I guess I didn't make this point explicit but what I was getting at is that it's absurd to filter out a group of Americans and deem them "culturally similar" to

I guess I didn't make this point explicit but what I was getting at is that it's absurd to filter out a group of Americans and deem them "culturally similar" to another country and then start drawing sweeping conclusions from that. When you're cherry picking data you can reach any conclusion you want. I'm also skeptical of arguments that some "cultures" within the US are more prone to violent crime. It's so hard to come up with firm numbers on something like that because culture is arbitrary and fluid. Socioeconomic status seems like a better predictor of criminality, it's quantitative and universal. Also, Americas gun problem goes beyond "violent crime". http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/09/upshot/gun-deaths-are-mostly-suicides.html http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/09/upshot/gun-deaths-are-most... http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/06/us/guns-children-deaths.html http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/06/us/guns-children-deaths.ht...