Gun Owners Are Law Abiding? Libs Plead "Say it Ain't So"

Michigan anti-gunners predicted disaster when the Legislature permitted ordinary citizens to carry concealed pistols.

You know the typical catch-phrases they use. "Blood flowing in the streets." "Back to the lawless wild West." "Legalized murder." Ad nauseum.

They predicted the same thing when the Castle Doctrine went into effect last year.

What most libs don't know, or won't acknowledge, is that Michigan tracks CPL-holder crime statistics and make the reports available to everyone online at the State Police website. It turns out that Michigan CPL holders are extremely law-abiding - especially compared to the rest of the population.

As of the last report, there were well over 100,000 CPL-holders in Michigan. This accounts for over 1% of the total population and over 3% of the adult, non-institutionalized population.

The report includes all crimes that CPL holders were charged with during the year, including crimes that have no connection to firearms at all.

CPL holders, for the entire year, were charged with a total of 548 crimes. Of those, there were only 175 convictions. There were 101 instances of brandishing or using the pistol total. 148 crimes did NOT involve the use of a firearm.

What's this mean?

Even if we assume convictions on all the pending crimes that involved brandishing or using the pistol, there are only about 100 gun crimes per 100,000 CPL holders. This means that more than 99.9% of CPL holders committed NO GUN CRIMES AT ALL for the last year that data has been compiled.

CPL holders don't spill blood all over the streets - and they have a better law abiding record than overall law enforcement in this state. I'm not saying cops are dirty. I am saying that there are a higher percentage of cops convicted of (both firearm and non-firearm) crimes than CPL holders.

The stats on the Castle Doctrine are almost as devastating to lib arguments. The Detroit Free Press, of all publications, published an article on the first anniversary of the Castle Doctrine legislation. Macomb County Sheriff Mark Hackel said:

Of course, you're going to get a case once in a while where someone's out waving a gun or something, but overall, most people are responsible.

And that's as bad as it got! From the Free Press!

Sheriff Hackel continued explaining that the law was very basic - it's about self-defense:

I get asked all the time: 'What does self-defense mean?' Every case is going to be reviewed individually by police agencies and prosecutors. It boils down to the totality of circumstances: Do they feel their life is in imminent jeopardy?

It's the same level that we use in guidelines for police to use force.

While the libs rely on scare tactics, all the evidence shows that Michigan CPL holders, and gun owners in general, are law-abiding men and women.

Click here to view the latest report (period ending June 2006) from the Michigan State Police website.

West Virginia

Good news, Michigan CPL-holders. West Virginia just extended full reciprocity to us.

If you're heading down that way, you can find a copy of their gun laws here.

Concealed Carry Holder Thwarts Robbery

Viewer discretion is advised! This video shows a man using a concealed pistol violently against an armed robber to defend innocent lives. The criminal was shot. Do not watch if this will disturb you.


Stats: All 3 shots fired hit the bad guy. The gun was a Glock 23, .40 cal using 165grain Gold dots.
(h/t USCCA)

News Story:

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Police said a desk clerk shot a man who was attempting to rob an east side motel on Saturday night. Officers said that shortly before 9:30 p.m., a man walked into the Super 8 Motel, located at 2055 Brice Rd., showed a gun and demanded money. Police said the desk clerk on duty then shot the alleged robber, Antoine Stephens.

Stephens, 20, was transported to Grant Medical Center and was in serious condition on Sunday morning, NBC 4 reported. Police said he would be charged with aggravated robbery. No charges filed against the shooter.

USCCA tip:
To me, this video makes it look like the Good Guy put two innocent by-standers very close to the line of fire. I am not judging his actions one way or another, as I have to assume that he used his best judgment, and probably determined that he would be putting their lives in greater risk by not acting. I'll leave it up to you!

My analysis:
GFWs will lament that a man defended people. They'd much prefer to see 4 people dead and the police arrest the murderer/armed robber months later.

SWAT says No to Self-Defense in Schools

A former Marine and member of the Saginaw Police Department's SWAT team, Arthur O'Neal has undergone hundreds of hours of handgun training and fired thousands of rounds of ammunition.

