As Gun Sales Continue to Set Records, Violent Crime is Historically Low

By Jenn Jacques

“There have been more guns sold since I’ve been president than just about any time in U.S. history,” Obama said in June.

Over the two consecutive terms Barack Obama has served as President, gun sales have continued to rise. Background checks have hit record numbers in the past 19 months consecutively and the total number of guns sold this year already outnumbers 2015. But the sharp increase in armed Americans could also hand Obama an unintentional achievement. Could the greatest gun salesman in American history also be credited with helping the violent crime rate to decrease 16% over the past decade?

Studies compiled from interviews of felony prisoners in 10 state correctional facilities revealed that 56 percent said that criminals would not attack a potential victim that was known to be armed. So an increase in gun owners should naturally lead to a decrease in criminals.

But has it?

According to the FBI, nearly 1.2 million violent crimes were committed in 2015, a 3.4% increase from 2014. But what most people don’t realize is that violent crime is actually at historically low numbers. The 2015 numbers are only 0.7% less than 2011, however that’s an impressive decrease of 16.5% compared to a decade …Read the Rest

Source:: Bearing Arms