If the hypothesis that "more guns = more crime" were true, then as the number of guns increased, violent crime should also increase. However, we see the opposit

If the hypothesis that "more guns = more crime" were true, then as the number of guns increased, violent crime should also increase. However, we see the opposite is true. US violent crime is down for the fifth straight year since 2006: http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/29/justice/us-violent-crime/index.html http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/29/justice/us-violent-crime/index... But since 2006, gun sales have soared: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/01/05/9983727-fbi-firearm-purchases-shoot-up-in-2011?lite http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/01/05/9983727-fbi-firea... "Purchases of handguns and rifles, which had held steady throughout the early part of the decade, began to surge in 2006 and have nearly doubled since then, according to FBI data." So a doubling of gun sales coupled with a declining violent crime rate over a 5 year period should handily dispatch the notion that "more guns = more crime", correct?