To the editor:

The recent article by Mark Bowes, entitled “VA  gun sales surge” did a very good job of analyzing the recent increase in Virginia background checks and showed that this trend is not a reliable indicator of a similar increase in the number of gun owners. However, what I think was missing from the piece was any comparison between the “beliefs” that were said to be associated with this apparent trend and actual reality.  Many people may indeed believe that violent crime would increase with a downturn in the economy, but the hard facts point to a continued decline in violent crime, both in VA and across the country.  It is also possible that many people believe that owning a gun would increase their personal security, yet the facts show that gun owners continue to die from gunshot injuries at rates much higher than non owners.