Expert economist and gun rights advocate told Guns & Patriots that some law enforcement are leading the way in making sure all American citizens have the convenience of being armed.

“The two groups of people who benefit the most from having guns for protection are those most likely to be victims of violent crimes which overwhelming tends to be poor blacks who live in high crime urban areas and women who are relatively less physical,” said John R. Lott Jr., founder and president of the Crime Prevention Research Center, a research and education organization that studies the relationship between laws regulating the ownership or use of guns, crime, and public safety.

Lott said his research indicates that while law enforcement are the single most important factor in reducing crime, police usually do not arrive at a crime scene until after a crime has been committed. “That raises the question, what do you advise the people to do.”

Milwaukee County Sheriff David A. Clarke Jr. understands that having a gun to protect yourself or someone else is by far the safest course of action in a dangerous situation, said Lott. Milwaukee is the largest city in the State of Wisconsin and ranks number 10 in Forbes Magazine 2013 top ten most dangerous cities list.

“The police are not all over the place all the time,” said the sheriff on video at his 2014 reelection campaign website. “There are times you will need to protect yourself. The police aren’t going to be there in a quick period of time.” Self defense is the first law of nature, he continued. “It is your duty and responsibility to protect yourself and your families.”

Being passive or doing something else about self protection is more dangerous, yet that did not stop former New York City Mayor Michael P. Bloomberg from attempting to thwart Clarke’s reelection campaign, said Lott who is the author of More Guns, Less Crime and The Bias Against Guns.

Bloomberg spent more money in ads against the pro-gun sheriff than Clarke and his primary democratic opponent combined. Despite these attempts, Clarke, who voters viewed as generally doing a good job won the democrat primary on August 12 by four percentage points, he said. “The Bloomberg ads had some impact. The race was much closer than it otherwise would have been.”

The city of Detroit, which currently ranks number one at Forbes 2013 list of most dangerous cities, has seen some improvements because of the pro-gun efforts of 37-year law enforcement veteran, Detroit Chief of Police James E. Craig, said Lott.

“There are real budget problems in the city,” he said. “Craig has pointed out how important it is for people to have the option to defend themselves.” Last year Detroit had a 37 percent decrease in the number of robberies committed, he said. “The police chief attributes at least some of that to people being able to go and get armed.”

Craig, who was featured on the cover of NRA America’s 1st Freedom news journal in June, said at a press conference that too many violent criminals are in the possession of firearms. “We need to change the conversation,” he continued. “It’s not about law abiding citizens it’s about how do we get guns out of the hands of criminals.”

The Sheriff said he does not support vigilantism or self appointed law enforcement, but if a citizen is confronted with deadly force or an imminent threat to life, they ought to have the option to carry a firearm for protection.

Having firearms available to the public, protects the public in two ways, said Lott. “If people are armed we prevent some criminals from attacking to begin with. If they do attack, having a gun is by far the safest course of action for people to protect themselves.”