🤯 I got a good reminder of different lived experiences this weekend. I met someone that also lived many years in Houston TX, but has never heard gunshots at night. Not once.
This is amazing to me. I do believe that the person was 100% telling the truth. They had no reason to lie. But I was stunned. Still am.
Houston had 429 murders last year. The city is only ~3X the population of San Francisco, but ~10x more murder-y. And Houston is the road rage capital of the USA.
@mekkaokereke Texas stands out as unusually bad in gun violence stats, even among states with relatively loose levels of gun regulation and high rates of firearm ownership.
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@mekkaokereke@anildash I live in Houston and have never heard gun shots—except for that one time when I was awoken by a mass shooting a block away, ending in a suicide-by-cop situation. I went back to sleep thinking, nah, that can’t really be an extended gunfight, you’ve watched too many movies, it has to be construction.
@mekkaokereke@sidb@anildash
I live in the suburbs where about once a month, somebody posts about hearing gunshots on Nextdoor. Usually it's fireworks or car back firing. Sometimes people report it sounded exactly like gunfire, from their experience. They always recommend getting guns to protect their property. Fear + guns is not good combo. (See also depression)
@mekkaokereke having grown up in Miami in the 1970s/1980s, I can believe that pretty easy. I only ever remember hearing gunshots “in the wild” on new year’s and the 4th.
Also, if someone hasn’t heard enough actual gunshots, they might ascribe them to fireworks, etc.
@mekkaokereke This is a tragedy and there are likely many reasons for it.
One thing I heard recently on the Revisionist History podcast (they just had an excellent 6 part series on gun violence in the US) is that murder rates are significantly higher in urban areas that are farther from a trauma centre.
It makes sense that if you're closer to high quality medical care, you are less likely to die from gun violence.
@mekkaokereke I’m pretty sure this is related to sprawl. Sounds fall off rapidly with distance, so just a tiny bit more sprawl masks a lot of gunshot sounds.
I’m convinced that the density of San Francisco is a major factor in the sense of insecurity that permeates its population, despite crime statistics that are quite favorable.
@breadbin@mekkaokereke@goatsarah yeah going back to Mekka's post. What part of houston did that guy live? If he ain't ever heard any gunshots got to be in sum gated suburb!
Houston is big , sum safe parts and sum not. On da whole I say it dangerous. 2 my friends got shot dead. Different lived experience as mekka says. Especially if u white and rich!
@Jaden2@breadbin@goatsarah I thought so too,, but they lived downtown. I was shocked. I couldn't understand how that's possible.
My only explanation is that they may not register the sounds that they hear as gunshots. H/T @jonobie for pointing out that this could be what's going on.
My sister is visiting from Houston right now, and she heard gunshots downtown just a few days ago. 🤷🏿♂️
I’ll say this is a very white (DNA) person. The way to make this country safer for me, is to make it safer for black people and minorities. Or better yet, completely safe. Guns kill:(
Hiding away isn’t making it better. More hiders need to realize that.
@mekkaokereke@breadbin@goatsarah@jonobie I don go downtown that often I think that area is pretty safe but surprized anybody that has lived in Houston not seen any gunfire????
@Jaden2@mekkaokereke@breadbin@goatsarah@jonobie
I live in Madison, WI, toward the edge of the city, middle-class residential neighborhood, and I routinely hear gunfire, probably every couple of months. We have a lot of armed people in this country.
Maybe they go to bed early and sleep hard? I go to Houston a couple times a year for a weekend. I've heard gunfire at least half of those trips, but it's usually late.
@johntimaeus@mekkaokereke@breadbin@goatsarah@jonobie yeah getting shot is part of life in Houston! As a kid my Momma always warned us , don get into arguments yall get yall ass killed. Erry mf got a gun. It part of life. Tho not sure Houston any different to any other city in the US? This country is fked. We need gun control
@johntimaeus@mekkaokereke@breadbin@goatsarah@jonobie when I read posts from folk that don't live in the US it seems to be so different. Growing up in Houston, hood I live anyways yall sort of feel lucky that yall hadn't been shot! Ong it is that often! We get used to that way of life. As said before 2 of my friends were killed . But it was like accepted as normal! This shit is not normal 😒
I saw guns fired three times in 34 years before I moved to the states. On a range and such. I’ve fired a gun once, on a range. I don’t own one, and nobody in this house does.
It’s possible. So many people die for no reason at all:( Zero dead by gun violence should be the goal.
@mekkaokereke Maybe because Houston’s so much more spread out, you’re less likely to be in earshot of a gun incident even if the overall per capita rate is greater? Lower rate per square mile I guess? 🤔
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