More than half of Americans fear falling prey to criminals. | Pixabay
More than half of Americans fear falling prey to criminals. | Pixabay
In a tight, post-pandemic economy, many Americans have something else to worry about: being the victim of a crime.
OnePoll recently conducted a poll that showed that more than half of Americans (52%) feel concerned for their personal safety every day, even in their own homes, prompting Sen. Charles Grassley (R-IA) to introduce a bill designed to strengthen crime-related laws.
“Crime is skyrocketing in communities across the country,” Grassley said on his website. “Carjackings, homicides, attacks on law enforcement are all up. We have a duty to ensure that penalties for federal offenses serve as a deterrent and that any ambiguity from split court decisions is rectified so that perpetrators can be held accountable.”
Grassley introduced a bill that would "clarify and strengthen" a number of laws relating the violent crimes, including murder, carjacking, bank robbery, and kidnapping. Grassley and 23 other Republican Senators urged Congress to pass the bill, saying "American communities are suffering under a scourge of lawlessness.”
The bill, though, is not likely to be advanced this session.
"Unfortunately, we don’t yet have bipartisan support to advance these modest, but meaningful, reforms,” Grassley said. “American communities are suffering under a scourge of lawlessness, so I hope we get some cooperation soon and I’ll keep reaching across the aisle to get it.”
OnePoll’s results show that the top five places that cause this fear are dark streets, unfamiliar neighborhoods, parking garages, rideshares and taxis, and public transit. Also, 42% of people stated that they do not feel safe being home alone, even in their own homes.
In related news, a Gallup poll from earlier this year revealed that 72% of Americans were dissatisfied with the nation's policies to reduce or control crime.
In 2020, North Carolina's violent crime rate of 419 incidents for every 100,000 people was higher than that of most other states. Three-fourths (75%) of the 44,451 violent offenses reported in the state during that year were aggravated assault cases. Rising by 35% year over year, the number of murders reported in North Carolina in 2020 totaled 852 -- more than New York, a state with nearly twice as many residents, recorded.
Alerts Sign-up