In his studies, Lott took into account every conceivable significant factor, such as general trend lines in crime before the passage of concealed carry laws, increases in law enforcement, and so on. Concealed carry laws had the greatest impact in reducing crimes against women and crimes in urban areas. For example, Denver would likely experience a greater benefit from liberalized concealed carry laws than would Grand Junction, where crime is already lower. That makes sense, since, as mentioned, most crime is committed in poor urban areas, and disarmed women are on average less able to defend themselves against larger male attackers. Lott attributed the decrease in crime associated with the passage of liberal concealed carry laws to three main factors.
Some criminals simply stop committing crimes.
Others switch to crimes which don't involve personal contact with the victim. For instance, a criminal might steal a stereo from a car rather than attack a person directly. Finally, some criminals move to areas which are safer for them to commit crimes. Thus, Lott found that, when one county issued concealed carry permits, neighboring counties saw a slight increase in crime. Lott fears that mandatory storage laws and mandatory trigger locks may actually increase crime by reducing the usefulness of guns for self-defense.