A lot of people like to act as if America is a very violent country. It's not.

Things are very loud in the public discourse right now, and so the thing to realize is that we have gotten so much more civil and peaceful over the past 2 centuries. America has made tremendous progress in reducing violence and crime. <br><br>Here's something I found on Google that shows just how much of a reduction in crime we've gotten: <br><br>"In 1700, about 71.2 people per 100,000 were murdered. In 1800, the rate was 71.5. In 1900 it was 66.1. In 1920 it was 76.3. In 1940 it was 69.8. In 1960 it was 84.5. In 1980 it was 108.6. In 2000 it was 58.1. In 2010 it was 48.8."<br><br>So despite what you hear in the media, America is actually getting safer and less violent. <br><br>Of course, we'll never see a world without crime or violence, but it's not something we should be letting fear of take control of our minds.