Darryl McGarry's Dec. 14 letter, "Less paranoia about government," made for an amusing read. McGarry seems to believe that banning guns leads to less crime. The reverse appears to be true in cities like Chicago and Washington. Britain has far more gun restrictions than America, yet London is now a more dangerous place than New York City.
Gun-control advocates often claim that gun bans would be more effective if firearms were not brought into the cities from outlying areas. If this were true, then American suburbs should be awash in violent crime. If Australia's crime has decreased, is it really because the bad guys dutifully surrendered their weapons? It's a nice thought, but it doesn't seem credible.
McGarry also speculates on the criminal mentality, and doubts that predators care whether their victims are armed or not. You don't have to be a criminologist to understand that most criminals profile their victims. Most burglars, robbers, muggers and rapists don't select their targets at random. Your average career criminal is not looking for a fair fight with a matched adversary, or for a well-protected home or business.
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