Ernie -
Now Finland, the best I can find out is less than 0.1% black, so I would say that excluding blacks and Hispanics from our homicide rates would be a fairer comparison.
Finland has a terribly high homicide rate, because we have a very high level of gun ownership - I believe the 4th highest in the developed world.
We are no model for any country looking to lower the homicide rate.
The only difference is that most Finns are aware of this, and want to do better.
Once again the liar uses a number
I provided and STILL he gets it wrong. The fact is alcohol is a leading cause of murder (go figure, it's implicated in most murders here too) and knives are the most common instrument of homicide..except in the Netherlands where gun ownership is HEAVILY CURTAILED.
More guns in Finland, less guns in the Netherlands and in the Netherlands more guns are used to murder....
Yet another fake Finn fact busted...
Alcohol behind Finland's high homicide rate
October 19, 2012 - 06:10
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There are twice as many murders in Finland as in Sweden, and most of the Finnish perpetrators were drunk. But there are fewer victims of organised crime in Finland than in Sweden and the Netherlands.
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By: Isak Ladegaard
The victim usually knows the killer in homocides in Finland, Sweden and the Netherlands. (Photo: Colourbox)
Homicide statistics from Sweden, Finland and the Netherlands reveal significant differences in alcohol-related killings, weapon use and organised crime, and the overall prevalence of murder.
"Finland has more than twice as many murders than we have in Sweden," says Johanna Hagstedt, co-author of the study and researcher at The Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention. "In that regard they are more similar to Eastern European countries than the Western part of the continent."
"The perpetrators in Finland are typically adult men who are socially marginalised and who have developed an addiction to alcohol," she says.
A new cross-cultural study looked at the murder rates and characteristics of in the three countries, which share many similarities. The data was gathered in a statistical database and includes all cases of lethal violence during the years 2003-2006, not counting suicides, self-defense cases and lethal accidents.
Finland stands out
A total of 491 persons were killed in Finland during the four years, while it was 820 in the Netherlands and 355 in Sweden. Adjusted for differences in population size, Finland's murder rate was by far the highest – it was 85 percent higher than the Dutch rate and 140 percent higher than in Sweden, as measured by the amount of murders per 100,000 people.
Over 82 percent of the perpetrators in Finland were intoxicated by alcohol in the act of murder, and 39 percent were described as alcoholics. In Sweden, a little more than half of all murderers were intoxicated, and a similar proportion of them were considered alcoholics.
The differences between the two countries was especially large in cases where both the victim and perpetrator were drunk.
"In Sweden the drinking pattern has changed, people have replaced hard liquor with wine and beer, but Finland is lagging behind a bit in that regard," says Hagstedt.
Data on the prevalence of alcohol consumption and homicide in the Netherlands was not available.
More guns in the North, but more gunshot deaths in the Netherlands
Gun ownership is restricted in all three countries and people with criminal records are barred from obtaining firearm licenses. But guns are not uncommon in Finland and Sweden, where hunting is popular, while the Netherlands has the least number of registered guns. But the latter country is also, ironically, where the most people get shot.
In Sweden and Finland, 45 and 42 percent of all murders were committed with knives and other sharp instruments, while only 17 and 16 percent were committed with firearms. In the Netherlands, gunshots accounted for 35 percent of all killings.
Hagstedt adds that data on illegal guns was not available, and that the true picture of gun prevalence might be different.
Alcohol behind Finland's high homicide rate | ScienceNordic