VPC Releases 'License To Kill IV: More Guns, More Crime';

U.S. Newswire ^ | 12 Jun 11:00

[chasio649]

VPC Releases 'License To Kill IV: More Guns, More Crime'; Texas Handgun License Holder Offenses Include Murder, Rape, More To: National Desk Contact: Naomi Seligman of the Violence Policy Center, 202-822-8200, ext. 105

WASHINGTON, June 12 /U.S. Newswire/ -- A new study released today by the Violence Policy Center (VPC) shows that Texas concealed handgun license holders have been arrested 5,314 times since the concealed handgun license law went into effect -- an average of two and one-half arrests every day from Jan. 1, 1996, until Aug. 31, 2001. Texas has a "shall issue" concealed carry system, in which an adult (21 or over), is issued a license that allows them to have a handgun on or about their person as long as it is not visible or discernible through ordinary observation after they meet specific, objective criteria.

According to "License to Kill IV: More Guns, More Crime," from Jan. 1, 1996, through Aug. 31, 2001, there were 41 arrests for murder and attempted murder by concealed handgun license holders in Texas. "License to Kill IV: More Guns, More Crime" discusses the dangerous ramifications of concealed carry legislation and details the arrests of 11 concealed handgun license holders subsequent to licensure for the crimes of homicide, attempted homicide, and aggravated kidnapping. Arrest data is regularly accepted as a valid measure of crime, reflecting law enforcement response to criminal activity, and is used by agencies such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for its Uniform Crime Reports (UCR).

"The NRA told Texans in 1996 that a concealed handgun law would make Texas a safer place," VPC Health Policy Analyst Karen Brock, MPH, said today. "The thousands of arrests of concealed handgun license holders demonstrates the exact opposite to be true: license holders are committing crimes, not preventing them. States now considering concealed carry laws should learn from the dire consequences that Texans now live with day-in and day-out."

VPC analysis of the Texas Department of Public Safety's (DPS) data reveals that:

-- From 1996 to 2000, Texas concealed handgun license holders were arrested for weapon-related offenses at a rate 81 percent higher than that of the general population of Texas, aged 21 and older which amounts to more than one weapon-related offense every other day since the law went into effect.

-- Texas concealed handgun license holders have been arrested for more than two serious violent crimes per month since the law went into effect including: murder/attempted murder, manslaughter/negligent homicide, kidnapping, rape, and sexual assault.

-- Texas concealed handgun license holders have been arrested for more than two crimes against children per month since the law went into effect including: sexual assault/aggravated sexual assault on a child, injury to a child, indecency with a child, abandon/endanger a child, solicitation of a minor, and possession or promotion of child pornography.

For a copy of "License to Kill IV" contact Naomi Seligman at 202-822-8200, ext. 105 or visit the VPC's Web site at http://www.vpc.org. The Violence Policy Center is a national non-profit educational organization working to reduce gun death and injury in America.

[goody2shooz]

Hey! How come this didn't come with a BARF ALERT!

All this points out is that there are more hot-headed, ill tempered crazies in Texas than elsewhere. Maybe it's the dry heat in summer. D'ya think?

[Draakan]

"Texas concealed handgun license holders have been arrested for more than two serious violent crimes per month since the law went into effect including: murder/attempted murder, manslaughter/negligent homicide, kidnapping, rape, and sexual assault"

Don't believe it! Sounds like more propaganda from the Commies.

[rebelsoldier]

Position papers written by individuals and groups whose sole agenda is the validation of their own beliefs are worthless, especially when such "studies" are not cross referenced or independently corroborated and when such investigations are staffed, financed, and conducted by the groups themselves or their affiliates. Even if the specific criteria were valid, the general conclusion isn't. If it were, all individuals who possess firearms would be included in a policy proposal to prohibit or severely limit gun ownership, which is NOT the case since police departments, law enforcement agencies, and government authorities themselves are inexplicably exempted from the identical human error, prejudice, and excess anti-gun groups attribute to everyone else. Thus, their ultimate conclusion is paper-thin agenda driven garbage.

[ratdog]

... manslaughter/negligent homicide, kidnapping, rape, and sexual assault

Darn those guns!  They made a guy go kidnap someone!

I agree with Draakan - it is propaganda. What they fail to report is that proportionally MANY more people are killed by doctors and cars than by guns. But that does not fit their agenda, does it?

[etcetera]

"VPC analysis of the Texas Department of Public Safety's (DPS) data reveals that..."

Did they publish their raw data or did they just publish their own summarization of the data? If they published only a summary, then I would suspect another "Arming of America" type of attempt at academic veracity.

[chasio649]

Sorry...you are right! my apologies.

[Fabozz]

Liberal arguments are so easy to demolish.

