Guns can also be a means of intimidation, the whole movement to legalise the carrying of a concealed weapon is based on the premise that ‘criminals’ will be too afraid to act. But while many pro-gunners talk about using guns to deter crime, what crimes can a gun deter or tackle? Guns in the hands of ‘decent’ ordinary citizens are not much use in tackling white collar or computer crime neither is it against the mostly closed worlds of organised crime [and most gang crime]. So that leaves street crime, [mugging, robbery, burglary, etc] the deterrence being talked about is basically lower class crime the protection being sort is mainly against the lowest level of criminal. Could it be said that it is about keeping the economic lower orders in their place? It might be interesting to note that Black households have traditionally had some of the lowest median incomes according to the US census and at the same time although black people only make up around 13 per cent of the US’s population they made up half the prison population in 1999 and in 2000 one in three young black men were either in prison or on probation or parole. Today in the US they make up 41.8% of those on death row. Now while any group can become involved in criminal activity social, economic and educational backgrounds often have a way of determine the type of crime someone is going to undertake. And those close to poverty are much more likely to become involved in street crime (which isn’t that profitable) than white collar or computer crime (which is)