Safe States vs. Gun Ownership: A Very Telling Analysis

The Push For More Gun Control

In response to the latest mass shooting massacre, the left is once again pushing for more gun control. I believe it is very important to inform the public about just what kind of impact guns and gun laws actually have on violence in the US today. And what better way than by showing how states with a minimal amount of so-called gun control laws are impacted by violent crime. I have assembled the facts and figures for the 3 states with the lowest total violent crimes rates in 2016. Read the piece and you decide. Thanks, Steve

Safe States vs. Gun Ownership

Well, it’s that time of year again. The FBI’s Annual Crime Report is out (2016), and just like in years’ past, NH, VT, ME, are among the top 5 safest states, as relating to violent crime. In fact, the top 3 states with the lowest violent crime rate this year. And, the only 3 states with a total violent crime rate of under 200 per 100,000 people. (source: http://ucr.fbi.gov/crime-in-the-u.s/2016/crime-in-the-u.s.-2016/topic-pages/tables/table-3 ). I have been checking these annual ‘FBI Crime in the US’ reports for over a decade, and the total Violent Crime ‘Rate per 100,000 inhabitants’ for these 3 states is always low.

According to the report, New Hampshire’s total violent crime ‘Rate per 100,000 inhabitants’ was 197.6. Maine’s total violent crime ‘Rate per 100,000 inhabitants’ was 123.3. And Vermont’s total violent crime ‘Rate per 100,000 inhabitants’ was 158.3. What is interesting to note about these very low violent crime numbers is that NH, VT, & ME all are “Constitutional Carry” states; which means no permit is required to carry a concealed handgun.

On top of that, NH also has almost no gun control of any kind to speak of. Open Carry of handguns is legal. There are no state mandated assault weapons, magazine capacity, or ammunition restrictions. No state mandated card or permit is required to purchase handguns, rifles, or shotguns. The only waiting period is however long the required federal background check takes. To sum it all up, NH is a very “Gun Friendly” state. And yet, rather than making NH a very dangerous place to live, just the opposite is true. And while I am not a ME or VT resident, from what I have read, both are also very “Gun Friendly” states.

So what we have here is a lack of so-called ‘gun control’ laws on the books, yet we also have very low violent crime rates. Hmmm? According to the liberal mindset, this should not be the case. If you believe the rhetoric from the likes of Pelosi, Schumer, or Feinstein, these 3 New England states should be awash in violence. Such easy access to firearms, with little to no restrictions on their purchase or ownership. The ease with which people can walk the streets ‘packing heat’. It’s enough to make a ‘Hoplophobe’ run for the safety of California, the gun control capital of the USA (California’s 2016 violent crime rate was 445.3 per 100,000). BTW: with all those firearms restrictions and outright bans that are supposed to make everybody so “safe”, why doesn’t California have the lowest total violent crime rate per 100,000 inhabitants?

The US Department of Justice (BATFE) every few years publishes the “State Laws and Published Ordinances – Firearms: 2017-2018 / 32nd Edition”: a publication that lists each of the 50 State’s gun laws and statues, listed state by state (http://www.atf.gov/firearms/state-laws-and-published-ordinances-firearms-32nd-edition).

Vermont ‘s gun laws and statues takes up 5 Pages (http://www.atf.gov/firearms/docs/guide/firearmsstatutesandcodes-vermontpdf/download), while New Hampshire’s takes up 7 Pages (http://www.atf.gov/docs/undefined/firearmsstatutesandcodes-newhampshirepdf/download). Remember, they have the 2nd and 3rd lowest violent crime rates in the US (Vermont @ 158.3 + NH @197.6 per 100,000). In contrast, California’s gun laws and statues takes up 158 Pages (http://www.atf.gov/firearms/docs/guide/firearmsstatutesandcodes-californiapdf/download). And what does California get for those 158 pages of gun control; a violent crime rate of 445.3 per 100,000.

Point I am trying to make here is that guns, in and of themselves, have little to do with how much violence a society inflicts upon itself. Humans were committing terrible acts of violence long before there were firearms. Fact is, more guns can equal less crime! These 3 New England States prove this to be a fact. And these low violent crime rates are not a one or two-year ‘aberration’. They remain consistently the lowest in the country, year after year. (NH;s rate in 2006 was 138.7, and in 2007 was 137.3; while Vermont’s rate in 2006 was 136.6, and in 2007 was 124.3. Like I said, I have been keeping track of these numbers and commenting on them every year for over a decade).

Lastly, you might ask; who has the highest violent crime rate in the USA? Well, once again, as is every year, the highest total violent crime rate per 100,000 goes to: Washington DC at 1205.9 per 100,000. Our nation’s capitol, once again the most violent place in the USA. What does all this mean? Perhaps that it is people, and not guns, that are the cause of violence. That easy access to the purchasing and carrying of guns, or the restricting or outright banning of guns, has no effect whatsoever on the violent crime rate. Otherwise CA would be a place of peace and tranquility, and NH, VT, and ME would be cesspools of violence. The FBI’s own numbers show that this is not the case.

Stephen Byers – NH Resident (Live Free or Die – death is not the worst of evils!)

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