(Photo: Kerem Yucel/AFP/Getty Images)
Understanding the cause of last year’s surge in violence is particularly important for saving lives in the future. Alexander Phipps writes:
The spike in violent crime last year was a serious departure from recent crime patterns over the last several decades. In fact, 2020 was likely the deadliest year for gun-related homicides since 1999.
According to the Gun Violence Archive, more than 19,000 people died of gun violence in 2020. This spike was particularly acute in major cities across the country.
For example, Minneapolis saw a 95% year-over-year increase in homicides between May and Aug. 1. In Chicago, homicides more than doubled in July 2020, compared to 2019. And New York experienced a 50% increase in homicides and a 112% increase in shootings. Sadly, that is only the tip of the iceberg of cities that experienced this surge.
[Alexander Phipps, "The ‘Minneapolis Effect’ Caused Last Year’s Spike in Violent Crime,” The Daily Signal, July 8]
