Texas RTC?

[zeke1312]

The Lincoln, Nebraska Journal Star printed an article on their Opinion page today regarding concealed weapons carry. The opinion written by state senator Dianna Schimek who opposes CCW, stated a few "statistics" from the Texas Dept of Public Safety. She said there were 5,314 arrests of CCW holders from 1996 thru 2001. She also stated during that same 5 year period, Texas permit holders were arrested for weapon-related offenses at a rate 81% higher than the general public. Any Texas (or other) folks that have information regarding these stats? Any website for additional info?

Nebraska recently passed a CCW effective 1-1-2007. There is an effort by the city of Lincoln's mayor, police chief and others to announce the "sky is falling" in an effort to ban CCW within the city limits.

Oh, I did see some stats from www.txchia.org/sturdevant2000.htm that said during the same period of time that non-CCW Texans were 7x more likely to commit a crime than CCW folks.

Is the subject a battle of statistics? I want to write a letter to the editor of the Journal Star, a liberal rag that supports the touchy feely people in this town.

 

[Azrael256]

Lies, damn lies, and statistics

You'll find the DPS numbers on convictions here.

A couple of things to bear in mind... CHL holders are 100% more likely to be arrested for trespass by a CHL holder than non-CHL holder. That one should be obvious, but I guess not to everybody. In fact, we make up less than one percent of those who unlawfully carry a weapon.

None of us are gangbangers. None of us kidnap. None of us rob. One of us has burgled. One of us has murdered. The biggest one on the list is harassment. We're just over 2% of those convicted for it.

This 81% statistic is a bald-faced lie. 2,905 people were convicted of illegally carrying a weapon. Taking into account ALL weapon offenses, even those that can only be comitted by a CHL holder, we're guilty of 48. If somebody can come up with a way to show me that CHL holders get arrested 81% more frequently for all the listed offenses combined than non CHL holders do for DWI, I'd be impressed.

Seven times nothing! We commit just over one half of one percent of the listed offenses.
Arrests mean nothing. The proof is in the convictions.

 

[Bartholomew Roberts]

The study she is quoting from is a VPC study that bent statistics so badly that the Texas DPS published the Sturdevant survery you quoted in response to it. The other thing that happened in response to it is the Legislature looked at how VPC was twisting those numbers to paint Texas in a bad light and stopped sharing that information.

I always thought it was a bad idea since it showed plainly how dishonest the VPC was willing to get in order to push their agenda. I liked being able to point people to the actual numbers so they could see for themselves how they had been twisted.

Here are some more links on the subject:
http://yarchive.net/gun/politics/texas_ccw_violations.html
http://tsra.com/index.php?p=page&id=90
http://www.mcrkba.org/Blemish.pdf

 

[TC-TX]

The issues centered around some ambiguous legal understandings within the state when the CCW was first passed. People were getting arrested for several minor misunderstandings and by LEOs who did not understand the law itself.

These were ARRESTS and NOT CONVICTIONS...

There were several the first few months and then subsided after everyone was on board...

Obviously they are virtually nil - now - but every anti-RKBA out there seems to want to persist in floating these numbers out there as a Bad Sign...

I wish SOMEONE would take these FalseHood Folks to task...

 

[sparx]

Do you think that Texas CHL holders could get together and file a class action lawsuit against the VPC for slander?

I mean, it seems as though they continue to promote their blatant faulty "statistics" despite being notified over and over again of the errors, these facts have left opinion far behind and have instead become outright falsehoods that damage the character of Texas CHL holders. I feel slighted, offended, harassed and oh so terribly stressed in having to keep putting up with the propaganda bunk they promote. So much so that I think only an award of, let's say, enough to cover the cost of a new handgun that's on my current wishlist and enough ammo to cycle through it over five or so trips to the range ought to help relieve just a tad of that stress and physical trauma they have caused me.

 

[ready4shtf]

I'm confused on the part where it says "Unlawfully carrying a weapon by license holder". There were 25. How is that even possible? Did they have a club, or switchblade or something?

 

[mbt2001]

Assination

I would call this idea assination. That is where the liberal element doesn't like something so they find some joke study and then come out with "Guns are Bad" or whatever.... They cover it on CNN, CBS, ABC, NBC, MSN. People hear it, quote it and when the truth actually comes out, it doesn't matter because people already firmly believe the lie. :banghead:

 

[TC-TX]

ready4shtf

I'm confused on the part where it says "Unlawfully carrying a weapon by license holder"

Could be PRINTING, or Having the weapon ExPOSED, or Carrying In a Prohibited place, or Carrying w/o license on person...

Unlawfully carrying a weapon by license holder - at least in Texas - can mean several things...