2013 set a new record for background checks on gun sales with more than 21 million applications. That number was an 8% increase over 2012 and marks the 11th straight year the number rose. But in what leftists surely see as a paradox, despite the increasing number of firearms in America, crime rates continue to drop – big time. According to the FBI’s semi-annual report, between January and June last year, the overall arson rate fell 15.6%; forcible rape 10.6%; burglary 8.1%, murder 6.9%; aggravated assault 6.6%; and violent crime 5.4%. All other groups – robbery, property crime, larceny-theft and motor vehicle theft – likewise saw a drop. It baffles some minds, but it’s almost as if guns don’t cause crime.