STATE OF THE NATION: Lots More Guns, Much Less Violent Crime

By Bob Owens

Patrick Tyrell noted something interesting yesterday at The Daily Signal.

We’ve noted previously that firearms sales and ownership are both at an all-time high in the United States.

Female, urban, and youth shooters are the fastest growing demographics of gun owners. Sport shooting is the fastest growing sport among high school students in many parts of the nation, and a surge in female shooters is driving both the concealed carry market and gun designs themselves.

And of course, gun sales continues to set records for the 11th straight month in a row.

Now, it is fair to note that correlation does not equal causation. We don’t have direct evidence showing that more guns in society, spread across a wider range of demographic groups, causes a decrease in violent crime.

What we can state rather forcefully is that the inverse argument made by gun control supporters—that more guns in society will lead to more violent crime—is categorically and undeniably false.

Per capita criminal homicides committed with firearms are at their lowest point ever recorded since the FBI began formally tracking that information in 1960.

Likewise, accidental and negligent gun deaths for both children and adults have consistently declined year over year, as have crimes …Read the Rest

Source:: Bearing Arms