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Gun-related crimes vary a great deal from decade to decade, even though the number of guns around doesn't change so much. Gun crimes went through a massive peak during alcohol prohibition, but by the time life in these United States settled down, they were at a tenth what they were during that period. Then they started upwards again, until they reached a second, nearly identical peak during the "crack epidemic", theoretically a new prohibition period. During the 90s things began to settle again and with the peak in jobs in 1999, gun crimes reached a new low. Since then they have been edging upwards, but are still nowhere near what they were a decade ago.
There is absolutely NO DOUBT in my mind that gun crime correlates with the war on drugs. It's so easy to see. As the profit potential for illegal activity rises, so does the number of people who are willing to go to far illegal lengths. Drug lords are running a multi billion dollar industry and it's entirely underground. Guns are how they legislate and control their activity.
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