Stats are not the be-all and end-all, but when the past 30 years of statistical evidence directly contradicts the assertions of the gun-grabbers, it is certainly telling. Crime rates dropped by about half while firearm restrictions were removed and sales set new records. There was no statistical evidence to support the Clinton gun ban or waiting periods having any effect. Violence did not erupt in any of the states that switched to shall-issue permits or dropped permit demands altogether. Where people are free to use firearms in self-defense, the intended victims as the first responders stop shootings before any mass can accumulate. Even though correlation is certainly not causation, honest analysis of the available evidence would require authoritarians to reconsider their premises.