Given the risk of having relatively untrained citizens bearing firearms, would the Saginaw School District's chief of security ever approve of teachers packing heat on campus

?

No, not by a long shot, O'Neal said.

"It won't help stop crime, it may lead to more," O'Neal said. "Too many people with guns doesn't help an issue."

A western Michigan lawmaker has proposed legislation to allow school staff to carry weapons. Arming teachers with handguns would make students and terrorists think twice before attacking a school, said David Agema, a Grandville Republican.

"Right now, the only people who enter school with guns are people who intend to do harm," Agema said.

"I believe it will save lives if a kid or somebody comes into a school and starts shooting again."

Ok, first things first. "Packing heat"??? What is this, some black & white noir-detective flick? Come on, if you are going to belittle this plan, at least use a good put-down.

Second, how will this plan lead to more crime? It can't. Guns don't make people break laws.

Third, SWAT and standard cops aren't much good after some whack-job shoots out a school and then kills himself. Did they help in Columbine? VA Tech?

Guns may make some people feel uncomfortable. So should terrorists and random nut-cases. It's time to stop burying the head in the sand and waiting for the police to take care of the problem. In a school shooting situation - it's just plain fact: the cops won't arrive until it is too late. This is not a slam - they can't arrive until someone reports a crime. Even after the phone call, police cars don't magically show up. It takes time - lots of time in some neighborhoods.

Eliminate Criminal Empowerment Zones at Schools

Are you as sick of hearing about nut cases walking into schools and unloading as I am?

Now there is something we can do about it.

Michigan House Bill 5162 may be our best bet yet.

Michigan schools are "pistol-free zones" according to state law. No law-abiding citizen with a CPL may carry a pistol into a school... although - surprise - mass murderers don't understand that both carrying in a school and premeditated murder are against the law. "Pistol-free zones" are simply criminal empowerment zones.

This bill essentially allows the principal of each school in Michigan to authorize CPL-holding school employees to carry concealed pistols on school property. The bill also allows Principals to require training above and beyond the necessary training to obtain a CPL under current law.

I know all the complaints against this kind of action, but once people realize we don't live in a Pollyanna world, I hope they will see this should protect their kids. Sure, it isn't a perfect bill, but it does at least plant some doubt in the minds of predators about whether school employees might be equipped to take action in case of an emergency. And it offers a chance for clear-thinking principals, faculty and staff to shoot back if required to in defense of students or themselves.

Our kids lives are worth protecting.

Students for Concealed Carry

An interesting article out of Kentucky. I'll skip the anti-gun portion.

Steven Davis owns a gun, and he has a permit to carry a concealed weapon. But when he steps onto Eastern's campus, he has to leave his gun behind. Davis and about 30 other people at Eastern want to change that.

Davis is a member of Students for Concealed Carry on Campus, an anti-gun-control group at Eastern that advocates allowing people with concealed carry permits to bring their guns on campus with them.

Students for Concealed Carry has representatives at college campuses in 34 states. It wants to "push our state governments to approve laws that will give students and teachers the right to carry handguns on our college campuses," according to its Web site.

"I think it's a good group to get involved with," Davis said.

Davis signed up to help Students for Concealed Carry last fall.

In order to accomplish its goal, Students for Concealed Carry would need more than a chapter at Eastern. They would need to convince the state government to pass a law making gun bans on college campuses illegal, Davis said.

The only state currently allowing concealed weapons on campus is Utah.

Davis is still in the process of putting together a local group, but he said there are more than 30 people interested in being a part of Students for Concealed Carry. He doesn't expect there will be any change in the law before he graduates, he said.

Davis said allowing guns would make Eastern's campus safer because the people who have concealed carry permits already know how to use their guns correctly.

"It allows the people who can fight back the tools to fight back with," Davis said.

Another reason to allow guns is police response time, Davis said. Police can take several minutes to get to the scene of an emergency, which could be too late, he said.

"When seconds count, that four or five minutes is an eternity," he said.

