Last week, Breitbart.com reported some interesting statistics.Concealed carry permits rose 215 percent between 2007 and 2015. During that same time period, the murder rate dropped 14 percent.
As if that statistic needs interpreting, it’s pretty clear that more guns are being carried for self-defense while at the same time there are less murders taking place.
Between May 2016 and May 2017 concealed carry permits saw the biggest jump. The date referenced comes from the Crime Prevention Research Center (CPRC), whose own data showed there were 14.5 million permit holders in May 2016 and approximately 15.7 million in May 2017.
Looking at the bigger picture, we all know that concealed carry permits have jumped over the past decade. The numbers show a 215 percent jump in concealed carry permits between 2007 and 2015.There’s another set of numbers in this article too. A Congressional Research Study (CRS) that Brietbart reported on in 2013 showed that gun ownership numbers increased from 192 million firearms in 1994 to 310 million firearms in 2009. This CRS found similar results of the murder rate declining during this time period: according to the report, the “firearm-related murder and non-negligent homicide” rate was 6.6 per 100,000 Americans in 1993 but fell to 3.6 per 100,000 in 2000. By 2011, the murder rate was 3.2 per 100,000.
The next time you hear someone talking about how more guns will make us all less safe, remember these statistics. More guns is not the problem.
