Our country has always had a high level of personal violence. I'm sure lots of PhD dissertations have been written about it. Some things that are different about our country from a Canada or some of the European countries is that we have a huge problem with drugs and gangs. I've been in California this week and the LA Times had had stories every day about the expansion of the Mexican Mafia gangs into the Central Valley and across the west. The brutality is not confined to the big urban areas or cites. Many small towns across the country are afflicted with gangs. In Arkansas and western Tennessee, many of the gangs are involved with the trans-shipment of drugs up I-40 from Texas to Chicago.
Memphis has plenty of legitimate jobs, and yet the gang members and drugs are destroying the city.
In New Hampshire, which I consider home, if there is some heinous crime, it is usually caused by the various gang members that have spread from Massachusetts and are usually drug/gang related.
Anyone watched a kid play "Grand Theft Auto?" I wanted to take my nephew out to shoot a single shot 22, but got the kibosh from his parents. They had a big issue with me teaching him gun safety and the discipline of shooting well. At the same time they do not have a problem with him playing unbelievably violent and obscene video games. Crazy to me.
Until the various violent groups stop shooting/raping and robbing, I'm going to have a concealed carry permit. Some places in this country you don't need one, but in big chunks of this country, you do. I drove into my old neighborhood in Dayton, OH last year, but didn't have a pistol in the car due to the stringent gun laws in OH. Big mistake to drive by our old house. It is now officially a crack neighborhood.
I'm not supporting gun restrictions until the bad guys give theirs up and get a J-O-B.

My two cents worth.

Dave