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Originally Posted by AlabamaFamilyMan
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Originally Posted by Vanya
...Except it's not more widespread... both violent crimes and property crimes are on the decline, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics. It's a trend that's been consistent over the past three or four decades. Although no one quite seems to know why...
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Except John Lott...
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Excuse the digression, BUT --
John Lott has done some excellent and valuable work strongly suggesting that some part of the decline in violent crime may well be attributable to "shall issue" right to carry laws and private citizens having firearms. But John Lott has not accounted for the entire decline in crime.
Indeed, the decline in crime rate is most likely due to many and varied factors. For example, in New York City, beginning in 1990, the crime rate dropped precipitously. Murders were reduced by two-third, felonies fell by 50%; and by 2000, felonies on the subways had declined 75% (
The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell, Back Bay Books, 2002, pg. 137). The RKBA and liberalized right to carry laws certainly had nothing to do with that.
I'm making this point because a misuse of statistics does the RKBA no good. We have to be careful about making claims that we can't substantiate, because when we do, it erodes our credibility.