Reply #28: To be fair it does seem logical that allowing people to own and carry firearms ...

[spin]

would result in a tremendous increase in the murder rate and violent crime caused by firearms.

When "shall issue" concealed carry first passed in Florida in 1987, I suspected that it would cause some problems. I didn't expect shootouts on Main Street at high noon or at every red light, but I anticipate some increase in unnecessary shootings caused by those who had obtained concealed weapons permits.

It didn't happen.

In the last few years the sales of firearms has skyrocketed and many of these firearms are high capacity semi-auto rifles and pistols. It seems logical that we should be seeing the results of selling 14,000,000 firearms in 2009 alone by now. At a minimum, the violent crime rate should have skyrocketed or at least increased dramatically. source: http://www.ammoland.com/2010/01/13/gun-owners-buy-14-mi... /

Once again, it didn't happen.

Despite the spread of "shall issue" concealed carry across our nation and the sales of firearms, the violent crime has decreased.

Violent Crime in U.S. Down 12% in 2010
By AP / PETE YOST Friday, Sept. 16, 201

WASHINGTON) — The number of violent crimes fell by a surprising 12 percent in the United States 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.

***snip***

From 1993 through 2010, the rate of violent crime has declined by a whopping 70 percent: from 49.9 violent crimes per 1,000 persons age 12 or older to only 14.9 per 1,000 in 2010.

Half of this decline came between 1993 and 2001. Between 2001 and 2009, violent crime declined at a more modest annual average of 4 percent, but that rate decline jumped to 13 percent in 2010.

Read more: http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2093620,...

FBI Releases 2010 Crime Statistics
Washington, D.C. September 19, 2011

According to the figures released today by the FBI, the estimated number of violent crimes in 2010 declined for the fourth consecutive year. Property crimes also decreased, marking this the eighth straight year that the collective estimates for these offenses declined.

The 2010 statistics show that the estimated volumes of violent and property crimes declined 6.0 percent and 2.7 percent, respectively, when compared with the 2009 estimates. The violent crime rate for the year was 403.6 offenses per 100,000 inhabitants (a 6.5 percent decrease from the 2009 rate), and the property crime rate was 2,941.9 offenses per 100,000 persons (a 3.3 percent decrease from the 2009 figure).

These and additional data are presented in the 2010 edition of the FBI’s annual report Crime in the United States. This publication is a statistical compilation of offense and arrest data reported by law enforcement agencies voluntarily participating in the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) program.

***snip***

Each of the four violent crime offenses decreased when compared with the 2009 estimates. Robbery had the largest decrease at 10.0 percent, followed by forcible rape with a 5.0 percent decline, murder and nonnegligent manslaughter with a 4.2 percent decrease, and aggravated assault with a 4.1 percent decline.
http://www.fbi.gov/news/pressrel/press-releases/fbi-rel...

While it goes against logic, statistics show that more guns and more concealed weapons permit do not cause more crime. More guns and more carry permits may in fact be one of the main reasons that the violent crime rate has fallen so dramatically, but that is impossible to prove.