Reply #23: Well, I guess my hand gun IS stupid; but that is irrelevant.... [View All]

[SteveM]

Since I have it for self-defense purposes.

Actually, a number of cops I have talked with have no problem with civilians keep arms for self-defense.

The reasons for the crime rate drop is multi-faceted, no one knows for sure. Certainly we have bulging prisons, and by using a sloppy shotgun approach, we have picked up many slobber-dripping thugs along with vast numbers of non-violent criminals. But there has been over 35 years of legal abortion, which could have cut down on unwanted (and subsequently badly cared-for) children, the concentration on HyperPunks (those with a predilection for engaging in deadly violence) by LEOs, the institutionalization of crack cocaine sales zones (which has cut down on territorial violence), and longer sentences for violence-prone thugs. Hell, maybe some crims have decided to get a legit job and gotten out of thuggery.

One thing is for sure: The notion that "more guns = more crime" has not been proven.