Concealed Carry Crime Stats 2023: The Impact of Open Carry on Crime in the U.S.

Report Highlights

There are 26 states with permitless concealed carry freedoms
Washington, D.C., has the highest rate of firearm-related homicides even though it has strict carry laws
83% of states with permitless concealed carry have a homicide rate at or below the national average
45% of states with no permitless concealed carry laws have homicide rates above the national average
3 out of 5 of the safest five states in the U.S. have permitless concealed carry
2 out of 5 of the top five most dangerous states in the U.S. have permitless concealed carry, and 3 out of 5 require permits for concealed carry
84% of states have a lower violent crime rate in 2022 than they did before permitless concealed carry

Concealed Carry Crime Stats

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In 2023 there are several states with open carry and permitless concealed carry laws.

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Best Lead-Free Hunting Ammunition: Is Copper the New Lead?

There are many benefits to switching to lead-free ammunition. Whether you live in California and it’s required for hunting, or you just want something cleaner with less barrel fouling, copper and monolithic bullets are the way to go.

You can find the best lead-free hunting ammo, Barnes VOR-TX, HERE. Or you can keep reading about all of my favorite options in a variety of calibers.

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The Train

There are 2 songs that bring a smile to my face every Christmas season.
They are not traditional tunes like “White Christmas” or “Silver Bells”. Perhaps that is why I like them so much…they are not played ad nauseum as those songs, and many others are, for the period from Thanksgiving to Christmas.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

This one is Pat Metheny’s ‘Last Train Home’. A shortened version was used by one of our local super market chains ‘Publix’.
The full version is below it.

Full Version

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Hump Day Stress Relief

Submitted by: aka.attrition

Source: Steve Inman

Hump Day Stress Relief

Stop messing with people. pic.twitter.com/iYD4v459OG

— Steve Inman (@SteveInmanUIC) November 22, 2023

G.O.A.T. Photo Bomb pic.twitter.com/rCkf3I3vSP

— Steve Inman (@SteveInmanUIC) November 22, 2023

Stay safe out there this Thanksgiving weekend. Buncha Turkeys on the road. pic.twitter.com/17jqivwBZ8

— Steve Inman (@SteveInmanUIC) November 22, 2023

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Gun Control Laws and Enforcement Trends 2023

Report Highlights

The amount of State gun laws nearly doubled between 1991 and 2016 (Source).
The first Federal gun control law was passed in the 1934 National Firearms Act, which limited civilians’ access to machine guns, suppressors, short-barreled shotguns, and others (Source).
Between 1886 and 2023, the Supreme Court of the United States interpreted the Second Amendment to include the right of the individual to keep and bear arms six times.
Homicides (all methods) increased 27% from 1968 to 2021.
Homicide rates increased 28% while incarceration rates fell 15% during the 2020 pandemic.
The 1994 Crime Bill authorized $12.5 Billion dollars for law enforcement, while the ATF receives $1.5 billion annually to enforce Federal firearm laws.
The ATF seized more than 360,000 firearms in 2021 (Source).

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Gun Ownership by State (2023 Statistics)

Where does your state rank in gun ownership? We analyzed all 50 states, gun ownership rates, and ownership percentages to bring you this article. Of course, we’ve also included the answers to some of your most burning questions about gun control, ownership, and crime.

Report Highlights:

The United States has the highest per capita rate of civilian firearm ownership at 120.48 firearms per 100 people.
American civilians own 46% (approximately 393.3 million) of the world’s 857 million civilian-use firearms. (Source)
Montana has the highest amount of gun owners (66.3%).
Wyoming has the most guns per capita, with 245.8 firearms for every 1,000 residents.
The top 5 states for gun ownership comprise only .8% of the nation’s firearm-related homicides (185 homicides between all 5 states).
The bottom 5 states for gun ownership comprise 4% of the nation’s firearm-related homicides (1,038 firearm-related homicides).
According to surveys, 36% of gun owners are white, 24% are black, and 15% are Hispanic. The remaining civilians do not personally own a firearm but do live in a home with someone who does.
Recent polls show that 32% of adults in the U.S. own at least one firearm.
72% of gun owners say the main reason for owning a firearm is for protection.
According to this poll, 32% of US adults own at least one firearm.
New Jersey has the lowest rate of gun ownership at only 8.9% of the population and the least amount per capita (1.1 for every 1,000 people).

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Best 9mm Ammo of 2023: Self-Defense, Plinking, Competition, and More

The humble 9x19mm (also called 9mm Luger, 9mm Parabellum, and 9mm NATO) is one of the most popular cartridges around, so there are a staggering number of different options out there for you to choose from.

This is great because it makes it a very versatile cartridge that can handle a number of roles, but it also introduces a problem. Namely: how on Earth do you choose between all the hundreds of options out there?

To help with this, we got the guns out and tested as many of the top choices as possible to find the best 9mm ammo for just about every purpose.

Our top pick overall is Fiocchi Range Dynamics because it works well for training, plinking, and competition, but of course, there are better options out there depending on what exactly you want to do.