Besides owning a gun and having a permit to carry a concealed weapon, Davis is also a concealed-carry instructor. This means he can teach the one-day class applicants must take before receiving their concealed-carry permit.

Davis said he believes the class teaches people how to be responsible with their guns and when it is appropriate or inappropriate in the use of guns. A one-day class isn't going to work miracles though, he said.

"It's not going to turn them into a police officer overnight," he said.

Allowing concealed carry wouldn't flood the campus with guns because only 1.5 to 2 percent of people have a concealedcarry permit, and you must be over 21 to apply for one, Davis said.

"It really wouldn't be that many people that would have [a gun] on campus," he said.

And Davis said gun-free zones like Eastern's campus are good targets for criminals. "Allowing people to carry guns on campus would mean criminals wouldn't know who had a gun and who didn't," he said.

This Guy Gives Me Hope

From The Collegiate Times, one of the best pro-2A editorials I have ever read, bar none. This piece, written by Jonathan McGlumphy, is so sensible, even a fraternity brother could understand it.

I read with interest last week’s column on the issue of concealed carry on campus (“Guns on campus would be disastrous”, CT, July 12). I have my philosophical disagreements with the article, but first I would like to point out several pieces of information that were either misleading or flat-out incorrect. Let me also qualify this by saying that I am a holder of a Virginia Concealed Handgun Permit (CHP), so I can truthfully say I know what I am talking about.

Point #1: There is not one single statute banning CHP holders from carrying on campus. The so-called gun ban is a Virginia Tech policy that applies only to students, faculty and staff. The maximum penalty for violation of this policy is expulsion for students or termination for faculty and staff. There is no criminal penalty whatsoever. Additionally, Virginia’s Attorney General has opined that the Board of Visitors has no legal grounds to prohibit the general public from concealed carry on campus.

Point #2: The author of last week’s column writes “I don’t trust someone to walk around with something that can kill me just because he has paid the permit fee and has a piece of paper that says he is competent with a handgun.”

First of all, to get that “piece of paper,” I underwent eight hours of classroom training (including instruction from a law enforcement officer), as well as spending an entire day at the shooting range demonstrating that I understood firearms safety. Secondly, you don’t just “pay the permit fee.” You undergo an extensive criminal background check, so much so that they ask you to provide every physical address you’ve had for the past five years.

Point #3: The author describes a situation in which someone has a gun in his or her bag and accidentally drops it, resulting in a discharge. Guns do not simply “go off” because they were dropped. Someone must put his or her finger directly on the trigger and squeeze with anywhere from 4 to 12 pounds of force. Any instance of someone getting shot accidentally is not because the gun “just went off.” It is because someone broke the cardinal rules of firearms safety and had his or her finger on the trigger with the barrel pointed in a non-safe direction.

Point #4: The author writes, “...logic says that more guns mean more gun-related incidents.” I cannot provide any hard data on the number of firearms in Virginia because we do not have gun registration. However, I will point out that in 1995 — the year that Virginia became a “shall-issue” state — there were only a few thousand CHP holders in the Commonwealth. Currently there are over 120,000 CHP holders.

Now let us consider the level of violent crime over that same time period. According to the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report (UCR) the rate of all violent crime in 1995 in Virginia was 361.5 per 100,000 residents, with the rate of murder being 7.6 per 100,000.
In 2005, the UCR reported Virginia’s rate of violent crime as being 282.8 per 100,000, and murder 6.1 per 100,000.

So my question is that if we now have significantly more CHP holders as we did 12 years ago, why has the rate of violent crime has not skyrocketed? Obviously, armed citizens are not the only factor that affects crime rates, but the author’s claim that more guns automatically lead to more crime is questionable in the face of these numbers.

The author also seems to think that a student who is armed would casually take a life over something so petty as a poor grade in a class. Let’s consider Utah, where concealed carry on campus by CHP holding students is allowed by state law. I am not aware of any incidents in recent history of a legally armed student committing a firearm assault at a Utah university.

