UPDATE: The method used to generate this chart is not a good one. I've posted a better chart here.
If you're reading this web site, I'm probably preaching to the choir when I say that concealed carry laws generally mean lower violent crime rates. But if you're looking for a handy graphic to show your non-believer friends and co-workers, check this out:
Chart data sources:
Right to Carry Laws 2006 - www.nraila.org/map.
Violent Crime Rates in the United States 2006 - www.fbi.gov/table5.
National Average - Violent Crime Rates in the United States 2006 - www.fbi.gov/table1.
Copied from the MCRGO newsletter.
Note that this includes most of the restricted issue states in with the two no-issue states and DC.
5 Comments
This shows that low crime rates and concealed carry laws tend to exist together. Nothing points to which one causes the other, or even that they are related directly in any way.
I'm not saying you're wrong, just that it isn't conclusive in the way we might like, it's just a hypothesis that the concealed carry laws might have the effect of lowering crime, and these numbers are a data point that this MIGHT be true.
"I'm not saying you're wrong, just that it isn't conclusive in the way we might like, it's just a hypothesis that the concealed carry laws might have the effect of lowering crime, and these numbers are a data point that this MIGHT be true."
This is true, but these numbers ARE proof that allowing concealed carry doesn't INCREASE violent crime, as is often claimed by gun control proponents.
"This is true, but these numbers ARE proof that allowing concealed carry doesn't INCREASE violent crime, as is often claimed by gun control proponents."
Well, that's not true either. There's no data showing that the states that allow concealed carry dnn't see a corresponding increase in violence compared to if they did not allow concealed carry. The problem is that the states don't all have equal or controlled baselines, so no hard conclusion can be drawn without more data.
To be clear, I'm just pointing out that it isn't PROOF, but it *IS* strong evidence that gun control proponents are just flat out wrong, and shows that the "basic" data supports concealed carry advocates.
"This is true, but these numbers ARE proof that allowing concealed carry doesn't INCREASE violent crime, as is often claimed by gun control proponents."
Well, that's not true either. There's no data showing that the states that allow concealed carry dnn't see a corresponding increase in violence compared to if they did not allow concealed carry. The problem is that the states don't all have equal or controlled baselines, so no hard conclusion can be drawn without more data.
To be clear, I'm just pointing out that it isn't PROOF, but it *IS* strong evidence that gun control proponents are just flat out wrong, and shows that the "basic" data supports concealed carry advocates.
Might be more telling if these results could be wrung out by county.
Someday I'll be good enough at ArcGIS to literally map this out.
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