Cross posted at slothropia.com
On June 28, the Peoria Journal Star printed a letter I wrote concerning a proposal of Mayor Jim Ardis (of Peoria) that his city be a test site for an Illinois conceal and carry law with the last line deleted. The last paragraph reads as follows:
I just wish that advocates for conceal carry laws would have the intellectual honesty to look at all the data, not just the studies that support their point of view. Maybe the media should look at some of this research as well, so that a reasonable and well informed debate on this issue could finally occur.
The deleted sentence is in bold. My point was that the media (in particular the Journal Star) is not presenting the evidence in support of either of the two sides of this argument. If there is evidence showing that such laws do in fact reduce crime, I have yet to see it other than John Lott's discredited studies.
In the Sunday, July 19 print edition of the paper, there is a story with Ryan Ori's byline and the headline "Police say concealed-carry law would deter criminals". The specific police quoted in the piece are Peoria Police Chief Steven Settingsgaard, Bartonville Police Chief Brian Fengel, Peoria Heights Police Chief Dustin Sutton, East Peoria Police Chief Ed Papis and Peoria police Officer Troy Skaggs, president of the Peoria Police Benevolent Union.
Perhaps the headline would be more accurate if it referred to "local police" rather than implying that all police everywhere are in favor of conceal carry laws.
Right now, Republicans in Congress, joined by some Democrats, are trying to pass a federal conceal and carry law:
The latest measure, offered by Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), has far greater reach. Offered Monday as an amendment to the defense authorization bill, it would allow people to carry concealed firearms across state lines, provided they "have a valid permit or if, under their state of residence . . . are entitled to do so."
The amendment is opposed by 400 mayors, including New York's Michael R. Bloomberg (I) and Boston's Thomas M. Menino (D), who outlined their objections in a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.). They noted that at least 31 states prohibit alcohol abusers from obtaining concealed-carry permits; at least 35 states bar people convicted of certain misdemeanors from becoming gun owners; and at least 31 states require people to complete gun-safety programs before securing a weapons permit.
I assume Mayor Jim Ardis of Peoria is not among the 400.
This amendment is also opposed by at least one organization representing law enforcement officials:
Already groups opposed to the amendment have begun running ads and penning letters to lawmakers urging a "No" vote. Sen. Frank Lautenberg, the New Jersey Democrat who has long fought gun groups, tomorrow is planning to launch his retaliation at a press conference. "Trumping state laws to allow concealed weapons to be carried by almost anybody in any state is an egregious threat to communities all across the country," he told us today. "This amendment is just another attempt by the gun lobby to put its radical agenda ahead of safety and security in our communities." His office released a letter from the International Association of Chiefs of Police opposing the legislation, claiming that it might override different state laws that limit who can carry a concealed weapon. He also released a letter from the mayors of more than 400 cities and towns that claims the Thune "concealed-carry amendment" would infringe on state laws.
In a related development, the Violence Policy Center has released a study showing that "Concealed handgun permit holders killed at least seven police officers and 44 private citizens in 31 incidents during the period May 2007 through April 2009 according to a new study released today by the VPC."
In his PJ Star article, Ori writes "Concealed-carry opponents point to instances of breakdowns in which unqualified or unstable people attain the right to carry a gun, and proponents cite statistics showing reductions in certain types of crimes in the years after approving concealed-carry legislation."
The VPC study addresses the conceal carry opponents' concern Ori refers to. Regarding the statistics argument, I would like to know where these studies exist that show conceal and carry to reduce crime. Again, I have not seen or heard of any other than John Lott's discredited abuse of data.
To repeat, the corporate (or traditional) media is failing to do its job by not presenting the information citizens need to make sound judgments on matters of public policy. This is just as true regarding the health care debate as the endless argument over guns.
I oppose conceal carry laws, largely because I am concerned about the kind of society we are building with such laws. The NRA and gun advocates generally seem to want everyone to carry firearms everywhere and all the time. How does a civil society survive such paranoia?