Guns Don't Kill People; Not Having Guns Kills People

Firearms in the hands of law-abiding citizens is not only a constitutional right, but it's also good public policy. A report by John Barnes of the Washington Policy Center shows that legal gun ownership actually prevents crime--a finding echoed by John Lott in his seminal book on the subject: More Guns Less Crime. That's of course, because disarming citizens makes them targets for criminals, whereas allowing them to defend themselves can stop crimes in process, and often will deter future crime.

Barnes notes:

"In 1997 Britain banned handguns, and between 1998 and 2003 gun crimes doubled. According the British Home Office, between 1997 and 2001 homicides increased by 19% and violent crime increased by 26%, while in the U.S. those same crimes fell by 12%. Between 2000 and 2001, robbery increased by 28% in Britain but only 4% in the U.S. Domestic burglary increased by 7% in Britain, but only 3% in the U.S.

In 1996 Australia enacted sweeping gun control laws. In the six years following, violent crime rates rose by 32%. Canada isn’t faring well under its stringent gun control laws. Today Canada’s violent crime rate is more than double that of the U.S.

The fact that during this time right-to-carry laws were expanding in the U.S. makes these statistics all the more telling. Now 40 states issue permits for individuals to carry guns. Violent crime rates are steadily declining in the U.S. Research—and common sense—show the “right-to-carry” by honest citizens deters crimes against persons and property."