We’ve noted a recent spike in violent crime in major cities across the country, including New York City. Unsurprisingly, new reports indicate that the general atmosphere of lawlessness encompasses far more than gang shootings. Sex crimes are occurring at a far greater rate in New York than was the case last year, with the New York Post reporting a dramatic 75 percent increase in misdemeanor sexual assaults last week compared with the same week in 2014. There are also consistently greater numbers of felony assaults taking place across all categories.
With some police feeling pressure to back away from aggressively enforcing the law, the burden of defense falls ever more squarely on the shoulders of law-abiding citizens. The trouble in New York is that gun laws are not conducive to individuals’ ability to protect themselves—and as the numbers demonstrate, predatory criminals likely know it.
