Handgun Control, Inc.

Handgun Control, Inc., the nation’s largest citizens’ gun control lobbying organization, argues in the following viewpoint that states should not make it easier for citizens to carry concealed weapons because such measures will not reduce crime. The organization claims that violent crime and robbery rates have declined far more dramatically in states that strictly monitor or forbid the carrying of concealed weapons compared to states with lax carrying concealed weapons laws (CCW). In fact, some states with lax CCW laws actually experienced an increase in violent crime.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. According to the FBI, by what percentage did the overall crime rate drop during the period from 1997 to 1998?
2. According to Handgun Control, Inc., what percentage difference was there in the reduction of violent...