5 ms·

Here in Chile (southamerica) they will block the road, put a gun on your forehead and shoot if you dont get out.

galangalalgol 5y ago
Does stealing a car without threatening violence have a lower penalty if you get caught? Ive always wondered why you get pickpockets in Europe and muggings in the US
- danielheath 5y ago
  I suspect severity of sentences has less impact than availability of handguns; much harder to get them in Europe.
  - galangalalgol 5y ago
    Who said anything about guns? Knives or pipes are plenty common, and in some cities its simple overwhelming numerical superiority. One friend told me of being mugged by ten or so adolescents who were not fully grown or armed. But apparently quantity has a quality all its own. Another friend was in Madrid when pickpocketed, and ran down the thief and used force to retrieve it. He was later told by locals that if he had been seen by law enforcement his penalty would have been much more severe than the thief's. That is all amecdata, but something cultural or something in policy seems a more likely culprit. Some south american cities have pretty tight gun laws too don't they?
    - cafard 5y ago
      Some South American areas have an awful lot of guns. An ESL student from Colombia told me that he feels a lot safer in the US.
- kingcharles 5y ago
  In the USA, the answer is generally, yes. Using a gun to commit a crime can add 5, 10, 20 years to the crime. For instance, murder in Illinois is a 20-year minimum sentence, but 45 year minimum if committed with a gun.
  - jdkee 5y ago
    That is assuming murders get caught, convicted and sentenced. "Among the nation's largest cities, Chicago stands out for both its high murder rate and for the number of its murders that go unsolved. In recent years the police have been solving about 4 of every 10 murders in the city, but police data show the rate is even worse when the victim is African American." See https://www.npr.org/local/309/2019/10/09/768552458/chicago-s-dismal-murder-solve-rate-even-worse-when-victims-are-black https://www.npr.org/local/309/2019/10/09/768552458/chicago-s...

Does stealing a car without threatening violence have a lower penalty if you get caught? Ive always wondered why you get pickpockets in Europe and muggings in the US

danielheath 5y ago
I suspect severity of sentences has less impact than availability of handguns; much harder to get them in Europe.
- galangalalgol 5y ago
  Who said anything about guns? Knives or pipes are plenty common, and in some cities its simple overwhelming numerical superiority. One friend told me of being mugged by ten or so adolescents who were not fully grown or armed. But apparently quantity has a quality all its own. Another friend was in Madrid when pickpocketed, and ran down the thief and used force to retrieve it. He was later told by locals that if he had been seen by law enforcement his penalty would have been much more severe than the thief's. That is all amecdata, but something cultural or something in policy seems a more likely culprit. Some south american cities have pretty tight gun laws too don't they?
  - cafard 5y ago
    Some South American areas have an awful lot of guns. An ESL student from Colombia told me that he feels a lot safer in the US.
kingcharles 5y ago
In the USA, the answer is generally, yes. Using a gun to commit a crime can add 5, 10, 20 years to the crime. For instance, murder in Illinois is a 20-year minimum sentence, but 45 year minimum if committed with a gun.
- jdkee 5y ago
  That is assuming murders get caught, convicted and sentenced. "Among the nation's largest cities, Chicago stands out for both its high murder rate and for the number of its murders that go unsolved. In recent years the police have been solving about 4 of every 10 murders in the city, but police data show the rate is even worse when the victim is African American." See https://www.npr.org/local/309/2019/10/09/768552458/chicago-s-dismal-murder-solve-rate-even-worse-when-victims-are-black https://www.npr.org/local/309/2019/10/09/768552458/chicago-s...