Guns, Blacks, and Steel: Dr. Ben Carson on "Gun Free" Large Cities

Dr. Ben Carson, who happens to currently occupy Conservatism’s Inc. equivalent of Baskin’s Robins “Flavor of the Month” as the ‘black guy/girl we’ll promote because they are black’, has just stepped into Paul Kersey territory.

Dr. Ben Carson doesn't want people in 'large cities' to have semi-automatic weapons... is that because black people in these large cities use them to make these large cities unsafe?

The gatekeepers of Conservatism Inc. slavishly salivating at the mouth for all things Dr. Carson was correctly attacked by James Kirkpatrick; but the ‘black guy/girl we’ll promote because they are black’ Carson can’t be blamed for the conditioned response by white conservatives in embracing a man who has muttered but a few platitudes sounding somewhat ‘conservative’.

Media Matters correctly identified Dr. Carson as “the latest in a long line of black conservatives -- from Clarence Thomas to Herman Cain -- relentlessly promoted and propped up by right-wing voices in the media,” once again illustrating the left knows far more about the so-called ‘right’ then conservatives do about themselves.

Now, Dr. Carson has told “Galt’s Big Gulp” himself, Glenn Beck, that people in “large cities” should own semi-automatic weapons [‘Conservative Hero’ Ben Carson To Beck: You Have No Right To Semi- Automatic Weapons In Large Cities, Mediate, 3-3-13]; and, of course, ‘large cities’ is merely a synonym for black people:

Appearing on Glenn Beck‘s radio show this past week, Dr. Benjamin Carson took a vastly different stance from most conservatives on the issue of gun control, claiming you shouldn’t be able to own semi-automatic weapons in large cities. 

Carson became a newfound conservative hero last month when he spoke at the National Prayer Breakfast and laid out a series of criticisms of ObamaCare, political correctness, and tax policy right in front of the president himself. Many called the speech “inappropriate” given the apolitical nature of the event, but many conservatives lauded Carson for his “bold” and “sensible” suggestions for policy reform. 

Asked by Beck for his thoughts on the Second Amendment, Carson gave the popular pro-gun argument: “There’s a reason for the Second Amendment; people do have the right to have weapons.” 

But when asked whether people should be allowed to own “semi-automatic weapons,” the doctor replied: “It depends on where you live.” 

“I think if you live in the midst of a lot of people, and I’m afraid that that semi-automatic weapon is going to fall into the hands of a crazy person, I would rather you not have it,” Carson elaborated. 

However, if you live “out in the country somewhere by yourself” and want to own a semi-automatic weapon, he added, “I’ve no problem with that.”

Milwaukee is 40 percent black and 37 percent white

Again, Dr. Carson, it’s always a ‘who’ not ‘what’... cities with high population density (minus a large black population) are quite safe; responsible citizens in these areas create communities free of crime, where commerce thrives, and the dedication of extra police and security resources are superfluous.

But add a large concentration of black people and the entire scenario changes: responsible, law abiding citizens vacating the city in search of safe communities; with commerce fleeing; and a need for police to dedicate entire units and programs (with the remaining businesses watching profit margin diminish with each security feature added to protect their investment) to try and deal with black crime… primarily black gun crime.

High-population density areas in America – be it New York City, Chicago, Washington D.C., Kansas City (Missouri), Memphis, Louisville, Baltimore, Indianapolis, Nashville, Milwaukee, Detroit, Birmingham, Philadelphia, etc., are only unsafe because of their black populations.

The fates of these cities will rise or fall with the overall percentage of its black population, which rests at the heart of Dr. Carson’s belief in semi-automatic being banned from ownership in ‘large cities’.

Louisville is 71 percent white and 22 percent black

Let’s just look a few cities to confirm this reality:

Kansas City, Missouri:

When it comes to murder rates, Kansas City is a tale of two cities.Almost half of the city is plagued by homicides year in and year out. 

South of the Missouri River — an area with 302,696 residents in the 2010 census — the city has recorded an average of 110 murders the last five years. That’s an annual rate close to 36 murders per 100,000 residents. 

South of the river, Kansas City matches the stereotypical views of many area residents: It’s a dangerous place to live, especially between Troost Avenue east to Interstate 435. 

But there’s another angle. 

The other half of Kansas City is relatively safe. 

North of the Missouri River — the fast-growing section that had 157,091 people in 2010 — the city has had a total of 15 homicides over the last five years, or an average of only three annually. That’s an annual rate of only 1.9 per 100,000 residents. 

This big section of Kansas City compares positively with the region’s largest suburbs when it comes to homicides. 

Demographics help explain some of the problems in Kansas City. The predominantly white section north of the river features newer home stock and far lower numbers of low-income residents than south of the river. 

Kansas City is 54 percent white, 29 percent black; remember -- black-on-black/black-on-white murder is the national trend

The much lower rates for murder and violent crime north of the river contribute to this part of Kansas City quickly gaining population. Indeed, it surged 32 percent from the 2000 to the 2010 censuses, while the city south of the river lost 6 percent of its residents.

