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Are CCL Holders Dangerous? Columnist Thinks So

-By Warner Todd Huston

A blogger for the Roanoke Times wrote a recent blog post breathlessly informing his readers that contrary to “false claims” concealed carry permit holders have, indeed, been responsible for acts of murder and mayhem. Dan Casey presents the report issued by what he claims is the “nonpartisan” Violence Policy Center.

That report finds that seven policemen and forty-three civilians have been killed by concealed carry license holders. This is a horrible body count and no one can say otherwise.

Casey, for his part, is crowing about the “lies” of the “gun zealots” and seems quite pleased to find proof of this body count, however.

It’s gripping reading for anyone who cares about the truth. And it proves the falsity of gun zealots’ claim that nobody, nowhere, can ever point to an unjustified killing by a permit holder. It also undermines the notion that every CC permit holder is responsible and law-abiding.

So, let us review.

Casey presents us with the statistic of 50 deaths at the hands of CCL holders over the last two years. In those same two years there were about 60,000 some deaths using guns. That’s right, 50 versus 60,000. That is .08% of the total murders committed by CCL holders.

Considering how many CCL holders there are in the United States, is this a meaningful statistic? Each U.S. state that has concealed carry laws have thousands of such license holders, some several hundred thousand. That’s several million concealed carry permit holders across the country.

Again, out of those several millions of CCL holders, fifty have turned criminal with their guns. Fifty.

So, yes, it is wrong to say that no CCL holders have turned criminal with their firearms. OK. On that point Casey is right, there is no denying it.

But is it meaningful? Does this statistic somehow make all CCL holders dangerous? Is a .08 percent criminal rate among CCL holders meaningful as a point in favor of anti-gun advocates?

That is for you to decide.
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Warner Todd Huston is a Chicago based freelance writer, has been writing opinion editorials and social criticism since early 2001 and is featured on many websites such as NewsBusters.org, RightWingNews.com, CanadaFreePress.com, StoptheACLU.com, TheRealityCheck.org, RedState.com, Human Events Magazine, AmericanDailyReview.com, and the New Media Journal, among many, many others. Additionally, he has been a frequent guest on talk-radio programs to discuss his opinion editorials and current events and is currently the co-host of “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Conservatism” heard on BlogTalkRadio. Warner is also the editor of the Cook County Page for RedCounty.com.

He has also written for several history magazines and appears in the new book “Americans on Politics, Policy and Pop Culture” which can be purchased on amazon.com. He is also the owner and operator of PubliusForum.com. Feel free to contact him with any comments or questions : EMAIL Warner Todd Huston

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