On Aug. 28, the National Rifle Association presented ATF and FBI data showing Americans have purchased over 170 million new firearms since 1991, and during that same time violent crimes have declined by 51 percent.
The information corresponds with the findings of a Congressional Research Service (CRS) study covering the slightly shorter period of time from 1994 to 2009. Between those years, CRS found that Americans purchased approximately 118 million firearms, and the 1993 “firearm-related murder and non-negligent homicide” rate of 6.6 per 100,000 fell to 3.6 per 100,000 by the year 2000. It eventually fell all the way to 3.2 per 100,000 in 2011, more than a 50-percent reduction.
In 2009, the CRS study ended and Obama took office. Gun sales have reached record levels, rising from 118 million in 2009 to 170 million. Combined with decreasing violence, the key takeaway is simple—more guns equal less crime.