Having gone over the facts, let me insert my own opinions. The author claims to be a believer in the Second Amendment. I am a believer of all 10 Amendments listed in the Bill of Rights, including the First Amendment. However, I don’t go calling for restrictions on free speech when someone prints a column full of misleading information.

Let’s go back to Point #1: that the firearms ban only applies to students, faculty and staff. What if Virginia Tech were to enact a policy of “free-speech zones” restricting or prohibiting what students can say and where they can say it? I don’t think there would be too much support for that. So why is it OK to restrict one civil liberty but not another?

The author further derides CHP holders by insinuating that we are cowboys just itching to get into a gunfight. In my experience, this could not be further from the truth. One of the very first things I was told in my CHP training was to do my very best to avoid any situation where I might even need a gun. CHP holders are taught that a firearm is to be used only in the very gravest extreme, when all other options of saving your life — or someone else’s — have failed.

I do agree with the author on one point, though. He says that we as a culture need to move away from the notion that violence is a solution to our problems. It does bother me that violence is glorified in our news media, entertainment industry and even our federal government (only then it’s called war).

However, there is a difference between aggressive violence and defensive violence. I will not sit and wait for the police to arrive and save me when the Chos and Morvas of the world come around. The police are neither legally obligated to protect citizens (according to the Supreme Court) nor are the always able. Self-defense is both an individual right and an individual responsibility.

Having a gun available is just one of many options of self-defense, brains and wits being the first and foremost.

Who is Getting the Oklahoma CCW Licenses?

Addendum to the previous post:

In 2006, the state approved nearly twice as many concealed-handgun licenses for people in Tulsa County as in Oklahoma County, according to the Self Defense Act Statistical Report, issued by the OSBI.

Among the increasing number of Oklahomans who are are obtaining licenses are more elderly people and women than in previous years.

"There’s been a great increase in elderly folks and ladies,” said Robert Welch, a concealed-handgun license instructor in Tulsa. “Before, it was about 90 percent middle-aged males. Now it’s at least 50 percent female and senior citizens."

Armed and Licensed: Concealed carry law hitting mark

From the Sooner State:

If the number of concealed-handgun license holders is any indication, robbers may have to worry about getting more than stolen goods during a heist.

With an increasing number of state residents legally packing heat, more robbers may be taking away some hot lead.

More than 54,000 Oklahomans are licensed to carry concealed handguns under the Oklahoma Self-Defense Act, said Jessica Brown, spokeswoman for the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation. That number is up from around 31,000 in 2000 and 15,081 in 1996, after the first year of licensing. Once approved, applicants are licensed to carry concealed weapons for five years. After five years, they are required to renew their application.

In the beginning, some people thought a wave of shootings by license holders would occur, but those fears have proved to be unfounded, Brown said.

"There's very little of that, quite frankly," she said. "Most people don't want to hurt each other."

Former state Sen. Frank Shurden, who sponsored the bill that led to the law, said he had tried to get the bill through the Legislature for several years but that fears of more shootings and of a more dangerous work environment for law enforcement officers held it back.

"They didn't have confidence in law-abiding citizens like I did, but they do now," said Shurden, a Democrat from Henryetta. "They claimed that every fender bender would be a shootout."

Shurden said he is pleased with the law's results more than 10 years after it went into effect.

"They (license holders) have to be good, upstanding people. That's one reason it worked so well," he said.

"I've always been of the opinion that when good, law-abiding citizens are armed, we're all safer. I'm real satisfied with the way the law is working."

Robert Welch, a Tulsa concealed-weapon license instructor, and Tulsa Police Officer Jason Willingham both noted that there have been instances in which a license holder has foiled a robbery or other crime.

Last November, a man who Tulsa police say had just committed a burglary, stolen a car and fled from police crashed the car and then accosted a bystander with a knife. The victim, a concealed-handgun license holder, pulled his weapon on the man, prompting him to flee.

In March 2006, a customer with a concealed-handgun license shot an armed man who was attempting to rob a supermarket near 91st Street and Memorial Drive.

This year in the Tulsa area, there have been three shootings -- one fatal -- by people who have concealed-carry licenses. Police say the two shootings in Tulsa were sparked by traffic altercations that became physical and ended with the license holders shooting people they said had physically assaulted them.

