A steep drop in crime, but do you feel safer?

[spin]

8. Actually yes, I do feel safer. However that doesn't mean that...

I plan on selling any of my firearms or stopping my practice of carrying concealed.

I enjoy target shooting and most of my collection is dedicated to that purpose. I do own several handguns and a shotgun that are better suited for concealed carry or for home defense. While I realize that the chances of finding myself in a situation where I might have to use a weapon for legitimate self defense is becoming less and less likely, the possibility still exists.

There is also my own personal belief that you can jinx yourself by discontinuing measures that you had taken to insure yourself from having a really bad day. For example, I always had the habit of getting extended warranties on expensive purchases. None ever came in handy. I decided to not purchase a warranty on a large LCD TV. Shortly after the initial manufacturer's warranty ran out the TV died. It cost me a small fortune to get it fixed and after the repair warranty expired it went belly up again.

I'm a firm believer in Murphy's law.

While I believe that better and more proactive policing coupled with the advent of ubiquitous cell phones and cameras are the most likely causes of the decrease in crime, I also find it interesting that this reduction occurred during the same time frame that "shall issue" concealed carry was becoming more common across the U.S. and the sales of firearms were skyrocketing.