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Adolescents & Firearms: America’s Most Inflated Crisis

Adolescent Firearm-Related Deaths Fast Facts

In 2021, there were 10,048 injury-related deaths (individuals between the ages <1-17). 2,590 of those deaths involved firearms.
62% of child injury-related deaths included mechanisms other than firearms in 2021.
Firearms accounted for less than 25% of all injury-related juvenile deaths in 2021.
1,590 adolescents nationwide committed suicide in 2021. Of those, 790 suicides involved firearms.
There were 2,220 homicides among the <1-17 age group in 2021. Firearms were suspected in 1,503 of those homicides.
There were 161 more adolescent homicides (all methods) in 2021 than in 2020.
There were 93 school shootings in the 2020-2021 school year. Of those, 7 adolescents were killed inside the school during school hours.

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Worst States to be a Gun Owner (2023 Updated)

The sheer volume of firearms in the United States is a point of contention for almost every American. Some believe we have too few, while others believe we have too many. Nonetheless, firearms are a large part of American culture. We value our liberties, the natural right to self-defense, the inherent check on state power an armed populace offers, and the heritage which we pass down from generation to generation.

Whether an individual defines freedom as a life without firearms or a life without government interference, we can all agree that some states do not support gun ownership. Whether it’s a regionally-based cultural divide, or a collective ideology of utopian societies, state legislators represent the voice of their constituents. In this case, some promote individual freedom and personal defense, while others believe the opposite.

We’ve investigated each state’s sales tax, current laws, upcoming laws, concealed carry guidelines, and self-defense statutes to understand better your state’s position on the Personal Liberty and Self-Defense debate.

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Sellier & Bellot Ammo Review: Dropping Does or Flopping Foes?

Sellier and Bellot ammunition (sometimes called S&B ammo) is a household name for those of us who’ve been shooting for years. It’s a one-stop-shop ammo company based in the Czech Republic.

We’re about to tell you how it stacks up to other popular American-made ammo brands like Remington and Winchester. Of course, if you’re in a hurry, click HERE to browse our selection of Sellier and Bellot. But if you want our honest review of ammunition, we use regularly, keep reading!

Is Sellier and Bellot Ammo Good?

Sellier and Bellot is one of those names even novice shooters see everywhere; in competitions, at the hunting club, in ample supply online, etc. It didn’t grow to become this popular without having a few excellent selling points and an excellent reputation.

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Fetter Ammo Review: Is Russian Shotgun Ammo Any Good?

If you’ve never heard of Fetter 12 gauge ammo then you aren’t alone, as this is one of the more obscure ammo manufacturers on the market. Made in Russia to help supply the competitive clay shooting sports, Fetter Ammunition produces a wide variety of shotshells loaded with #7-1/2 and #8 shot for competition to 00 buckshot and slugs for home defense.

Although Fetter Ammo has not established a major foothold in North America, it is more well-known in Europe as a budget-friendly alternative to more expensive brands like Remington, Fiocchi, Winchester, and Federal.

However, if you find Fetter ammo in stock, should you load up your shopping cart with these shotshells or will you be better served by a more traditional brand?

In this in-depth ammo review, we are going to take a hard look at Fetter Ammunition and see if it’s the right choice for your home defense shotgun or your fancy Beretta DT11 O/U.

Is Fetter Ammo Good?

We found that Fetter 12 gauge ammunition was reliable and accurate enough for sporting clay shooting, hunting, or personal defense.

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Belom Ammo Review: Keeping Ammo Accessibility High

During the events of 2020 and 2021, ammo shortages were a real thing. Although you might have been picky about your practice ammo pre-2020, surging prices and scarcity drove many shooters to try out new ammo companies to ensure their range time was not significantly impacted.

One such manufacturer that started making waves in the North American shooting community was a Serbian company named Belom. With their Tupperware-esque plastic boxes and green-sealed primers, Belom offers shooters great ammo at a good price that cannot be ignored.

But is Belom ammo good for you and should you stock up on these new rounds from Serbia? In this in-depth Belom ammo review we will take a deep dive into what makes Belom quality ammo and why you should consider adding it to your target practice bulk ammo purchase.

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MBI Ammunition Review: A Forgotten American Remanufactured Ammo Gem

No matter what your favorite handgun might be, whether it be a Ruger America, Sig Sauer P320, or Glock 19, finding cheap bulk ammo to keep your magazines full is paramount. Many shooters will opt to get their full metal jacket ammo from manufacturers like Blazer Brass, Winchester, Remington, or Tula, but if you haven’t considered MBI then you really should.

Manufactured right here in the good, old US of A, Military Ballistic Industries (MBI) offers high-quality remanufactured ammo for sale at good prices and fast shipping. Although some shooters are wary of using remanufactured ammunition, MBI stands above the rest in their dedication to quality, consistent muzzle velocity (FPS), and muzzle energy.

The result is an excellent round that is perfect for target practice, plinking, and general range work that is available for a fraction of the cost of factory new ammo.

But is MBI ammunition right for you and your prized handguns? In this ammo review, we will take an in depth look at Military Ballistic Industries and help you determine if MBI ammunition is right for you.

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YOU ARE INVITED!

A few months back some of us, mainly in the South and West, were regretful we could not make it up to HF’s July 4th bash, and suggested those of us down here ought to see about making our own get-together.

Given the state of the State right now (Texas) where I am, which has not seen a raindrop in over a month, there is no way I would throw a party right now. It is so hot outside you can fry an egg on the sidewalk along with hash browns, bacon and toast. Street food is very popular here.

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