In the first shooting, which occurred at 18th Street and Boston Avenue in April, police say a motorist who had to stop for a pedestrian shot the pedestrian's friend during a resulting altercation. The man who was shot was treated at a hospital and released. The motorist was charged with recklessly handling a firearm and has pleaded not guilty.

On June 10, police say a retired security guard fatally shot a man during a road-rage-sparked confrontation in a parking lot in the 1900 block of Riverside Drive. The retired guard told police that he feared for his life when the other man verbally and physically assaulted him. He has not been charged with any crime.

In Muskogee last weekend, police said a pastor who holds a concealed-weapon license shot a man who, along with some juveniles, tried to rob his church's fireworks tent. The minister said he feared for his life and that of the teenager who was watching the tent with him.

The shooting victim was arrested in connection with the burglary attempt after he was released from the hospital, police said.

Willingham said that, in their duties, most police officers rarely come across concealed-handgun license holders.

"Most people who go through the trouble of getting a concealed-carry permit are not committing crimes," he said. "By and large, the people with concealed-carry permits are not the ones we're coming in contact with."

Welch agreed.

"Most goofballs and hot heads don't think to go and get a permit," he said. "Mostly, it's people who are law-abiding in nature."

Brown and Welch said increased exposure to terrorism, war and violent crime through the media may play a role in why more people are arming themselves.

During classes applicants must take before they can obtain a license, they must show that they know how to shoot and properly handle a firearm.

They also are instructed on how to tell a police officer -- should they come into contact with one -- that they have a concealed weapon.

"Do we worry? No," Willingham said. "We know people with concealed-carry permits are not the type of people out there committing crimes. Your gang-bangers, armed robbers -- they're not the ones going through the class and paying the fee."

Florida Woman with a .38 and Concealed Carry Permit vs. Pitbull

Slow day in Michigan... so here is another Florida story.

Warning - there are a few graphic details

Memories of an Easter Sunday pit bull attack four years ago came rushing back to Christine Bruce on Monday night as a pit bull charged toward her while she was jogging with her dogs.

Unlike four years ago, this time she was ready.

She pulled out her .38-caliber handgun and fired a shot at the charging pit bull as she was screaming at it to stop, she said Tuesday in a telephone interview.

The attack four years ago -- a pit bull ripped open part of a body cast on her right arm while she was recovering from spinal surgery -- prompted Bruce to start carrying the gun for self-defense, she said.

Bruce said she normally walks and runs every day with her two labs and a German shepherd.

According to a Volusia County sheriff's report, Bruce, 44, was jogging with her dogs at 8:13 p.m. when she saw [a man] standing in front of his house at 1435 Gainesville Drive with a white pit bull on a leash. She said [the man] started exciting the dog and when she asked him to stop, he let the dog go and told it to attack her.

"The dog was inside the house barking and then [he] opens the door and comes out with the pit bull on a leash," Bruce said. "I kept running to get away but then I looked back and he let go the leash and the dog."

Afraid for her and her dogs, Bruce retrieved the handgun from her bag and fired at the charging pit bull. She missed the dog but the sound of the gunshot scared it away, the report states.

Bruce has a concealed weapon's permit, sheriff's spokesman Brandon Haught said. The case has been turned over to Deltona Animal Control for review, Haught said.

[The man], 47, was issued a warning by a city Animal Control officer to keep his dog under control, city spokesman Lee Lopez said.

Concealed Carry Subway Customer Shoots Robber

News out of Florida

Warning - there are a few graphic details

Police said 71-year-old John Lovell II used a licensed gun to shoot the alleged robbers at the Subway on North Pine Island Road and Sunrise Boulevard.

[...]

According to investigators, two armed men entered the restaurant, pointing guns and demanding money. Lovell turned around and saw a gun pointed at his face. Plantation police said that's when he took action.

"As the customer was being forced into the restroom at gunpoint, the customer, who was in fear for his life and legally armed, shot the robbery suspects," said Plantation Police Department spokesman Robert Rittig.

