Tim writes: > ... >If criminals were so concerned about the tiny chance of encountering a >gun carrier then they would already have been deterred by the far >larger chance of being arrested and convicted for their crime.
"Tiny" and "far larger" need to be quantified - and then need to be multiplied by how serious are the consequences. Only a fraction of crimes lead to arrests. Many arrests (at least in the country) don't lead to conviction, or are disposed of by plea bargains with diminished punishments. Overall, non-capital non-drug-related crimes are not punished severely. The potential of being shot, wounded and perhaps killed by a attackee or other defender may be viewed with much greater concern than spending time in jail or on probation. -- --henry schaffer
