Guns: Washington's safer than strict states

Some salient facts:

▪  I drove a taxi for 12 years in Seattle, at night, in every zone. I refused fewer fares than anybody else and was never robbed.

▪  Washington issues concealed-carry weapon licenses much more easily than many pro-gun states and has a very high percentage of people so licensed.

▪  In a recent seven-week period, Seattle - with 500,000 residents - had no murders at all.

▪  The cities that prevent honest citizens from owning guns are the most deadly. Boston saw four cabbies slain in on week. Massachusetts requires a permit to have a gun at home and another to take it hunting or to the gunsmith.

▪  Vermont borders three fiercely restrictive zones (New York, Massachusetts and Canada) and had no gun laws until it banned concealed carry in a few venues. It is far safer in Vermont than in those states and Canada.

This story was originally published January 7, 2016 at 12:12 PM with the headline "Guns: Washington's safer than strict states."