Crime is and always has been one of the biggest concerns for average people everywhere. We all want to live a life where we and our families are safe and where we can feel like we don’t have to watch our backs everywhere that we go.
Now, that’s not to say that you and I shouldn’t always be vigilant. We live in an imperfect world, after all, and even in the safest places, there are people who will do awful things.
In general, though, we, just like everyone else, want to feel safe.
So, the question is: How do you reduce crime so that we can all live our lives in overall safety?
Those on the politically liberal or left side of the aisle tend to want to blame poverty for crime. These are also the folks most likely to want to ban guns, by the way.
But is that true? John Lott with the Crime Prevention Research Center answers that question with data. Lott writes,
Robbery and property crimes have a clearer economic component (a total of 29% of prisoners), but that is not the same thing as saying that those crimes are driven by poverty. However, large shares of the violent category (homicide, sexual assault, assault) are typically driven by interpersonal conflict, impulse, intoxication, status/gang dynamics, or other non-economic motives rather than material need. Even for property and drug offenses, inmate backgrounds show high rates of prior offending, addiction, low education, and disrupted families; pure “survival poverty” is not the demonstrated primary driver for most.
So, those on the politically liberal and left side of the aisle want to blame crime on guns and poverty.
The truth, though? It’s that guns don’t commit crimes; people do. Also, a small percentage of crime is poverty driven, and the crime that is poverty driven tends to be property crime. However, most crime, even property crime is driven by other factors.
So, how do you reduce crime caused by factors other than survival? By deterrence and locking up those who commit those crimes to prevent them from being on the streets to commit additional crimes.
And what is the biggest deterrent when someone wants to commit a crime against you? When they are afraid that literally everyone in the community could be armed and those that are armed are willing to act to protect themselves and other people.
Because while criminals may commit crimes, they don’t typically want to be on the receiving end of a defensive shooting.
That’s why you need to work to make your community a constitutional carry community, if it isn’t already, and you need to train to proficiency, train to maintain proficiency, and carry everyday.
