Trends in gun laws, carrying and violent crime.
The clear recent trend in U.S. law has been to increase the opportunities for law-abiding citizens to engage in open and/or concealed carry. This trend has been going on for over a decade and has been accompanied by drops in violent crime rates. While there may not be a connection, the trend shows that more guns and carrying by law-abiding citizens has not result in the chicken-little predictions of those who dislike guns and gun owners. Thanks to Bennett Jones for the link.