Utah's Record

[Homicides in Utah spiked 44% in 2020, state report says | KSL.com]

Kinda speaks for itself. The saddest part of this report is the age ranges. Interestingly enough, the news around here WILL NOT use the ‘G’ word, it’s like gangs don’t exist in Salt Lake or something.
The other thing that’s kind of surprising is to see this raise after the concealed carry laws changed, now we don’t need a permit to carry, concealed or open, in Utah.

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The age group committing the overwhelming majority of robberies in Utah was between 15 and 19 years old.

If it was reported in CA’s Central Valley, it won’t be a surprise. But, Salt Lake City? :flushed: I was there only once and didn’t figure this kind of news would come out of that place.

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Crime spiked just about everywhere last year due to Antifa, BLM, rioting, looting, arson, “defund the police”, “stand down”, etc. Concealed carry laws or any other “gun control” law does not stop those that wish to do harm from doing so. Firearms in the hands of peaceable people serve to protect them, not cause crime.

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I would think that an armed citizenry would be a bit of a deterrent.

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It can be, but as you see in that story, not always. Also, it depends on the type of crime and who it is committed against. Many of the shootings involve criminals shooting other criminals due to gangs, drug deals gone bad, etc. “15.04% of the homicides reported involved family relationships, while 84.96% did not.”

The one case highlighted in that story stated this about the shooter, “[i]n June 2020 he was convicted of robbery in two separate cases - including one in which he robbed a father and daughter at gunpoint - and was sentenced to three years of probation.”

The spike in arsons, according to the state, was due in part to the civil unrest that happened around the state in May and June of 2020 following calls for police reform nationwide. The Salt Lake City riot occurred on May 30.

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