Crime is Up

Crime has increased over the past two years, according to the 2012 Bureau of Justice Statistics' National Crime Victimization Survey. The survey, which is based on a representative sample of U.S. households interviewed twice in one year, also takes into consideration unreported crimes in addition to FBI crime stats.

Unreported crimes are usually of a less-serious nature, but violent crime rose 15 percent in 2012, and simple assaults were up as well. Until now, crime rates had been dropping since 1993, according to FBI statistics. Some experts believe that this means crime rates have bottomed out and that the country might be heading for a surge.

There are many theories on why crime starting dropping in the 90s, such as low inflation keeping the price of goods down and technology helping police solve crimes, as well as why they are rising now. Personally, I can’t help but think that the popularity of concealed carry played its part. Regardless, now is a good time to take a serious look at your self-defense and home-defense plans.

Make the commitment to practice drawing this week with an unloaded handgun from concealment. Double check that doors and windows are secure throughout your home and that everyone remembers his or her assignment in the event of an attack. If you’ve been considering planting some unfriendly plants around windows to discourage access, fall is the time to plant holly bushes in most climates.

Also, if you’ve been thinking about taking a new training course, you might want to make the call. There are a lot of highly skilled NRA instructors teaching everything from Basic Handgun all the way up to Personal Protection Outside the Home. These are great courses, and even if you have already been certified in a particular discipline, you could learn something new under a different instructor. He or she will at least make you think, a major component of self-defense. Think of self-defense as a life journey; you should always be learning and growing.