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A Look Back At 1993 – Before Most States Relaxed Their Gun Laws
Extrano's Alley, a gun blog ^ | 13 February, 2013 | Stranger

Posted on 02/14/2013 5:25:09 PM PST by marktwain

Regular readers know that I have posted this Department of Justice chart from the 2011 National Crime Survey many times. Take another hard look at it, full size:

At this point regular readers would probably expect a string of comparative numbers; For example,

In 1993 there were 257,908,000 Americans, 1,926,020 violent crimes, 24,530 homicides, 1,135,610 assaults, but…

in 2011 there were 311,591,917 Americans, 1,203,564 violent crimes, 14,612 homicides, and 751,131 assaults, but…

Instead I a going to look back at 1993 in a different way, by quoting a 1993 Newsweek column by George Will, titled “Are We ‘A Nation of Cowards’?”

Briefly quoting Mr. Will’s item from a time when only a handful of states had “must issue” concealed weapons permits:

Crime is rampant because the law-abiding, each of us, condone it, excuse it, permit it, submit to it. We permit and encourage it because we do not fight back immediately, then and there, where it happens…The defect is there, in our character. We are a nation of cowards and shirkers.”

Strong words, those, but not stronger than his argument, the gravamen of which is that the crime problem cannot be addressed without confronting the moral responsibility of the intended victim. Taking responsibility for one’s life, family and community requires fighting back when threatened with violence. How? By possessing and mastering the means of resistance. He means an “equalizer”–a handgun. A responsible citizen, he says, “will be trained in the use of his weapon, and will defend himself when faced with lethal violence.”

There is a great deal more at the link, just above the quote. And it appears millions of Americans have taken Mr. Will’s advice.

Now, a majority of States have Must Issue Concealed Weapons laws. In 1993, gun homicides took 17,465 lives and gun accidents killed 1,521 Americans for a total of 18,986 deaths. For 2010, the total number of gun related murders and accidental gun deaths was 9,381; 606 fatal accidents and 8,775 gun related murders. That is a 50.6% overall decline – even though almost ten million more Americans regularly carry a gun.

We have 20% more people, but violent crime is down by 74%. And Americans prove every day that they are not cowards. They are shooting back in unprecedented numbers. And it shows in the violent crime rates. Americans are safer now than we have been since the 1950′s. And that is a good thing.

Something that would not have happened, had it not been for the relaxation of American gun laws, and the rearming of America.

Stranger


TOPICS: Government; Politics; Science; Society
KEYWORDS: banglist; ccw; crime; guncontrol; guns; murder; secondamendment
More guns, more concealed carry permits, more guns carried. Crime is down. Who would have thought it?
1 posted on 02/14/2013 5:25:14 PM PST by marktwain
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To: marktwain
The Hockey Stick motif was popular with the farleftwingtards for a while as a symbol of their runaway greenhouse effect.

This one, though, looks like a golfclub!

2 posted on 02/14/2013 5:47:43 PM PST by muawiyah
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To: marktwain

The left (tfel) will use the stat’s and say - “We no longer need weapons - the US is safer and crime is low because the criminals are taking personal responsibility for themselves not to commit crimes - so hand in your privately owned firearms.”

If that is said - DON”T HAND IN ANYTHING and wait it out - because crime will start rising once more...

Great post! That Graph says alot!!!


3 posted on 02/14/2013 5:47:54 PM PST by BCW (http://babylonscovertwar.com/index.html)
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To: marktwain

1993 was also when the first widely-popular, realistic-looking first person shooter video game, Doom, was released.


4 posted on 02/14/2013 6:29:50 PM PST by Strategerist
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To: marktwain
Now, a majority of States have Must Issue Concealed Weapons laws. ... That is a 50.6% overall decline – even though almost ten million more Americans regularly carry a gun.

The Dem/libs have been engaging in a steady push to infringe on our right to keep and bear arms for decades. And this is how it has been working out for them in the last two decades...

And in the last two months...

If the lefties keep pushing gun control in another two decades one out of two Americans may be gun owners instead of one out of three.

MOLON LAVE! WE'LL BUY MORE. ;-)

5 posted on 02/14/2013 6:31:06 PM PST by TigersEye (The irresponsible should not be leading the responsible.)
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To: TigersEye

“If the lefties keep pushing gun control in another two decades one out of two Americans may be gun owners instead of one out of three.”

I think they want to get to their end goals under the regime of 0bama. They plan a busy 3 years and this is only the first of what they want to do. With 0bamas reelection they think they have a mandate to impose communism and they are not going to waste any time. This gun control/confiscation will be ramped up and jammed down our throats.


6 posted on 02/14/2013 6:52:44 PM PST by MtnClimber (I did not vote for 0bama, someone else did that!)
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To: MtnClimber

It can’t be done. There are well over 100 million gun owners who have over 450 million guns. The logistics alone, sans resistance, is impossible. Crunch the numbers for the personnel, the allocation of money and the time it would take. 0bama’s daughters would be in a retirement home by the time they knocked on the last door.


7 posted on 02/14/2013 7:18:43 PM PST by TigersEye (The irresponsible should not be leading the responsible.)
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To: TigersEye

Look at their spending plans. The left is not grounded in reality. I predict they will overreach and then begin to rxpand the 150 million or so of their own citizen’s deaths they are responsible for. The backlash will be astounding. Evil cannot prevail forever.


8 posted on 02/14/2013 7:48:57 PM PST by MtnClimber (I did not vote for 0bama, someone else did that!)
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To: AdmSmith; AnonymousConservative; Berosus; bigheadfred; Bockscar; ColdOne; Convert from ECUSA; ...

Thanks marktwain.


9 posted on 02/14/2013 7:53:14 PM PST by SunkenCiv (Romney would have been worse, if you're a dumb ass.)
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