Back in 1998, the University of Chicago Press published economist John Lott’s book More Guns, Less Crime. A lot of people bought it. Not many read it. No surprise there. Saying MGLC is a stat-heavy tome is like saying that anyone who attempts to knock a pregnant woman unconscious for the sheer bloody hell of it deserves ballistic disincentive. Yes, there is that [as above]. But here’s the thing: not many Americans carry a gun. Percentage-wise, you can round it down to zero. What if more people packed heat? Would there be less violent crime? If that’s true, where’s the tipping point? Ten percent? Twenty percent? And given that inter-gang warfare accounts for a large chunk of “gun violence,” would legal carry have any effect on inner city violent crime? One more thing: would open carry be more effective at reducing/preventing violent crime than concealed?