(Uh, oh. Denny Hoskins (r – noun, verb, CPA) has some explaining to do. Then again, we’ve witnessed his lack of basic research skills in the past. – promoted by Michael Bersin)
As all “let’s expand conceal and carry” supporters know, conceal and carry permit holders don’t commit crimes.
My State Representative Denny “I do research” Hoskins told me. (I’m the one asking questions.)
Representative Hoskins: . . . What it, what it came down to, and I did a lot of research on this. Um…. there has not been one incident, not only in Missouri, but the United States, with a conceal and carry permit holder committing a crime. And…[crosstalk]
Question: What?
Representative Hoskins: With their concealed firearm.
Question: What? Not a single one?
Representative Hoskins: I know, I know, it’s, it’s …[crosstalk]
Question: No, that’s not true, of course. That’s not true, of course.
Today, the New York Times reported on a study by the Violence Policy Center. Hoskins will need to do some more research.
You can find the full report by the Violence Policy Center here.
Here are the three major results of the study.
P Over the two-year period May 2007 through April 2009, concealed handgun permit
holders have slain seven law enforcement officers resulting in criminal charges or the
suicide of the shooter. All of the killings were committed with guns. An additional three
law enforcement officers were injured in these incidents.Over the two-year period May 2007 through April 2009, concealed handgun permit
holders have slain at least 44 private citizens resulting in criminal charges or the
suicide of the shooter. All but one of the killings were committed with guns. An additional
six private citizens were injured in these incidents.In six of the 31 incidents (19 percent), the concealed handgun permit holder killed
himself, bringing the total fatality count to 57.
This study comes out as the US Senate is consider legislation forcing states to recognize conceal and carry permits from other states.
Hopefully, this study will put a stake into any more attempts to allow conceal and carry permit holders to bring their guns onto Missouri public universities.
And, of course, Denny Hoskins has one less argument to explain his vote on conceal and carry.
The report stated that one of the criminals, the Aryan Nations member, should not have been issued a concealed carry permit. Looks like the government messed up on that one and I dare to presume he would have carried if he legally was allowed to or not.
Derrick Foster, “who was shooting dice inside a house when it was raided for drugs by a police tactical unit, shot through a barricaded door, wounding two police officers as they broke through it.” according to the report. People would do well to search Radley Balko’s blog for several stories about this incident. Some notable comments:
“Incidentally, this was the third drug raid of the night for the Columbus narcotics SWAT team. The police say the house Foster was in was “a suspected crack house.” That doesn’t appear to be the case. No one in the house has been charged with any drug crime. The only charges stemming from the raid are the attempted murder and felonious assault charges against Foster and Michael Gravely for their reaction to the raid. It looks like there wasn’t even enough gambling going on to merit a charge.
It would be nice to see the Columbus media ask some tougher questions, here. Upon what evidence did the police conduct this raid? Why was this “a suspected crack house?” Why no drug charges? What does the affidavit say? Where there any controlled buys at the house? Is it typical for the narcotics unit to conduct three raids in one night? Early reports described a witness who claims to have heard police give an order to smash in the house’s windows just prior to the raid. Did that witness hear an announcement? Was it loud enough to be heard by the people inside?”
Radley Balko also blogged about the Christina Korbe incident, one link below as its too long to quote:
http://www.theagitator.com/200…
But I will include this one small quote:
“That said, from what I know of the case, I don’t believe she knowingly shot and killed Agent Hicks. She says she didn’t hear the announcement, and thought her home was being robbed-not an unreasonable assumption. She says she fired at the men invading her home because she feared they might hurt her kids. More to the point, she was on the phone with a 911 operator during the raid.”
Balko has studied the expansion of SWAT and other militarized police units and how no-knock warrants are causing the deaths of innocent civilians and police officers.
I notice how section two of the report reads:
“In the two-year period May 2007 to April 2009, in addition to the six incidents detailed in Section One, VPC research identified 25 concealed handgun permit holders reported to be involved in 25 incidents in which 42 private citizens were slain and an additional three were injured. Because of
the secretive nature of concealed handgun permit laws, the VPC relied primarily on news accounts.
As a result, these incidents represent only a sample of criminal shootings involving concealed handgun permit holders. The total number is most likely far higher.”
I receive a daily news clippings service and almost every day there is at least one article about someone defending themselves, their family, home, or business with a legal firearm. If this organization wants to play anecdotal evidence, they’ll get it handed back to them in spades.
It appears that VPC is trying to claim later in the document that CCW does not decrease crime rates as other studies have shown, but they do not actually show that crime rates increase, either. Color me puzzled by just what they were trying to accomplish with the study, but maybe next time they should look at CCW holders and their driving habits. That might be just as logical.
It is about allowing conceal and carry permit holders to carry their concealed guns wherever they want.
If you want a gun in your home to defend yourself, so be it.
Having hit a deer last year, I really do want more hunters to kill more deer in Missouri.
If you read the report I linked to, did you see this section about Texas (page 29)?
It certainly is interesting to read that at least one time a day you find people defending themselves with a gun. I wonder if you every come across stories like this one? (I only know about this because my best friend used to go to that crazy doctor who was killed by his own gun.)