At the Detroit News:
Concealed weapons could save lives
By Dr. John Lott & Phil Green. May 24, 2023
Article Source
Dr. John Lott has a recent op-ed in the Detroit News with Phil Green, who represents the 67th House District in Michigan and is the chair of the House Second Amendment Caucus.
During the first quarter of 2023, Detroit had the fifth highest murder rate in the country, according to preliminary police department crime data compiled by WalletHub.
Gun control advocates propose to help by banning people from carrying permitted concealed handguns in the city.
Police are critical to stopping crime. Academic research shows that policing is probably the single most important factor in reducing it.
But the police themselves realize that, even in normal times, they virtually always arrive on the crime scene after the crime has occurred.
In 2013, police response times in Detroit averaged 50 minutes.
By 2018, it was down to 12 minutes. Compare that to cities such as Los Angeles and New York, where the response times were 5.7 and 4.6 minutes.
Even if a crime victim is able to make a call, 12 minutes is a long time when seconds matter.
PoliceOne surveyed more than 15,000 police professionals across ranks and department sizes in 2013 and found that 91% of the members support liberally issued concealed handgun permits.
The National Association of Chiefs of Police and Sheriffs are similarly supportive. Those are first responders who are on the scenes of these tragedies every day.
Academic criminologists and economists who have published peer-reviewed research on guns also agree.
Surveys show that they had the same top four preferred policies for stopping mass public shootings, and this included letting people carry concealed handguns and getting rid of gun-free zones.
Concealed carry permit holders are remarkably law-abiding. In the 19 states with comprehensive data, the average revocation rate for any reason is about one-tenth of 1%.
The data for Michigan is very similar. Permit holders are convicted of firearms-related violations at one-twelfth the rate of police officers.
Research from the Crime Prevention Research Center has demonstrated that the two groups that benefit the most from carrying guns are the likeliest victims of crime — underprivileged Americans in high-crime, urban areas and people who are physically weaker such as women or the elderly.
Murderers are deterred when people carry concealed handguns, be they man or woman.
If you still aren’t convinced, just read the manifestos and diaries from mass public shooters about why they picked the targets that they do.
The Biden administration has yet to release the Nashville school shooter’s manifesto, but Nashville Police Chief John Drake has seen it.
“There was another location that was mentioned, but because of a threat assessment by the suspect of too much security, they decided not to,” said Drake.
Unfortunately, no one at The Covenant School had a gun to fight back with.
These murderers count on gun-free zones to ensure they will be the only armed person present. Last year, the Tops Friendly Markets shooter in Buffalo wrote in his manifesto: “Areas where CCW permits are outlawed or prohibited may be good areas of attack.”
We have seen that in recent attacks on an Old National Bank in Louisville, an outlet mall in Allen, Texas and a hospital in Atlanta.
Police are important. But if we are going to be serious about protecting vulnerable people, we have to let them protect themselves.
Phil Green and John Lott Jr., “Concealed weapons could save lives,” Detroit News, May 23, 2023.
