|
The Truth About
"The Florida Model"
The following
information concerning carrying concealed firearms (CCW) statistics
may be of interest to listeners of "Tom Gresham's Gun Talk." These
facts debunk the distortions and outright lies fostered by the
gun-grabbers. It should be noted, that almost without exception, the
media is equally as guilty in disseminating these distortions and
falsehoods. These figures are compiled from the FBI's annual report on
crime (Uniform Crime Reports), and from other law enforcement
agencies.
"Violent crime
rates are highest overall in states with laws severely limiting or
prohibiting the carrying of concealed firearms for self-defense". (FBI
Uniform Crime Reports, 1992)
The total Violent
Crime Rate is 26% higher in the restrictive states (798.3 per 100,000
pop.) than in the less restrictive states (631.6 per 100,000).
The Homicide Rate
is 49% higher in the restrictive states (10.1 per 100,000) than in the
states with less restrictive CCW laws (6.8 per 100,000).
The Robbery Rate
is 58% higher in the restrictive states (289.7 per 100,000) than in
the less restrictive states (183.1 per 100,000).
The Aggravated
Assault Rate is 15% higher in the restrictive states (455.9 per
100,000) than in the less restrictive states (398.3 per 100,000).
Using FBI data
(1992), homicide trends in the 17 states with less restrictive CCW
laws compare favorably against national trends, and almost all CCW
permittees are law-abiding.
Since adopting
CCW (1987), Florida's homicide rate has fallen 21% while the U.S. rate
has risen 12%. From start-up 10/1/87 - 2/28/94 (over 6 years) Florida
issued 204,108 permits; only 17 (0.008%) were revoked because
permittees later committed crimes (not necessarily violent) in which
guns were present (not necessarily used).
Of 14,000 CCW
licensees in Oregon, only 4 (0.03%) were convicted of the criminal
(not necessarily violent) use or possession of a firearm.
Americans use
firearms for self-defense more than 2.1 million times annually.
By contrast,
there are about 579,000 violent crimes committed annually with
firearms of all types. Seventy percent of violent crimes are committed
by 7% of criminals, including repeat offenders, many of whom the
courts place on probation after conviction, and felons that are
paroled before serving their full time behind bars.
Two-thirds of
self-protective firearms uses are with handguns.
99.9% of
self-defense firearms uses do not result in fatal shootings of
criminals, an important factor ignored in certain "studies" that are
used to claim that guns are more often misused than used for
self-protection.
Of incarcerated
felons surveyed by the Department of Justice, 34% have been driven
away, wounded, or captured by armed citizens; 40% have decided against
committing crimes for fear their would-be victims were armed.
Other
Concealed Carry
Facts
With adoption of
CCW by Louisiana in 1996, 30 states have CCW laws requiring the
issuance of permits to carry concealed firearms for self-defense to
citizens who meet fair and reasonable state standards. Vermont, which
ranks near the bottom in violent crime rates year-in and year-out,
allows firearms to be carried concealed without a permit.
In recent years
NRA successfully fought for the adoption of favorable CCW laws now on
the books in Florida (1987), Idaho (1990, amended 1991), Mississippi
(1990), Montana (1991), and Oregon (1990). In recent legislative
sessions, proposals for similar CCW laws have progressed in Alaska,
Colorado, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas.
Anti-gun forces
oppose CCW with a variety of arguments, ranging from deliberate
misrepresentations of commonly available crime data to "studies"
pretending to show that private ownership of firearms leads to death
and injury rather than providing protection to the owner.
1. Firearms
ownership opponents claim that "violent crime" went up in Florida
since that state enacted CCW legislation in 1987, a misleading
statement for multiple reasons:
Florida's
homicide rate has declined 21% since adopting CCW in 1987.
No comparison of
aggravated assault, robbery, and rape (99.3% of Florida violent
crimes) beginning before 1988 is valid, according to the Florida Dept.
of Law Enforcement. In 1988, Florida changed its method of compiling
crime statistics.
In Florida, as in
the U.S., more than 70% of violent crimes do not involve guns. Violent
crime rates, therefore, don't necessarily reflect violent gun-related
crime trends. According to the most recent FBI Uniform Crime Reports
(1992), nationwide firearms were used in the four violent crimes that
make up the total "Violent Crime" category, as follows: Aggravated
Assault (58% of volent crimes) -- firearms used in 25%; Robberies (35%
of violent crimes) -- firearms used in 41%; Rapes (6% of violent
crimes) -- firearms used in an estimated 5% - 10% (survey data); and
Homicides (1% of violent crimes) -- firearms used in 68%.
In Florida:
Aggravated Assaults (64% of violent crimes) -- firearms used in 25%;
Robberies (30% of violent crimes) -- firearms used in 37%; Rapes (4%
of violent crimes) -- firearms used in an estimated 5% - 10% (survey
data); and Homicides (0.7% of violent crimes) -- firearms used in 61%.
2. Anti-gunners
cite "studies" they claim show that firearms kept at home are "43
times more likely" to be used to kill family members than be used for
self- defense. (Other "studies" claim different ratios.) The 43:1
claim, based upon a small-scale study of King County (Seattle) and
Shelby County (Memphis), is a fraud, because it counts as self-defense
gun uses only those cases in which a criminals were killed in the
defender's home. Approximately 99.9% of all defensive gun uses are not
fatal shootings, however -- criminals are usually frightened off, held
at bay, or non-fatally wounded. Also, many defensive firearms uses
occur away from home. Further, suicides were counted as "family member
killings" in the "study,"elevating that number more than 500%.
Unfortunately, some of these "studies" are funded with taxpayer
dollars, through grants from the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, a division of the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services.
Since adopting
CCW in 1987 Florida's homicide rate has decreased 21% while the U.S.
Rate has risen 12%.
Area 1987 1992 %Change
Florida 11.4 9.0 -21%
U.S.A. 8.3 9.2 +12%
Nationwide,
homicide rates peaked in 1980 - 1981. After fluctuating, but dropping
overall thereafter, both the U.S. and Florida homicide rates began to
rise in 1986. Florida adopted CCW in 1987, and its homicide rate began
to decline, dropping 21% 1987 - 1992. The U.S. rate continued its
upward trend, rising 12% in the 1987 - 1992 period. (Source: FBI
Uniform Crime Reports)
Florida
Concealed Carry Licensees Do Not Commit Crimes
Pop. - 13,277,000
Floridians Who Own Guns (Percent) All -- 62.7% Male -- 68.8% Female --
57.3% Floridians Who Own Guns (Number): 8,325,000 Permits issued:
204,108 Permits Revoked Due To Crime: 17 (0.008%)
The latest report
from the Florida Department of State, covering a 6-year, 4-month
period from 10/01/87 (start-up date) through 02/28/94, shows that
204,108 CCW permits have been issued -- 69% new permits; 31% permit
renewals. Only one-quarter of 1% of permit applications have been
rejected due to an applicant's criminal history; two-tenths of 1% have
been rejected due to an "incomplete application." One hundred
eighty-seven (0.1%) permits have been revoked because the permittee
committed some kind of crime, though not necessarily a gun-related or
violent crime, after permit issuance. After receiving permits, only 17
(0.008%) individuals committed crimes (not necessarily violent) in
which firearms were present, though not necessarily used. By contrast,
in 1992 there were about 46,000 gun-related violent crimes (assaults,
robberies, homicides and rapes) in Florida, based upon FBI Uniform
Crime Reports supplementary reports and reported crime totals.
|
