Guns up, crimes down

As the author says in his first paragraph, this does sound crackpot:  "more people are buying firearms, while firearm-related homicides and suicides are steadily diminishing," but it's data from the Bureau of Justice Statistics.

Sales of guns to women are climbing sharply.  "The days of a woman being dependent on a man for protection are long gone", says a personal safety instructor.  Increased numbers of  men and women both are signing up for training.

This Bureau data begs the question of whether criminals are deterred by the increasing chance that their victim may be armed.  I have no interest in guns - but it's a good question.

photo: thedailybeast.com