More Guns, Less Crime...

One of the more consistent liberal memes is the idea that gun control will lead to more crimes. The consistent conservative/libertarian response has been that if guns are illegal, only the criminals will have guns. The preponderance of the evidence favors the conservative/libertarian position: in every jurisdiction where ordinary citizens are free (or relatively free) to carry concealed weapons, crime rates – including death and injury by gunfire – are lower than otherwise.

Michigan's experience now joins that evidence:

Six years after new rules made it much easier to get a license to carry concealed weapons, the number of Michiganders legally packing heat has increased more than six-fold.

But dire predictions about increased violence and bloodshed have largely gone unfulfilled, according to law enforcement officials and, to the extent they can be measured, crime statistics.

The incidence of violent crime in Michigan in the six years since the law went into effect has been, on average, below the rate of the previous six years. The overall incidence of death from firearms, including suicide and accidents, also has declined.

San Diego County Sheriff Bill Kolendar has made it nearly impossible for ordinary citizens to get concealed carry permits. A new sheriff will be elected this year – let's make certain that the sheriff we elect commits to start issuing concealed carry permits again in San Diego County, with only reasonable restrictions.

The criminals in San Diego County need to understand that the people around them are carrying weapons…