More guns, fewer murders
John Lott has noticed a corrollary to his thesis More Guns, Less Crime: more guns, fewer murders.
According to Lott in his article published at Fox News, after Chicago's and Washington DC's strict control gun laws were stuck down
Newly released data for Chicago shows that, as in Washington, murder and gun crime rates didn't rise after the bans were eliminated -- they plummeted. They have fallen much more than the national crime rate. (snip) In the first six months of this year, there were 14% fewer murders in Chicago compared to the first six months of last year - back when owning handguns was illegal. It was the largest drop in Chicago's murder rate since the handgun ban went into effect in 1982.
By comparison, there was a 6% drop in murders in the four of the nation's other most populous cities.
In addition to the decrease in murders committed with guns crimes committed with guns fell more than non-gun crimes.
Robberies with guns fell by 25%, while robberies without guns have fallen by eight percent. Assaults with guns fell by 37%, while assaults without guns fell by 12%.
And why is these seemingly contrary statistics?
Just as with right-to-carry laws, when law-abiding citizens have guns some criminals stop carrying theirs.
Alas, this drop in crime hasn't benefited everyone.
The benefit could have been even greater. Getting a handgun permit in Chicago and Washington is an expensive and difficult process, meaning only the relatively wealthy go through it. (snip) The regulations that still exist in Chicago and Washington primarily disarm the most likely victims of crime.
Hopefully, even the poor in these areas will soon also have more of an opportunity to defend themselves, too.
Yep, those occupy (actually criminally illegally trespass) Wall Street spoiled, middle class, mostly white crybabies have it right for once--thanks to government intervention, laws protecting citizens from crimes are better for the wealthy while harder than the poor.
Lott admits
Lower crime rates in Chicago and Washington, by themselves, don't prove that gun control increases murders, even when combined with the quite familiar story of how their murder rates soared and stayed high after the gun bans were imposed.
But these aren't isolated examples. Around the world, whenever guns are banned, murder rates rise.
Lott points out liberal media hypocrisy.
One can only imagine the coverage if crime rates had risen.
Not surprisingly, the national media have been completely silent about this news.
Deep--maybe not so deep--in their hearts the national media might be disappointed at this good news, disproving their thesis which is why they didn't highlight it.