Reality Has A Pro-Gun Bias: Concealed Carry And Gun Sales Up, Murders Down

During President Obama’s time in office the number of concealed carry permit holders has skyrocketed (as have gun sales). Yet, despite the correlation anti-gun activists insist exists between keeping and bearing and violence, murders rates are down.

Since 2007, the number of concealed handgun permits has soared from 4.6 million to over 12.8 million, according to the report from the Crime Prevention Research Center.

And the number is increasing faster every year. Over 1.7 million new permits were issued last year — a 15.4 percent increase from 2013, according to the report. It is the largest-ever single-year increase in the number of permits.

The number of people that carry concealed handguns is likely even higher, since permits are not required in seven states.

More women are getting permits than men, the report stated. Since 2007, permits for women have increased by 270 percent and for men by 156 percent.

At the same time, murder rates have fallen from 5.6 to 4.2 per 100,000, about a 25 percent drop. Overall violent crime also fell by 25 percent, according to the report.

Still, the anti-gun activists insist the correlation between lawful gun ownership/carry and violence is real. Despite, you know, reality and stuff.

“Concealed carry killers are a threat to public safety. The evidence is clear that all too often, private citizens use their concealed handguns to take lives, not to save them,” a statement from the Violence Policy Center’s Concealed Carry Killer website reads.

According to the center, there have been 561 incidents in 36 states and the District of Columbia involving concealed handguns that have resulted in 743 deaths.

“Only a tiny fraction of these cases are ever ruled to be in self-defense,” the website states.

“Concealed carry killers.” Nice.

Anyway, nobody is claiming that concealed carry permit holders never commit crimes. I’m not even claiming that more guns, and more concealed carry permits, reduce crime despite the correlation illustrated above.

But I am saying there’s scant evidence to suggest that more guns in society means more violence.

As for the “tiny fraction” of concealed carry-involved shootings that have been ruled to be self-defense, I suspect that figure is likely skewed by the bias law enforcement officials and prosecutors have toward concealed carry policies.

Regardless, there is still no evidence of a correlation between increased violence and increased gun ownership/carry. Period.

Meanwhile, in Oregon:

It was supposed to be a stunt to point out the silliness of banning unwanted activity by decree, but a college conservative group in Oregon was stunned at the reason school officials killed their proposed “murder free zone.”

Portland State University’s College Republicans chapter sought permission to set up a table on campus to generate support for the idea, but school officials said their effort could promote violence against them. Now the group and First Amendment advocates say it is school officials who need to study up – on the Constitution.

“In the murder-free zone we were looking to create, nobody will be killed with guns, knives, sticks, or anything of the sort,” said Christian Britschgi, political director of Oregon’s College Republican Federation chapter.

You can’t make this stuff up.