Yes, let's exclude statistics in order to normalise them. Because if we cut out the bits of statistics that sway them, we can claim the distribution is the same as elsewhere!
By grouping statistics into these things we call "countries" we are also "excluding" certain statistics. For instance, why are we ignoring cartel murders just south of the US/Mexican border even though the US drug market is the driving factor?
The parent comment is providing a better, more specific grouping that helps shed light on where murders are actually happening in the US and points us towards where we need to focus our efforts if we want to actually change the murder rate in the US. Inner city interventions will result in the greatest improvements to the murder rate, whereas focusing efforts elsewhere has literally zero chance of bringing the murder rate into line with the rest of the G8 because that's not where the murders are happening.
The parent comment is introducing a new variable which may or may not be useful in, as you suggest, providing targeted approaches to reducing deaths by firearms.
It still flies in te face of convention which still treats a whole country as a whole country, in the perhaps naive assumption that by averaging the nations stats you will be able to get a good comparison of what the average citizen puts up with an thus providing a ground for comparison with other average citizens in other nation-states, regardless of their level of development, or even, indeed, if they have 'inner city slums'.
And all that is leaving aside the matter of whether the statement is actually true, as questioned by a number of other threads
It's not a new variable, it's just a new, equally arbitrary, line on the maps.
In slums you have a completely different expectation of law enforcement and law enforcement presence, social service, education, economy, transportation, etc. In every respect except for lines on a map, slums are a completely different world. "Countries" are an obscenely coarse classification, we should always be open to more fine-grained analysis.
What a great comment. Encouraging people to look beyond their backyard to see the effects of what they do day to day is not easy, but it is important. Looking at stats for murder, poverty etc is more meaningful when examined globally.
