|
Texas Concealed
Handgun License Holder Offenses Include: Murder, Rape, Kidnapping,
Weapon Crimes, Crimes Against Children, and Domestic Violence
WASHINGTON-A
new study released today by the Violence Policy Center (VPC)
shows that Texas concealed handgun license holders have been arrested
5,314 times since the concealed handgun license law went
into effect-an average of two and one-half arrests
every day from January 1, 1996, until August 31, 2001.
Texas has a "shall issue" concealed
carry system, in which an adult (21 or over), is issued a license
that allows them to have a handgun on or about their person as long as it is not
visible or discernible through ordinary observation after they meet specific, objective criteria.
According to
License to Kill IV: More Guns, More Crime, from January 1, 1996,
through August 31, 2001, there were 41 arrests for murder
and attempted murder by concealed handgun license
holders in Texas. License to Kill IV: More Guns, More
Crime discusses the dangerous ramifications of concealed
carry legislation and details the arrests of 11 concealed handgun license holders subsequent to licensure for the crimes of
homicide, attempted homicide, and aggravated kidnapping. Arrest data
is
regularly accepted as a valid measure of crime, reflecting law enforcement
response to criminal activity, and is used by agencies such as
the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for its Uniform Crime Reports (UCR).
"The NRA
told Texans in 1996 that a concealed handgun law would make Texas
a safer place," VPC Health Policy Analyst Karen
Brock, MPH, said today. "The thousands
of arrests of concealed handgun license holders demonstrates
the exact opposite to be true: license holders are committing
crimes, not preventing them. States now considering concealed carry laws should learn from the dire consequences that Texans
now live with day-in and day-out."
VPC analysis
of the Texas Department of Public Safety's (DPS) data reveals that-
From 1996 to
2000, Texas concealed handgun license holders were arrested
for weapon-related offenses at a rate 81 percent higher than
that of
the general population of Texas, aged 21 and older which amounts
to more than one weapon-related offense every other day since
the law went into effect.
Texas concealed
handgun license holders have been arrested for more than two
serious violent crimes per month since the law went into
effect including: murder/attempted murder, manslaughter/negligent
homicide, kidnapping, rape, and sexual assault.
Texas concealed
handgun license holders have been arrested for more than two
crimes against children per month since the law went into
effect including: sexual assault/aggravated sexual
assault on a child, injury to a child, indecency with
a child, abandon/endanger a child, solicitation of a minor, and possession or promotion of child
pornography.
For a copy of
License to Kill IV contact Naomi Seligman at (202) 822-8200
x105 or visit the VPC's website at www.vpc.org. The Violence Policy
Center is a national non-profit educational organization
working to reduce gun death and injury in America.
|
