CRIME: New Mafia Killer: A Silenced .22

The FBI had a surprise for urban and suburban dwellers fending off muggers, sluggers and druggers when it announced that for the first time in four years, the U.S. crime rate has not increased. The number of violent crimes in 1976 actually declined by 5%.

Now for the bad news:

It seems improbable that a brotherhood as violent as the Mafia is becoming still more savage. It also seems unlikely that teams of professional hit men armed with silencer-equipped .22-cal. automatic pistols are roaming the land, with at least 20 "executions" to their...

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