New Mexico’s incoming governor is anti-gun. She has said it multiple times even as she has denied that multiple times. Our newest Congressional Representative had a really nice commercial showing her hunting, but she also has advocated for gun control measures. The left wing wants to control your use of and access to guns of all types, no matter what they say when you are listening, their actions prove otherwise. The goal is to make us safer; to prevent mass shootings; to prevent crime; you know all of the 'justifications.'
Most of you also probably know that those cities with the strictest gun control laws, Chicago or Washington DC or also the cities with the most violent crime have the most murders and violent attacks using guns. Houston and Chicago are cities of comparable size but the violent crime rate in Houston is only about a third of that in Chicago. We often hear also that the United States leads the world in mass shootings or gun crimes but if you take out Chicago, Washington DC and Los Angeles we drop to something like 35th.
A review of FBI crime statistics shows that since 1990 concealed carry permits and the sale of handguns especially has soared across the United States. Yet violent crime has decreased significantly over that same time frame with the obvious exceptions of those cities we've talked about before. In fact, there are now 12 states that do not require a concealed carry permit; they essentially allow the Second Amendment to be their guiding law when it comes to citizens having guns. That’s it, no other state ordinances or requirements.
If you buy into the anti-gun crowd’s narrative, allowing such rampant gun ownership should lead to a resurgence of the wild, wild west with gun battles in the streets. FBI statistics prove otherwise. The three states that have had the fewest restrictions on gun ownership for the longest, Arizona, Alaska, and Wyoming, also have among the lowest rates of gun related crimes in the nation. Each of them saw significant reductions in gun-related crimes once they either rescinded their conceal carry requirements or when they made it much easier to get a concealed carry license.
Mississippi recently rescinded their laws requiring a concealed carry permit and since 2015 gun related crimes have decreased each year. Other states that are also recent converts to the cause have seen similar reductions in gun related crimes, averaging about 8-10% per year. These are short term results, but the trend is clear and obvious.
Most of us would look at the wealth of data and come to a pretty easy conclusion, allowing citizens to defend themselves with guns leads to lower crime rates. Liberals don't believe so because their narrative is true no matter what the data tells us. It goes back to their wanting to have control over almost every aspect of our lives. New Mexico will certainly see more gun control legislation in the upcoming years, and it is incumbent upon us to maintain our vigilance and fight these efforts every step of the way. Your life, the lives of your families, and your freedom depends upon it.