For anyone who thinks the recent high profile gun related crimes (Sean Taylor and the Mall) were a
result of the proliferation of guns, it's time to get your facts straight:

Some notable figures from http://www.justfacts.com/guncontrol.asp

* %50 percent of households in the US have a gun.

* Washington D.C. enacted a virtual ban on handguns in 1976. Between 1976 and 1991, Washington
D.C.'s homicide rate rose 200%, while the U.S. rate rose 12%

* Florida adopted a right-to-carry law in 1987. At the time the law was passed, critics
predicted increases in violence. When the law went into effect, the Dade County Police began a
program to record all arrest and non arrest incidents involving concealed carry licensees. Between
September of 1987 and August of 1992, Dade County recorded 4 crimes committed by licensees with
firearms. None of these crimes resulted in an injury. The record keeping program was abandoned in
1992 because there were not enough incidents to justify tracking them.

* 221,443 concealed carry licenses were issued in Florida between October of 1987 and April of
1994. During that time, Florida recorded 18 crimes committed by licensees with firearms.

* As of 1998, no permit holder has ever shot a police officer. There have been several cases in
which a permit holder has protected an officer's life.

* In the early 1990's, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms reported that 7% of armed
career criminals obtain firearms from licensed gun shops.

* In October of 1997, sixteen-year-old Luke Woodham stabbed his mother to death and then went to
school with a rifle where he shot 9 students, killing 2 of them. Assistant Principal Joel Myrick
raced to his car, retrieved a .45 caliber handgun, and used it to subdue Woodham until police
arrived.

Now go look at the first chart here: http://polyticks.com/polyticks/beararms/liars/moreguns.htm
The crime rates on areas where a citizen can carry a concealed weapon are HALF of those
elsewhere.

Simply put - guns reduce crime.