Don't Panic!

In light of the Ninth Circuit's recent decision in Peruta v. County of San Diego and the Sheriff's decision not to appeal the decision, it appears likely that California Sheriffs and Police Chiefs soon will be required to issue licenses authorizing all law-abiding people to carry a concealed weapon. Some will obviously be discomfited by this possibility. This is particularly true in light of the recent murder trial of Michael Dunn, a Florida man with a license to carry a concealed weapon (“CCW”). Don't panic!

First, the bad news. Yes, some people who receive licenses to carry concealed weapons will commit violent crimes. The Violence Prevention Center (“VPC”) has compiled a list of, they claim, people with CCW licenses who have killed. While the VPC's list consists largely of incidents irrelevant to the issue of whether CCW licenses create a more dangerous society, there undeniably are CCW licensees who commit violent crimes in public using the guns they are licensed to carry.

Now, the good news. With more than 8 million active CCW licenses, the VPC was only able to identify a few murders committed in public by CCW licensees over a seven year period of time. Think about it – the VPC did not do a statistical analysis because the odds are so incredibly remote. You are many times more likely to be killed in a car crash, or a bike crash, or lightning, or to win a million dollars in a lottery. People with licenses to carry are much more law-abiding than the general adult population and very rarely commit violent crimes. The crimes CCW licensees do commit are generally less serious than the general adult population. The most thorough study of the effect of laws making CCW licenses widely available concludes that such laws decrease (modestly) violent crime. Even critics of this study concede: “No scholars now claim that legalizing concealed weapons causes a major increase in crime.”

Again, don't panic. The only change you're going to notice is more people wearing overshirts.

Image by Oleg Volk.