Over the past 20 years, violent crime is down 43 percent (a 35 year low) and murder is down 49 percent (a 45 year low), according to the FBI stats.
During this same period, government has been doing away with gun control laws and making it easier for people to carry guns.
Less Gun Control: Over the last quarter-century, many federal, state and local gun control laws have been eliminated or made less restrictive. The federal “assault weapon†ban, upon which gun control supporters claimed public safety hinged, expired in 2004 and the murder rate has since dropped 10 percent. The federal handgun waiting period, for years the centerpiece of gun control supporters’ agenda, expired in 1998, in favor of the NRA-supported national Instant Check, and the murder rate has since dropped 21 percent. Accordingly, some states have eliminated obsolete waiting periods and purchase permit requirements. There are now 40 Right-to-Carry states, an all-time high, up from 10 in 1987.
And all the while the number of privately owned guns in America has grown by 90 million.
There are well over 250 million privately-owned firearms in the U.S., including nearly 100 million handguns and tens of millions of “assault weapons and the number of firearms typically rises about 4 million per year.6 Annual numbers of new AR-15s, the most popular semi-automatic rifle that gun control supporters call an “assault weapon,†are soaring. In 2008, there were more than 337,000 new AR-15s configured for home defense, competition, training, recreational target practice and hunting.7 NRA-supported Instant Check firearm transactions have increased over 10 percent annually since 2006.8
So, where’s the pained hand-wringing about how “It will be like the Wild West if people carry guns” and “There will be shootouts in parking lots” now?
Any local members of the media who made such claims back when concealed carry was passed in Texas — ahem, you know who I’m looking at — care to ‘fess up?
(hat tip:Â LR.com and Reason.com)
As a proponent of Gun Rights myself, I never thought a link between legal gun ownership and crime truly existed.
The statistics seem to bear that out.
However, I will note that before making a specious link between liberalized gun laws and lower crime, we must look at demographic shifts as well.
I suspect the lower crime rate is a result of lower birth rates from the 1980′s and 1990′s reducing the number of males in their late teens and early twenties now. Everyone knows that males of that age range commit most of the crimes. With fewer people who are linked to crimes, then you get lower crime.
I make this point because specious correlations are intellectually dishonest.
“So, where’s the pained hand-wringing about how “It will be like the Wild West if people carry guns†and “There will be shootouts in parking lots†now?”
Just wait, Trey, you’ll get your share of shootouts when the shit hits the fan after the election in 2012.
There is a book called Freakanomics that makes the case for less crime in New York 20 years after abortion became legal.
The idea was that people stopped having children they did not want or could not care for. So the amount of very poor children being brought up in homes without a father was lessoned.
That this in turn meant less crime 20 years down the road.
Is it true? I don’t know, but it’s interesting to think about, and Tim’s comment reminded me of it.
I wish my state would be among those relaxing gun control. You still can’t even get a CCW here. And here’s what happened to some guys who were peacefully, legally open carrying just the other day:
http://thetruthaboutguns.com/2010/09/robert-farago/madison-police-search-and-detain-wisconsin-open-carry-members/
http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/crime_and_courts/article_793a554e-c462-11df-91dd-001cc4c03286.html
I really feel sorry for all you gun freaks, all dressed up and now where to go, as it were, I hope you can hang on for a couple of years while the economy crashes. When unemployment hits 40% and Social Security and Medicaid are cut, gunfights will be as common as littering is now.
I don’t understand gun freaks because this is where it takes you in the end–a man with no penis. http://io9.com/5645075/a-cybernetic-cross+section-of-robocop-and-his-pal-ed+209
My gun is my penis. There. I said it.
This is my weapon, and this is my gun. One is for shooting, the other’s for fun,
More guns has really made Mexico a safer place, hasn’t it? If US arms manufacturers didn’t have so many regulations, we could probably rid Mexico of crime altogether, Of course, there’d probably be no one left alive in Mexico, but hey, the crime would be down.
QED.
Mexico has strict gun control and civilians are prohibited from owning guns.
That’s how it usually works out. Criminals get guns and lawful citizens are left to be victims.
Dumbass.
“Mexico has strict gun control and civilians are prohibited from owning guns.”
So, those drug cartel guys are not civilians?
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/oct/1/fewer-firearms-more-crime/
Why do you read newspapers owned by Rev. Sun Myung Moon? Trey = Moonie