Here is definitive proof that guns reduce the incidence of crime. In response to the Morton Grove, Illinois, gun ban, the city of Kennesaw, Georgia, requires every household to maintain a firearm and ammunition.
As a result, in the crime comparisons below you will see that violent crime is at least the same or somewhat lower than every surrounding jurisdiction and every demographically similar jurisdiction in the area that I could find. In addition, you will find that property crime is essentially half of the crime in surrounding jurisdictions. This is actually pretty amazing.
I have bolded the places that I think are most similar to Kennesaw. However, you will also find that crime is higher in places that I believe are actually a bit more upscale than Kennesaw - Alpharetta, Roswell, and Sandy Springs. Smyrna and Marietta have much higher crime, but they are a little closer to Atlanta and have different demographics.
Kennesaw v. Acworth
http://www.bestplaces.net/crime/?city1=51343192&city2=51300408
Bonus: Acworth Carjacking Story
http://johnrlott.blogspot.com/2005/09/man-uses-gun-to-stop-fleeing-car.html
Kennesaw v. Woodstock
http://www.bestplaces.net/crime/?city1=51343192&city2=51384176
Bonus: Woodstock Carjacking Story
[SIZE="Small"]Stopped for a red light, Laura Huntington of Woodstock, Ga., suddenly found herself with an extra passenger in the car — a man holding a razor to her throat. Following his directions, Huntington stopped the car on command, and seizing the moment, pulled her revolver. Her assailant wisely decided to flee. "I had already made up my mind I was going to use it," she said. (The Daily Journal, Marietta, Ga., 06/04/92) http://www.old-yankee.com/rkba/armcit/armc992.html[/SIZE]
Kennesaw v. Roswell
http://www.bestplaces.net/crime/?city1=51343192&city2=51367284
Bonus: Roswell Pitbull Story
http://www.myfoxatlanta.com/myfox/pages/News/Detail?contentId=3571287&version=1&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=3.2.1
Kennesaw v. Marietta
http://www.bestplaces.net/crime/?city1=51343192&city2=51349756
Bonus: Marietta Robber Gets Shot
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5z83XCC3LrI
Kennesaw v. Villa Rica
http://www.bestplaces.net/crime/?city1=51343192&city2=51379528
Kennesaw v. Smyrna
http://www.bestplaces.net/crime/?city1=51343192&city2=51371492
Kennesaw v. Sandy Springs
http://www.bestplaces.net/crime/?city1=51343192&city2=51368516
Kennesaw v. Alpharetta
http://www.bestplaces.net/crime/?city1=51343192&city2=51301696
Reference Map of Atlanta
http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&q=Atlanta+Metro+Map&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=X&oi=geocode_result&resnum=1&ct=title
As a bonus, you will note that Morton Grove, Illinois, has more property crime than Kennesaw.
http://www.bestplaces.net/crime/?city1=51343192&city2=51750647
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I have several telescopes, but none are semi-APO, APO, or in anyway valuable.
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