More guns less crime?   John R. Lott's pithy summary describing the advantages of owning guns seems to be borne out in Virginia according to a report by Mark Bowes of the Richmond Times-Dispatch.    Last year the Virginia legislature passed a law allowing those with gun permits to carry concealed weapons into bars and restaurants serving alcohol.  Opponents predicted Wild West shootings and bloody mayhem from drunken patrons; instead   The number of major crimes involving firearms at bars and restaurants statewide declined 5.2 percent from July 1, 2010, to June 30, 2011, compared with the fiscal year before the law went into effect, according to crime data compiled by Virginia State Police at the newspaper's request.  (snip) "The numbers basically just confirm what we've said would happen if the General Assembly changed the law," said Philip Van Cleave, president of the pro-gun Virginia Citizens Defense League, which...(Read Full Post)