This FBI Press Release says that for the third year in a row, the Preliminary Semiannual Uniform Crime Report shows that violent crime, property crime, and arson have decreased. The latest report compares January-June 2009 figures with the same time period in 2008.

The National Shooting Sports Foundation says the FBI statistics undermine a favorite argument of anti-gun groups and some mainstream media that “more guns equal more crime,” especially when you consider that the decrease in violent crime from late 2008 through the first half of 2009 occurred at the same time that firearm sales were surging.

The sales surge has not applied across the board to every type of firearm. Handguns and the AR-15 platform have been the main focus of the gun-buying mania that has swept the country since it became clear that the most anti-gun president in our nation’s history was about to assume the controls of executive power in Washington D.C. Several million of the dreaded “Black Rifle” that shoots a .223 caliber bullet and which gun haters fear and loathe so much they label it an “assault rifle” have been sold making it the most popular firearm in America. AR-15 parts and accessories fly out the door and over the internet like pigeons at Trafalgar Square from MidwayUSA and Brownells. [These companies sell only accessories and unregulated parts. The firearms themselves must be transferred after purchase in a face-to-face transaction from a gun dealer licensed by the Federal government, with the transferee submitting to an FBI criminal background check].

It’s not just gun sales that have gone off the charts. Citizens are lining up for concealed handgun permits they way they used to do for Bruce Springsteen or Fleetwood Mac tickets. Even in gun-loathing Massachusetts The Boston Globe reports that:

The number of gun permits issued in Massachusetts surged by more than 15 percent over the past two years, reversing nearly a decade of steady declines and marking a pronounced departure for a state known for its antigun sentiment.

The magnitude of the rise, evident in nearly every corner of the state, surprised law enforcement officials, and gun advocates and opponents alike.

Massachusetts is a bit of a sleeper gun wise. Its concealed carry law is not a “shall issue” law, meaning that all residents who meet certain objective criteria must be issued a permit if they apply for it. Rather, Massachusetts remains one of the few “discretionary issue” states meaning that CCW permits are controlled by chiefs of police and sheriffs who “may issue” if they feel like it, or may not if they don’t. Whether one gets a permit in MA depends largely upon whether one lives in a city or county where the police chief or sheriff is friendly to gun owners.

So, here is a quiz. Which state has the highest number of issued and outstanding CCW permits, antigun Massachusetts, or gun-friendly Colorado whose CCW law is of the “shall issue” type? You may be surprised by the answer, I sure was. The Boston Globe article reports that the number of CCW permits currently issued and outstanding in MA is 224,000. What is it in Colorado? Well, that is not a number that is easy to find because the sheriffs in Colorado only report the number they issue annually. But a safe estimate at the end of 2008 would be about 60,000. According to the County Sheriffs Association of Colorado there will be approximately 20,000 more permits issued by the end of 2009, which will bring the total up to approximately 80,000.

Is all this good? Yes, it is very good. Crime is down. We are good men and good women. We are not subjects of some tyrannical potentate on high. Not yet. We are free citizens.