Criminals always go where the pickin's are easiest. The fact that PRNJ paints big "Rob Me" signs on their subjects is not PA's fault. As it is, Philly has more restrictive gun laws than the rest of the state.

Regardless, if PRNJ would just allow their (at that point former) peons to defend themselves I guarantee there would be more criminals in the morgue and less crime on the streets.

But then I'm just a cold-hearted, right-wing, gun-nut.

Absolutely right. And I'm a cold-hearted, Right-Wing gun nut, too. What they're obviously pushing for is a federal gun-ban law, overriding both the Second and the Tenth Amendments. The U.N. is pushing for a global gun-ban. I'm against it!

Sigh. People always try to make this simple.

I don't live anywhere near the area, so I can't answer any of these questions which may have as large (or more) of an impact than gun laws (especially since it sounds like they're not closely monitored).

What is the difference in wealth distribution in the cities? Are there more gangs in one area or another? Is there a higher level of education in one city vs. the other? What is the relative amount of low income housing in each city? What is the level of unemployment or low income wages? How are homeless populations handled differently in each city? How popular are illegal drugs in each city? What is the comparitive number of liqour stores per capita in each city? What kinds of violent crime are we talking about here.... how much is by family members/friends that would occur irrelevant of concealed weapons?

And here are some things that may deflate that number even further...
How many concealed weapons have been shown to prevent violent crime? How many people carry concealed weapons in camden despite the laws? Have any criminals been shown to leave philly specifically to commit crimes in camden?

If you could answer all of these questions maybe I would give you the benefit of the doubt. I'm not saying there isn't a correlation, just that correlations are very, very hard to find. You have to crunch alot of data, and make sure that data is even comparable, or else you end up with a P.O.S. like John R. Lott.

If you could answer all of these questions maybe I would give you the benefit of the doubt.

Only maybe? Gee, you're putting me to a lot of work for not a lot of return there.

This is a blog, not a taxpayer-funded think tank. I don't need statistics to tell me that I'm safer carrying a gun than I would be without one. If you think you'd be safer in a high crime city where you're disarmed by gun control than in a city next door which allows you to carry one, then by all means live there and take your chances without a gun.

I don't need statistics to tell me where I'd be safer.

You're not safer with a gun than without one, except in very specific circumstances. This is not an opinion simply reasoning from a different set of assumptions, it is an observable fact.

See
http://modoblog.blogspot.com/2005/07/guns-and-trigger-locks-whats-evidence.html

While you may make a case that in certain high-crime environments, keeping a gun makes sense, you would have to estimate it to be very, very, very likely that you will be in a situation where you can get your gun out faster than the other guy.

I don't support across the board gun control. But I do think that anecdotes notwithstanding, the evidence we have shows that because of its ability to amplify domestic violence and cause accidents, on balance gun ownership makes you less safe. Nobody has ever proven otherwise and not for lack of trying.

Statistics are meaningless, as they don't take into account any individual. You might as well argue that driving a car or homosexuality are more dangerous than not doing so.

None of these "studies" are capable of assessing the millions os incidents in which the mere presence of guns deterred criminals -- because they aren't reported. It's happened twice in my life already. But not for the gun, I might already be dead.

The statistics you cite are used by people hell-bent on telling others what to do. It's my life and I'll take my own chances.

As someone with personal experience with Camden NJ, I would not drive through a number of Camden neighborhoods at night WITHOUT a gun...one or two not even in daytime. And it's not just the last few years, it's been like that for decades.

And here in NJ, only the police can conceal-carry; there are no civilian CCW-permits. Even licensed security guards and armored-truck guards are only permitted to carry with in uniform AND on-duty. Even to purchase a handgun for your home is an odious ordeal, and can take months.