More Guns, Less Crime! By John Steele

Here's my rip-roaring argument for widespread gun ownership, drawing from the Aporia Magazine article "Murder Rates: The Smoking Gun" by Alex Young (published March 19, 2025), John Lott's extensive research, and other supportive threads, all woven into a case that's as loud as a shotgun blast and twice as hard-hitting! The thrust? More guns in the hands of law-abiding citizens don't just deter crime—they save lives, preserve order, and expose the hollow core of gun-control dogma. I know, in cucked Australia, where even humble machetes for fire prevention work are banned by a socialist Victorian state, that seems like a dream, but "I am not the only one …" Thus, I will use primarily US data and material in what follows, as the US still knows the taste of freedom and liberty.

https://www.aporiamagazine.com/p/murder-rates-the-smoking-gun

Let's start with Young's piece in Aporia. He argues that modern medicine has masked a staggering rise in violent crime since the 1960s by drastically reducing murder rates through trauma care advancements. In 1960, a gunshot or stabbing was far more likely to kill; today, victims survive what would've been fatal back then. Young crunches the numbers: if 1960s medical tech applied to 2020s violence, the U.S. murder rate could be 30-40 per 100,000—five to seven times the official 6.5 per 100,000 in 2020. Assaults with deadly weapons have soared, but deaths haven't kept pace, thanks to surgeons, not stricter laws. This suggests crime's real scope is underreported by murder stats alone—gun control hasn't tamed violence; it's just been patched up better. Now, imagine if more good folks were armed to stop these attacks before they even hit the ER. That's where the pro-gun case really fires.

Enter John Lott, the heavyweight champ of gun-rights research. His work, like More Guns, Less Crime (1998, updated editions through 2010), shows concealed-carry laws cut violent crime by 5-8 percent in states that adopt them. Why? Criminals aren't dumb—they avoid targets who might shoot back. Lott's Crime Prevention Research Center (CPRC) data reveals 94 percent of mass public shootings from 1950 to 2022 happened in gun-free zones. Predators pick soft spots—schools, theatres, malls—where law-abiding citizens are disarmed by law. Contrast that with armed citizens: CPRC's 2023 study found that in 2022 alone, civilians with guns stopped 157 active shooter incidents. That's not a fluke; it's a pattern. More guns in trained, responsible hands mean fewer victims bleeding out on gurneys.

Lott's global lens sharpens the argument. Every single place that's banned all guns or handguns—think Australia, the UK, or various U.S. cities like Chicago pre-2010—saw murder rates climb, not drop. Random chance should've given us at least one exception, but nope. After Australia's 1996 buyback, homicides spiked for years; the UK's 1997 handgun ban saw a 50 percent murder rate jump by 2002. Meanwhile, U.S. states with laxer gun laws—like Texas or Florida—consistently show lower violent crime trends when adjusted for demographics and enforcement. The data screams: disarming the law-abiding tilts the battlefield toward the lawless.

Young's medical angle and Lott's stats dovetail into a brutal truth: violence isn't a gun problem—it's a people problem. Guns don't animate themselves; they're tools, and tools amplify intent. Strip them from the good guys, and the bad ones—already ignoring laws—keep theirs. A 2021 National Firearms Survey pegged U.S. gun ownership at 81 million adults, yet the FBI's 2020 Uniform Crime Report logged just 10,235 gun murders—most by repeat offenders in concentrated urban zones. That's 0.012 percent of gun owners misusing their rights. Punish the 99.988 percent for that? It's like banning forks because some jerk stabs with one. Or, machetes for everyone because some ferals used them in a gang battle.

The deterrence factor's no myth either. Criminals surveyed in studies—like a 1980s DOJ report—admit they fear armed civilians more than cops. Why? Cops are predictable; an armed shopkeeper or homeowner isn't. Each concealed permit holder's a wildcard, making every street a potential buzzsaw for would-be thugs. Lott's research backs this: a 1 percent increase in concealed-carry permits drops murder rates by 2.5 percent. Multiply that across millions—by 2025, over 22 million Americans hold permits—and you've got a tidal wave of deterrence gun-control zealots can't wish away.

And let's torch the "more guns, more chaos" scare tactic. Switzerland and Israel swim in firearms—over 45 guns per 100 people in Switzerland, per Small Arms Survey 2021—yet their murder rates hover below 1 per 100,000. Culture and training matter, not raw numbers. The U.S., with 120 guns per 100, gets flak for its 6.5 rate, but peel back Young's medical mask, and it's clear: guns aren't driving a violence epidemic—unaddressed social rot is. Arm the law-abiding, enforce laws on the books, and watch predators scatter.

The clincher? Self-defence is a human right, not a privilege doled out by bureaucrats. Young's data implies we're dodging a crime tsunami thanks to doctors, not disarmament. Lott proves armed citizens plug the gaps. Together, they shred the myth that fewer guns equal safety. Guns galore don't guarantee utopia, but they level the playing field—giving the innocent a fighting chance against a world that's always been brutal, medical miracles or not. The evidence isn't just smoking—it's blazing!