They had more in common than unleashing carnage — nearly every gunman in this monthlong series of mass killings was legally entitled to fire his weapons.

So what does that say about the state of gun control laws in this country? One thing appears certain: the regulations aren’t getting stricter. Many recent efforts to change weapons laws have been about easing them.

So begins an AP article by Deborah Hastings written in the aftermath of a seven shootings in the last month.  It seems very clear that the gun control movement is on the ropes, and public opinion bears that out.

In Gallup polling conducted prior to last week’s gun massacre at an immigrant center in Binghamton, N.Y., only 29% of Americans said the possession of handguns by private citizens should be banned in the United States. While similar to the 30% recorded in 2007, the latest reading is the smallest percentage favoring a handgun ban since Gallup first polled on this nearly 50 years ago.

In Texas, students may be able to carry guns to class if legislators pass proposed bills to allow licensed concealed weapons on college campuses.

In Tennessee,  the House passed a bill allowing handgun carry permit owners to bring their weapons into restaurants that serve alcohol.

Has the NRA won the battle over gun control?  Will these recent shootings make people look again at more stringent laws on gun ownership?

Paul crime, death, politics crime, guns, media, politics

A common assumption about crime is that it is caused by poverty. This is based on a compelling argument that if people can’t afford a certain level of living, they are tempted to turn to crime to obtain it. However, a relatively high level of white-collar crime as well as low levels of crime in some disadvantaged groups throughout history has shed some doubt over this question.

Our data show that there are generational differences as well. Of all age groups, First Globals™ are most likely to agree that poverty causes crime — 79.1 % of First Globals™ strongly or somewhat agree that poverty causes crime, the highest percentage of any age group. Those over 65 were the least likely of all age groups to believe that poverty causes crime, but still a majority think poverty causes crime, with 64.7% of this age group agreeing.

The relationship between poverty and crime is constantly debated and is unlikely to be definitively settled any time soon. What do you think are the main causes of crime? And why do you think First Globals™ are more likely to agree that poverty causes crime?

Zeljka crime, economics, first globals crime, first globals, history