Police said one of the suspects was fatally shot in the head.

[...]

The other suspect,[...], was shot in the chest and was able to run nearly 300 yards into a nearby Bank Atlantic parking lot while trying to escape, police said.

The surviving robbery suspect was charged with armed robbery and murder because someone was killed while the perp was allegedly committing a felony - even though he didn't shoot his partner-in-crime.

Lovell's neighbor Wendi Hill said she spoke with Lovell several times Thursday morning.

"He said everything happened in less than four seconds," Hill said.

She said it didn't surprise her at all that Lovell took action against the robbers.

"He's a very smart guy," she said. "I mean, retired pilot, retired ex-Marine."

Police said Lovell will not be charged with a crime. There is surveillance video of the incident, but police had not yet released it as of Thursday evening.

More on Eliminating Gun-Free Zones in Michigan

As written last week, Michigan CPL holders are forbidden to carry in many areas, and one state senator is trying to eliminate these criminal empowerment zones.

Currently, these are the Gun-Free areas:

1. Schools or school property but may carry while in a vehicle on school property while dropping off or picking up if a parent or legal guardian
2. Public or private day care center, public or private child caring agency, or public or private child placing agency.
3. Sports arena or stadium.
4. A tavern where the primary source of income is the sale of alcoholic liquor by the glass consumed on the premises.
5. Any property or facility owned or operated by a church, synagogue, mosque, temple, or other place of worship, unless the presiding official allows concealed weapons.
6. An entertainment facility that the individual knows or should know has a seating capacity of 2,500 or more.
7. A hospital.
8. A dormitory or classroom of a community college, college, or university.
9. A Casino
   

"Premises" does not include the parking areas of the places listed above in 1 through 8.

A pistol is subject to immediate seizure if the CCW permit holder is carrying a pistol in a "pistol free" area. The following penalties may also be imposed:

* First offense: State Civil Infraction, $500 fine, CCW permit suspended 6 months
* Second offense: 90-day misdemeanor, $1000 fine, CCW permit revoked
* Third and subsequent offenses: 4-year felony, $5000 fine, CCW permit revoked

Furthermore, effective March 29, 2001, per Administrative Order 2001-1 of the Michigan Supreme Court:

"Weapons are not permitted in any courtroom, office, or other space used for official court business or by judicial employees unless the chief judge or other person designated by the chief judge has given prior approval consistent with the court's written policy."

House Bill 4759, introduced by Rep. Daniel Acciavatti and sponsored by Reps. Jacob Hoogendyk, Kenneth Horn, John Stahl, Paul Opsommer, Kim Meltzer, and Arlan Meekhof simply states:

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:
Sec. 5c. (1) A license to carry a concealed pistol shall be in a form, with the same dimensions as a Michigan operator license, prescribed by the department of state police. The license shall contain all of the following:
(a) The licensee's full name and date of birth.

(b) A photograph and a physical description of the licensee.

(c) A statement of the effective dates of the license.

(d) An indication of exceptions authorized by this act applicable to the licensee.

(e) An indication whether the license is a duplicate.

(2) Subject to section 5o and except Except as otherwise provided by law, a license to carry a concealed pistol issued by the county concealed weapon licensing board authorizes the licensee to do all of the following:
(a) Carry a pistol concealed on or about his or her person anywhere in this state.

(b) Carry a pistol in a vehicle, whether concealed or not concealed, anywhere in this state.

Enacting section 1. Section 5o of 1927 PA 372, MCL 28.425o, is repealed.

Eliminating "Gun-Free Zones" in Michigan

We all know about the tragedy of "gun-free zones", a.k.a. "criminal empowerment zones" or CEZs. Now a state rep has the fortitude to do something about it. Rep. Daniel J. Acciavatti introduced House Bill 4759 to eliminate CEZs.

Here is a letter he wrote to the Michigan Coalition of Responsible Gun Owners, posted on the MCRGO website:

June 12, 2007 -- In 2000 when the Michigan Legislature originally passed concealed weapons legislation, they created so-called "gun free safe zones" to protect Michigan’s citizens. The intent of such legislation is to provide an area where firearms are forbidden and thus make those areas "safer". In effect, two groups of people carry firearms in safe zones: police officers and criminals.

