Here are some interesting statistics about the election.

 Counties won by Gore: 677 
 Counties won by Bush: 2,434 
 
 Population of counties won by Gore: 127 million 
 Population of counties won by Bush: 143 million 
 
 Square miles of country won by Gore: 580,000 
 Square miles of country won by Bush: 2,427,000 
 
 States won by Gore: 19 
 States won by Bush: 29 
 

Now Professor Joseph Olson of the Hamline University School of Law in St. Paul Minnesota has produced another interesting new statistic. Professor Olson looked up the crime statistics for all of these counties and came up with this: Average Murder per 100,000 residents in counties won by Gore: 13.2

Average Murder per 100,000 residents in counties won by Bush: 2.1

The Federalist's crack staff of researchers found one more interesting fact that might help explain these disparate murder rates. Gun ownership in the counties won by Mr. Bush is much higher than in the counties won by Mr. Gore!

-- Statistician (@ .), December 06, 2000

Answers

I wonder what the ratio of criminals who own guns in these counties would be compared to the number of law abiding citizens?

-- Dr. Pibb (dr.pibb@zdnetonebox.com), December 06, 2000.

But all the really cool people live in Gore-country. All the intellectools, all the cosmo chi-chis, all the enlightened ones. Bush-country is yahoo country. Naaaa naaaa naaa naaa naaa naaaa.

-- (Birkenstock@UC.Berkely), December 06, 2000.

127 million squeezed into 580,000 square miles causes one to be more likely to shoot his neighbor.

143 million spread out to 2,427,000 square miles causes one to not find so many people to shoot and instead resort to killing rats at the dump or (like in so many New Mexican areas) road signs.

-- Maria (anon@ymous.com), December 06, 2000.

You took the words right out of my mouth, Maria. There was a strong urban/rural split in the way the voting went this election.

-- (Observ@tion.exercise), December 06, 2000.