The next time you hear some whining coward (by that, I mean the majority of the American public) apologizing for the loss of our civil liberties in the name of “safety” from “terrorism,” remind them of this fact: You are eight times more likely to be killed by a cop than by a terrorist. (source)
It is a little more nuanced than that, but the point is well taken. (nuance)
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The Legal Satyricon 
While I agree with the point that fear is used to justify erosion of civil liberties, this is complete misuse of statistics and probability. You are more likely to die in an automobile than by a terrorist. You are more likely to drown than be killed by a terrorist. You are more likely to die in an industrial accident than by a terrorist. You are more likely to die in a hospital than at the hands of a terrorist.
The appropriate response to any of these statements is, so what?
Given the number of bullets the cops often fire before hitting ANYTHING this “stat” may be more alarming than you would think……
“Quickly we had six Watertown police officers and two bad guys in a gunfight,” said Deveau. At least 200 shots were fired; maybe as many as 300, he said.”
http://www.boston.com/metrodesk/2013/04/21/new-details-wild-shootout-with-bomb-suspects-watertown-chief-believes-older-brother-was-killed-younger-brother-desperate-getaway/jaIyrXr8fSnf5Pu4xnRbvM/story.html
To quote a friend’s response when I posted this article: “only eight times?”
But remember cops have no responsibility to protect you from bad guys, and can’t be held liable for not doing so.
Just eight? Maybe it depends who is meant by “you.” Last year, there were ten private U.S. citizens killed by terrorists worldwide. Eighty deaths from police sounds kind of optimistic to me.
But if by “you” you mean a US citizen in the US, then there were a total of zero terrorism deaths. (That can’t be right?)
[…] Hat tip: Satyricon. […]
It’s sad that the surprising part of this is that it’s only 8 times more likely. Everyone thinks it should be higher and that’s a bit depressing.