of the Radical Left, looters and thugs, ripping up our Liberal Democrat run (only) cities. It is almost like they are all working together? Not…
Mawg says reinstate Monica
  • 4,642
  • 4
  • 28
  • 41
49
votes
2 answers

In the US, are three women killed each day by their male partners?

In 2013, CNN made this claim: Each day - Three or more women are murdered by their boyfriends or husbands on average, according to the American Psychology Association. Indeed, the linked APA website makes the claim: On average, more than three…
Rebecca J. Stones
  • 7,948
  • 6
  • 37
  • 68
42
votes
3 answers

Do children who kill animals turn out to be violent?

It is widely claimed that children who injure or kill animals as children are more likely to exhibit violent behavior as adults, committing domestic violence or murder. A site dedicated to discussing "killer kids" describes "cruelty to animals &…
Patches
  • 8,162
  • 8
  • 44
  • 58
38
votes
7 answers

What is the value of armed bystanders in preventing gun deaths?

On Nov. 5, 2009, 12 soldiers and one civilian were killed, and more than two dozen others were wounded, when a gunman walked into the Soldier Readiness Processing Center at Fort Hood and opened fire. Using not an assault rifle but a 357 magnum,…
toro
  • 389
  • 3
  • 3
34
votes
1 answer

Was the wild west less violent than the current west?

Matt Ridley's The Evolution of Everything: How New Ideas Emerge has a chapter on the evolution of government, in which he starts by making the startling statement: The truth is that the [American] Wild West was without much government, but it was…
matt_black
  • 56,186
  • 16
  • 175
  • 373
33
votes
2 answers

Did about 150 die from gun violence in the US during the 4th of July weekend 2021?

CNN reports At least 150 people were killed by gun violence in more than 400 shootings across the country during the Fourth of July weekend Ref: CNN.com In the article this data is based on data from 'Gun Violence Archive'.…
pinegulf
  • 6,374
  • 5
  • 32
  • 55
31
votes
2 answers

How often are guns used by private citizens in self defense per year in the United States?

According to Wikipedia the numbers reported range from 65 thousand to 2.5 million. I am very skeptical of the 2.5 million figure and in fact I am even skeptical of the 65 thousand figure. This Wikipedia page lists documented cases where guns were…
FrankH
  • 729
  • 6
  • 13
23
votes
1 answer

Were there more suicides than violent deaths worldwide in 2018?

According to this article at lidovky.cz, there were more suicides than violent deaths all over the world in 2018. Is that true? The important part of the original (Czech) article: 817 000 versus 544 000 Jedno číslo představuje roční počet…
vojta
  • 361
  • 1
  • 8
1
2 3 4