Again and again we hear the usual laments from the uninformed gun haters about concealed carry — how it would transform — DOES transform — a civilized society into the Wild West. You know the mantra — shootouts at fender-benders, bars ablaze with gunfights, etc.
It’s always fun to inject a dose of reality into such gun haters — it’s toxic to their wellbeing. Here’s a sharp needle-full of facts for your favorite anti-gun friends. They never actually check the empirical results of people legally carrying firearms — that just arrogantly assume that they know what the results are.
The short article below highlights the URL-available stats about the ACTUAL experience of concealed carry in Texas. People pack heat with great frequency in the Lone Star State — about 4.26% of the adults have a permit — 826,000 as of December, 2014. The adult (18 and over) population of Texas in 2013 was 19,406,000. Only Florida and Pennsylvania issue more permits.
http://www.politifact.com/florida/statements/2015/apr/15/jeb-bush/which-state-most-gun-permits/
and
Turns out these heat packers are far less likely to shoot someone than the rest of the population. Indeed, the non-permit holders of Texas — the ones NOT allowed to legally carry a firearm in public — are about NINE times more likely per person to murder someone with a gun than is a permit holder.
http://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/2013/10/daniel-zimmerman/texas-chl-data-shows-happens-wild-west/
Here’s more ammo — a link to the official 2013 crime statistics in Texas, comparing the crimes of concealed carry permit holders with the full population.
https://www.txdps.state.tx.us/RSD/CHL/Reports/ConvictionRatesReport2013.pdf
Perhaps the three most important bottom line points to consider from these stats:
1. In Texas, there were 364 convictions for murder in 2013 — THREE were committed by concealed carry permit holders.
2. There were 91 convictions for manslaughter — ZERO were committed by CC folks.
3. For all types of crimes in Texas, there were 50,869 convictions. CC holders were convicted of 158 of those crimes.
Could this be a one-year statistical aberration? It could be, but it isn’t. Here’s the link to get the annual Texas conviction figures for each year dating back to 1996.
https://www.txdps.state.tx.us/rsd/chl/reports/convrates.htm
Let me add that the tiny three 2013 murder convictions of the CC holders probably OVERSTATES their abuse of their right to carry. Except for criminals, most murders occur in the home — where the CC permit is not an issue (not necessary to have a firearm at home).
But let me be fair — the odds are that such overwhelming empirical evidence is not likely to change a single progressive’s mind. To present such objective facts is to reveal that I’m surely in the employ of dark powers, and probably a racist to boot. This knee-jerk response is embedded deep in the progressive’s DNA — let’s not hold them personally responsible for this inability to process facts, or to rebut logical thoughts.