"A new study released today by the Violence Policy Center (VPC) shows that Texas concealed handgun license holders have been arrested 5,314 times since the concealed handgun license law went into effect -- an average of two and one-half arrests every day from Jan. 1, 1996, until Aug. 31, 2001."

So that's a crime rate of 912 arrests per year, out of a pool of around 270,000 CCW permit holders. Please note that that's "arrested," not "arrested for violent crimes"; nifty sleight of hand there. But let's see... the most convenient statistics I have are for 1994-1998, so let's pick 1998. The FBI shows 872,745 arrests in Texas out of a pool of 14.1 million adults. So every year we arrest 6.2% of Texans in general, but only 0.3% of CCW holders. In other words, CCW holders are 20 times less likely to be arrested than the general population.

"-- From 1996 to 2000, Texas concealed handgun license holders were arrested for weapon-related offenses at a rate 81 percent higher than that of the general population of Texas, aged 21 and older..."

Well duh. I'll bet Texas drivers license holders were arrested for automobile-related offenses a damn sight more than 81 percent more often than the general population of Texas, too. What percentage of those "weapon-related offenses" are for things like failing to keep the weapon concealed, or inadvertently walking into a 51% or 30.06 establishment? Somewhere between "almost all" and "all," I'm guessing.

"-- Texas concealed handgun license holders have been arrested for more than two serious violent crimes per month since the law went into effect..."

Rate for Texans in general: 26,381 out of 14.1 million in 1998; rate for packin' Texans: 24 out of 270,000. CCW holders are 21 times less likely to be arrested for violent crimes than non-CCW holders. Since the violent-crime arrest rate differential is actually lower than the differential for crime in general, that means that even CCW holders who are arrested are disproportionately likely to be arrested for non-violent crimes. In other words, even criminals with CCW permits are better citizens than criminals without CCW permits. (Again I say, duh. People who comply with laws are more likely to comply with laws—I need a college professor to tell me this?)

Also please note that if you skin your smokewagon and gun down a black hat, you may well get "arrested" but then either have the charges dropped or be acquitted—but, to be fair, arrest statistics are all we have, and simply comparing apples to apples is sufficient to blow this "case" out of the water.

[DoughtyOne]

[Swordmaker]

Great job on shooting down the lies.

The article said there were 41 arrests of CCW permit holders for homicide or attempted homicide in a five and a half year period (1/1/96 through 8/31/2001) in an estimated population of 270,000 CCW permit holders. This is an arrest rate of .015%

Using a similar just 5 year period (from your statistics site), we find that 5459 ordinary citizens (including CCW permit holders) were arrested for homicide (no break down for attempted homicide) in an average population of ~13,580,000. This is an arrest rate of .04%.

This suggests that a CCW permit holder is 2.66 times LESS likely to be arrested for homicide or attempted homicide than the general population is to be arrested for homicide! Since the article's number includes attempted homicides, the actual figure would be much lower, unless we assume that CCW permit holders are unlikely to wound anything they shoot at!

Note also that it can be safely assumed that the 100% of the CCW permit holders have a gun! What percentage of the more-likely-to-murder general population owns a gun???

What is also missing from this article is the fact that as the number of CCW permit holders increased, there was a significant drop in total number of homicides in Texas. Your statistic link shows it. There was a 16.6% drop in homicide arrests from 1986 to 1987. The following year saw a further reduction of 9%.

"There are liars, damn liars, and gun grabber statistics" - Mark Twain (paraphrased)

[Redcloak]

And this is a peer reviewed study, right?

[BikerTrash]

For every single 22LR round manufactured there are two billion murders. That's what I heard.

But I'm still gonna keep mine.

[zx2dragon]

This was disproven when they tried releasing this garbage as news not too long ago.

[GovernmentShrinker]

If guns were a license to kill, I'm sure we'd have taken out these VPC cranks a long time ago.

[RetiredNavy]

Please note that this report is about ARRESTS ONLY. No data is given about CONVICTIONS! Many juristictions arrest the CCW holder in a self defense situation while the investigation is performed only to be released later with no charges filed. Would love to see the number of arrests vs the number of convictions for both CCW and general population.

[1Old Pro]

Sounds like a lot of peoplem using guns for self defence are being falsely "charged" with murder. I want to see the CONVICTIONS data.

[Blood of Tyrants]

-- Texas concealed handgun license holders have been arrested for more than two crimes against children per month since the law went into effect

There you have it. Absolute proof that guns not only cause murder, they aslo cause child abuse. I'll bet if we look further, we'll find out that guns also cause cancer, birth defects, mad cow disease, ingrown toenails, and male pattern baldness as well.

[Draakan]

There you have it. Absolute proof that guns not only cause murder, they aslo cause child abuse. I'll bet if we look further, we'll find out that guns also cause cancer, birth defects, mad cow disease, ingrown toenails, and male pattern baldness as well.

LOL! I like it!