A real life game of "cops and robbers" plays out in these areas while law-abiding citizens are stripped of the ability to defend themselves and must rely on the state and the state alone. These gun-free safe zones are dangerous areas where criminals can target powerless citizens.

Currently, Michigan has nine specific areas which concealed weapon license (CPL) holders are banned from carrying a concealed weapon. These include:

1- Schools or school property; 2- Public or private day care centers; 3- Sports arenas or stadiums; 4- A tavern or bar where the primary source of income is the sale of alcohol/liquor consumed on the premises; 5- Any property of facility owned or operated by a church, synagogue, mosque, temple, other place of worship; 6- An entertainment facility that has a seating capacity of 2,500 or more; 7- A hospital; 8- A dormitory or classroom of a community college, college or university; and 9- Casinos.

Office buildings, hospitals, convenience stores, Post Office buildings, day care centers, schools, universities and chain restaurants have all been targets of shootings with the intent on killing multiple victims. A striking paradox is associated with these incidents because they are much more likely to occur in areas that have been designated as gun free zones.

Schools became a popular target for shootings in the mid 1990’s, around the time that the Gun Free School Zones act of 1994 was enacted. In 1999, John Lott and William Landes published an extensive statistical study of multiple shootings incidents. They showed that mass shootings occur less often in areas where responsible citizens are allowed permits to carry concealed weapons. Have you ever heard of a mass shooting in a police station, a pistol range, or a gun show? Criminals always select a softer target for their acts of violence where they know citizens are unarmed, vulnerable, and where they know people cannot shoot back at them.

Some say we need tougher gun control laws and that allowing guns in selected areas is going to increase crime. However, reports show that crime increases in selected areas that require the citizens to disarm before entering. Citizens with CPL licenses abide by the law and disarm when asked to do so; but criminals with the intent to harm never follow the law and disarm.

Concealed weapon license holders are some of the most law abiding citizens in our state. Over the past five years 203,051 concealed weapon permits have been issued in Michigan and only 671 licenses have been revoked. That equals less than one percent (actually .34%) of all issued licenses that have been revoked.

As a State Representative I was elected to pass laws which protect the citizens of Michigan. That is why I introduced House Bill 4759 into the Michigan House of Representatives on May 15, 2007. This legislation would eliminate the above nine safe zones for all concealed weapon license holders.

I believe this legislation is imperative in protecting Michigan’s citizens. Currently, the bill has been referred to the House Committee on Judiciary and is awaiting a committee hearing. Good intentions do not necessarily make good laws. What counts is whether the law ultimately saves lives. Unfortunately, our current laws primarily disarm law-abiding citizens and not criminals.

--Representative Daniel J. Acciavatti

CPL Holder Wins A Battle

Here in Detroit:

A 53-year old man was attacked by two thugs, one carrying a .22 and one armed with a baseball bat.

A robbery and crime spree aided by an unloaded gun came to a halt late Thursday when the gunman met more than his match: a gun with bullets.

Charles Parker Jr., 18, of Detroit was killed when a 53-year-old man pulled out a 9mm handgun and shot the teen, who was armed with an unloaded .22-caliber handgun.

Detroit police are calling it self-defense.

The botched carjacking on Grand River and Prevost came after a string of robberies in Detroit on Thursday, which police said were committed by Parker and four others, ranging in age from 16 to 20.

The good news:

After the shooting, police questioned the 53-year-old man and released him, noting that he had a valid concealed weapons permit.

Then they gave him back his gun.

New Michigan Gun Law

On Thursday, March 23, Governor Jennifer Granholm (D) signed House Bill 4642, which allows an individual licensed to carry a concealed firearm to legally carry, possess, use, or transport a firearm belonging to another individual licensed to carry a concealed firearm, as long as the individual's firearm is properly licensed and inspected under this act. This new law goes into effect until July 1, 2006.

From NRA-ILA

Gun Rights