These finding about gun laws and crime rates are interesting to say the least, especially when Canada is compared to the US, from wikipedia:
Research into the effects of concealed carry laws on crime
There have been many studies and papers published in academic journals regarding the effects of various concealed carry laws on crime rate.[31] Academics have also taken the discussion to books, blogs, and oral debates.
In his book, More Guns, Less Crime, University of Maryland scholar John Lott’s analysis of crime report data has shown statistically significant effects of concealed carry laws. One major conclusion was that locations which enacted more permissive concealed carry laws had a decrease in violent crime but an increase in property crime. The possible reasons for this rise in property crime are twofold:
* Property crimes include trespassing, and concealed-carry statutes that include prohibited-area laws introduce the possibility of trespass where the individual would otherwise be in violation of a weapons law by carrying concealed (e.g. unlawful carry) or would not carry and be lawful.
* Concealed carry allows potential victims of violent crime to prevent such crime; as a result, the assailant, if not fatally shot, is instead charged with a property crime such as burglary instead of homicide.
In both cases, crime is reduced overall, and criminal activity that does occur is recategorized as to type and severity because of the effects of the change in law.
Don Kates summarizes the consensus reached by criminological research into gun control thus:
"Unfortunately, an almost perfect inverse correlation exists between those who are affected by gun laws, particularly bans, and those whom enforcement should affect. Those easiest to disarm are the responsible and law abiding citizens whose guns represent no meaningful social problem. Irresponsible and criminal owners, whose gun possession creates or exacerbates so many social ills, are the ones most difficult to disarm."[32]
Regardless of the interpretation of statistics, the trend in the United States has been towards greater permissiveness of concealed carry. In Florida, which introduced the “shall-issue” concealed carry laws used as a model for other states, crimes committed against residents dropped markedly upon the general issuance of concealed-carry licenses,[33] which had the unintended consequence of putting tourists in Florida driving marked rental cars at risk from criminals since tourists may be readily presumed unarmed.[34] Florida responded by enacting laws prohibiting the obvious marking of rental cars. In 1991, the Luby’s massacre prompted Texas lawmakers to pass a concealed carry law that came into effect in 1995.[35]
Research comparing various countries’ violent crime rates, murder rates, and crimes committed with weapons, have found that legal ownership of guns, including concealed carry guns, generally reduces crime rates.[36][32]
University of Washington public health professor Brandon Centerwall prepared a study comparing homicide rates between Canada and the U.S., as the two countries are very similar, yet have different handgun ownership rates. He reported “Major differences in the prevalence of handguns have not resulted in differing total criminal homicide rates in Canadian provinces and adjoining US states.”[37] In his conclusions he published the following admonition:
"If you are surprised by my findings, so are we. We did not begin this research with any intent to "exonerate" handguns, but there it is ? a negative finding, to be sure, but a negative finding is nevertheless a positive contribution. It directs us where NOT to aim public health resources."[37]
