Reply #52: "It stands to reason," the phrase is practically a lure to me [View All]

[Euromutt]

A lure to apply the slappeh, that is. The fact is that, even while more and more states became "shall issue" with regard to concealed carry permits, the rate of violent crime in general, including firearm crime specifically, dropped by around 50% (~1993-2000) and did not (notably and/or permanently) rise subsequently. Now, I don't believe there is sufficient evidence to support the hypothesis of "more guns,less crime" but I not only believe but am quite certain that the evidence supports the hypothesis that "more legally carried guns" ≠ "more people hurt by guns."

And that's not a fucking opinion poll, that's data collated by the FBI.

Now, it does, to some extent, stand to reason that the more people who are already prediposed to inflict harm on others carry firearms, the more people will be hurt, but the people who are predisposed to inflict harm on others are usually ineligible for a carry permit (due to a prior felony conviction) and are also not deterred from carrying a firearm by the fact that it is illegal for them to do so. In other words, "if carrying guns is outlawed, only outlaws will carry guns." Which is pretty much the case in every country with tighter guns laws than the United States. You can't get a carry permit in the UK, the Netherlands, or Japan, but the local organized criminals have no compunction about carrying. Sheez, career criminals don't obey laws, whodathunkit?