Louisville, Kentucky:

Homicide In 2009, the homicide death rate in Louisville Metro was 11 deaths per 100,000 population. The homicide death rate for blacks was approximately seven times that of whites. The death rate for males was four times that for females. In 2009, the age-adjusted mortality rate from homicide in Louisville was 11 deaths per 100,000 population. This rate was more than double to the state (5) and nation (5.5) for the same year. It also exceeds the Healthy People 2010 goal of 3 deaths per 100,000 population. Age-adjusted death rates for blacks (37) remained higher than for whites (5) in Louisville Metro.

Indianapolis, Indiana:

Black males in Indiana die at a frighteningly high rate, as a study of The Star's Marion County homicide map will attest. 

Since 2011 there has been a murder on the first day of every new year, and a black male were recorded as the first victim each time. As of Feb. 7, 11 of the 13 recorded homicides for 2013 involved black males. Of the 110 Marion County homicides in 2011, 67, or 61 percent, of the victims were black males. Of the 112 homicide victims in 2012, 60, or nearly 54 percent, were black males. These hard statistics are related to an all-too-often undiscussed fact: The majority of those who committed these murders were other black people.

Nashville, TN:

From the gruesome beheading of a man by his brother to the caning death of a senior citizen at the hands of his nursing home neighbor, Nashville’s 60 homicides in 2012 took many forms. Overall, the final number of slayings reflected a slight uptick from last year’s total of 51 — the lowest figure since 1966. 

“In a civilized society, in a vibrant and growing city, 10 homicides would be too many. One homicide is very regrettable,” Metro Nashville Police Department spokesman Don Aaron said. “But I think the partnerships established not only by the police department, but through clergy and social groups. The outright distaste for violence in neighborhoods is actually having an impact, a positive impact on Nashville’s safety.” In 2012, the homicide rate for African-Americans — based on the overall population — was three times higher than the same calculation for white citizens. Aaron said the disproportionate number of African-Americans slain “continues to be a cause of concern” for the police department and community. There was one homicide victim for every 14,716 white citizens, while the number was one victim for every 4,614 African-Americans. 

“Mayor Dean is absolutely correct when he says that murder in the city is not evenly distributed,” Aaron said. “There are certain areas of the city that see more of this crime than others, and the total is not proportionate to the [racial breakdown of the] population.”

Memphis, TN:

By Monday afternoon, the last day of 2012, the number of homicide victims in Memphis for the year stood at 157. 

That's an increase of nearly 7 percent from 147 victims in 2011, according to the Memphis Police Department's preliminary statistics. 

Memphis Police Director Toney Armstrong pointed to easy access to guns, used in two-thirds or more of the murders nationwide, as a chief cause of the homicide trend. 

"You've got to look at the availability of firearms," Armstrong said. " Firearms seem to be the weapons of choice with most of these and the greatest majority of these, probably way up into 90 percent of these, are people that are familiar with each other. 

Three of every four murder victims, or nearly 75 percent, are black males, according to Memphis police data for 2012. Of the city's total homicides for the year, 115 were black males. 

Far fewer black women were homicide victims, with 19 in 2012, but they were the second largest category of crime victims in the city. Together, black males and females accounted for 85 percent of the city's homicides in 2012.

Milwaukee, Wisconsin:

1.The total number of 2011 homicides was 86, down 9% from 2010 (95 homicide victims).
2.The homicide rate was 14.5 per 100,000 residents and the nonfatal shooting rate was 79.5 per 100,000 residents.3.The homicide rate per Black residents is 27.9 per 100,000 compared to 9.7 per 100,000 Latino residents and 1.7 per 100,000 White residents.

For those keeping score at home:

Kansas City (Missouri) is 54 percent white, and 29 percent blackLouisville is 71 percent white, and 22 percent blackIndianapolis is 58 percent white, and 27 percent blackNashville is 56 percent white, and 28 percent blackMemphis is 27 percent white, and 63 percent blackMilwaukee is 37 percent white, and 40 percent black

What Disingenuous White Liberals (DWLs) refuse to learn is that white people chose to participate in residential segregation for two reasons: safety and the maintaining of high property value.

Steer clear of black neighbors, and both of these criteria for residential living will be met – property values will appreciate and safety won’t be an issue. 

Though Dr. Carson is nothing more than a puppet for the gatekeepers of Conservatism Inc. to satisfy their monthly urge for a new ‘black guy/girl we’ll promote because they are black’ (all because white people have ceded all moral authority in America to black people), he spoke a powerful truth about guns and ‘large cities’ when speaking to Glenn Beck.

Dr. Carson is correct: People in ‘large cities’ shouldn’t have access to guns. Dr. Carson is correct.

But then again, it’s all a matter of ‘which’ people (“who not what”).

And by which people, we mean black people.