High crime, social dysfunction propel Americans to own guns for defense: WSJ

NEW YORK, April 24 (Xinhua) -- Many Americans keep guns at home due to the society's current dysfunction -- crime is surging around the country, and it's hypocritical to urge Americans to disarm while also failing to protect them from surging crime rates, said The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on Sunday in an Opinion article.

"Vagrants wander the streets, police are reluctant to tackle criminals, and courts seem unwilling to impose serious sentences on those who break the law," said the report. "Given these circumstances, owning a gun seems to be one of the few ways to feel even a semblance of personal safety."

"There is an irony that policies progressives espouse, such as gun control, have prompted us to have a gun in our home," noted the article titled "Progressives Convinced Us to Get a Gun."

Progressives nationwide have attacked police and law enforcement, alleging that the legal system is systemically racist and oppressive, said the report. They have caused recidivist criminals to haunt streets and commit more crimes -- and have refused to deal with homelessness in spite of the mental illness and drug addictions that so often afflict cities' most vulnerable.

"This approach has unleashed a crime wave and diminished our sense of safety on the streets. It is, therefore, unsurprising to see ever more law-abiding people seeking to arm themselves," it noted, adding that "as a result, there will be more guns out there, including in the hands of people who should never be near them."