Violent Crimes Drop 12%, Reason Unknown; In Other News, Record Number of Americans Carrying Concealed Weapons

The “experts” expected an increase in violent crimes with the poor state of the economy. What they found was quite the opposite:

The number of violent crimes fell by a surprising 12 percent in the U.S. last year, a far bigger drop than the nation has been averaging since 2001, the Justice Department said.

The Bureau of Justice Statistics reported there were 3.8 million violent crimes last year, down from 4.3 million in 2009.

Experts aren’t sure why.

That really is bizarre. I wonder what could be behind the incredible decrease in violent crime…

Gun owners are packing heat in record numbers, fearful of stricter gun control under the Obama administration and higher crime in a sour economy.

Some states and counties report a surge in applications for concealed weapons permits since the November election. All states but Illinois and Wisconsin allow concealed weapons, but requirements differ.

Applications already have hit a record this year in Clay County, Mo., where the sheriff’s office received 888 through June, compared with 863 in all of last year, says Sheriff Bob Boydston. The office recently hired two part-time workers to deal with the rush.

Also, this:

Johnson is about to become one of the millions of Americans who are permitted to carry a concealed weapon, having completed a course with Utah Legal Heat, a company that offers concealed weapons instruction — one of many options that meets the requirement for proof of firearms training for the application process. He said he’s never been threatened directly, but he also wants the option of defending himself.

“I pray that I never use (a gun),” he said, “but I want to be prepared.”

Figures indicate that more Americans like Johnson are seeking permission to carry concealed weapons — including both firearms and knives — at all times. In Idaho alone, there are currently 71,249 valid permits. Neighboring Utah has reported 246,831 valid permits as of June 30 and has seen its number of valid permits rise 458.8 percent since 2001, when 44,173 permits were reported.

And, this:

Florida had 813,127 active permit holders as of the end of April. Since May 31, 2010 when there were 729,000 permits, there has been about a 12 percent increase in permit holders. In Texas, from December 31, 2009 to December 31, 2010, there was an increase from 402,914 to 461,724 permits, a 15 percent increase. On December 31, 2008, there were 314,574 permits, showing a 28 percent increase from 2008 to 2009.

Add Florida, Pennsylvania, and Washington state together and those three states account for almost 2 million permit holders by themselves.

There’s plenty of articles I can pull quotes from, but that all would say the same thing.  More and more Americans are carrying a concealed weapon.

Yet the occurrence of violent crime dropped 12%.

Unexpected?

Hardly.

While correlation does not equal causation, there is evidence to show the rise in guns has impacted the frequency of crime:

“This is just the type of thing that was predicted,” economist John R. Lott told HUMAN EVENTS. Lott, author of More Guns, Less Crime (Chicago University Press), pointed to research done eight years ago by David P. Mustard and published in Chicago University’s Journal of Law and Economics.

“States that enact concealed-carry laws are less likely to have a felonious police death and more likely to have lower rates of felonious police deaths after the law is passed,” Mustard concluded in his 2001 journal article.

More guns, less crime.  In fact:

UPDATE:

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