What would you say: Is violence among youth becoming more common, or less common?

I'll bet you thought "more common" - I mean hey, with all those horrible violent computer games causing things like Columbine (*cough*)...

Well, check this out:

“Escalating violent crime?” The U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics’ September 2004 National Crime Victimization Survey reports that “violent victimization rates” are now at “their lowest point recorded since the inception of the NCVS in 1973.”

“Escalating youth violence?” FBI Uniform Crime Reports show that in the past decade, youth violent crime arrests dropped 40 percent, led by a staggering 66 percent drop in murder. Over the past 30 years, children and teens are the only age groups to show a decline in violence arrest rates. Murder by teens is lower now than in any year since 1965.

Read the whole article here.