"Mark & Juanita" wrote in message
As have home invasions, stabbings, assaults with or without deadly
weapon
(because those defending themselves are the ones who are prosecuted),
robberies, etc.

Prosecution of those protecting themselves is relatively small and you know
it. It only sounds bigger because everybody hears about it almost instantly.

Anyway, there's a lot more to consider when talking about such increases.
Population density has increased greatly, the lower income segment of the
population has increased as have many other things in this day and age.
There's never been a bigger divide between the rich and the poor and it's
increasing. You can't really compare statistics tit for tat with what was
going on forty years ago. It's a different time, a different age and much of
it is a different mindset. We hear about all sorts of things these days that
we'd never have heard thirty years ago.

As an example, look at what's coming out of Iran. Do you think we'd have
heard any of it if global communications were not as widespread as they are
today? Without the world watching, I'd wager that Iran's government would
have killed quite a few more protestors than it already has. It *is* a
different time and things change because of it.