I harp on gun rights a lot (ad nauseum to some of you, I'm sure) but one thing to note is that while correlation is not causation, it's certainly hard to ignore the correlation between the massive decrease in gun crime over the last 25 years with the increase in carry rights nationwide. The image here shows the current right to carry, with Alabama and NH vying for the next Constitutional carry spot.
This shows the changes to Concealed Carry over time:
One thing to notice about this gif, while the opening image deals with Concealed AND Open Carry, this denotes whether the permits are May-Issue or Shall-Issue. Shall Issue states the as long as the requirements are met for you to possess the license to carry, you will be granted it. In contrast, states like California, New York and New Jersey can arbitrarily deny you a carry license.
This data on RTC correlates with the massive drop in the mid-nineties and even HuffPo can't deny that violence is at an all time low. One problem I have when talking to someone who champions "Common Sense Gun Laws" is that most of them plug their ears when I say "How about getting rid of Gun-Free Zones?" They assume I want more "blood in the streets" and "Are you kidding? More guns doesn't solve the problem!" That's not it at all. In fact, Law Enforcement Officers tend to agree that Right-to-carry helps them in their job more than it hinders.
What I suggest overall: Allow Concealed Carriers to carry in "Gun-Free Zones", which I've talked about before, and treat my license to carry like my driver's license, make it valid in all 50 states.
Liberal Gun Control hasn't worked. It's time to listen to the opposing opinion for once.
