http://www.hearstnp.com/san_antonio/bea/news/stories/san/san94300.shtml
> Comment: Licensed gun owners are model Texans
>
> San Antonio Express-News
>
> The malicious "License to Kill" press releases issued recently by
the
> Violence Policy Center in Washington, D.C., misrepresent the truth
about
> concealed-handgun-license- holders in Texas.
>
> Analysts at the Violence Policy Center cite arrest statistics to
argue
> falsely that the handgun program in Texas is a failure.
>
> However, an unbiased comparison of arrest rates of
> concealed-handgun-license-holders with arrest rates of all adults
in Texas
> proves that the 214,000 Texans with the licenses, as a group,
remain the
> exemplary citizens they were when they received their licenses.
>
> (The basic data for this comparison comes from the Texas
Department of
> Public Safety and the U.S. Census Bureau. The arrest rates were
calculated
> using average annual population figures and average number of
annual
active
> concealed-handgun licenses).
>
> First, the center's implication that there should never be an
arrest among
> the 214,000 concealed-handgun-license-holders in Texas is
ludicrous. The
> arrest rate of clergy is not zero.
>
> Second, the center does not differentiate between felony arrests
and
> misdemeanor arrests.
>
> Of the 3,679 total arrests among concealed-handgun-license-holders
in
Texas
> for a four-year period from 1996 to 2000, 889 are felony arrests.
The
> remaining 2,790 arrests involve less-serious misdemeanor charges.
>
> Third, arrest does not mean guilt. Of the 474 felony arrests that
have
been
> resolved, fewer than half resulted in convictions.
>
> Fourth, the data show that average annual arrests for all crimes
among all
> adult males in Texas (9,508 per 100,000) is 14 times greater than
the rate
> for concealed-handgun-license-holders (671 per 100,000).
>
> The violent-crime arrest rate of all adult men in Texas (306 per
100,000)
is
> five times greater than the violent-crime arrest rate of
> concealed-handgun-license-holders (62).
>
> Furthermore, since Jan. 1, 1996, a total of three
concealed-handgun-license
> holders have been convicted of murder, attempted murder or
manslaughter.
> Only at the Violence Policy Center do three convictions in four
years add
up
> to a "License to Kill."
>
> Since 80.5 percent of concealed-handgun-license-holders in Texas
are men,
> these comparisons are valid, and it is clear that the center's
insinuations
> of a crime wave among this population are false and absurd.
>
> To the disappointment of the Violence Policy Center and other
gun-control
> advocates, the Texas concealed-handgun-license program is a
success and a
> model for other states, such as Colorado, that are considering
licensing
> concealed handguns.
>
> It proves that citizens who are screened by state and federal law
> enforcement and properly trained can be trusted to carry concealed
handguns
> for their own protection and the protection of others.
>
> Why does the Violence Policy Center continue its attack on Texas?
>
> The answer probably lies in an unwillingness to present the whole
truth,
not
> to mention a callous and dangerous disregard for the lives and
safety of
the
> people of Texas by extremists for whom gun control has become a
religion.
> ----
> Carl M. Hubbard, Ph.D. is a professor of business administration
at
Trinity
> University.
The idea that any inanimate object is
somehow responsible for its misuse by a
human operator is pure VOODOO
> Comment: Licensed gun owners are model Texans
>
> San Antonio Express-News
>
> The malicious "License to Kill" press releases issued recently by
the
> Violence Policy Center in Washington, D.C., misrepresent the truth
about
> concealed-handgun-license- holders in Texas.
>
> Analysts at the Violence Policy Center cite arrest statistics to
argue
> falsely that the handgun program in Texas is a failure.
>
> However, an unbiased comparison of arrest rates of
> concealed-handgun-license-holders with arrest rates of all adults
in Texas
> proves that the 214,000 Texans with the licenses, as a group,
remain the
> exemplary citizens they were when they received their licenses.
>
> (The basic data for this comparison comes from the Texas
Department of
> Public Safety and the U.S. Census Bureau. The arrest rates were
calculated
> using average annual population figures and average number of
annual
active
> concealed-handgun licenses).
>
> First, the center's implication that there should never be an
arrest among
> the 214,000 concealed-handgun-license-holders in Texas is
ludicrous. The
> arrest rate of clergy is not zero.
>
> Second, the center does not differentiate between felony arrests
and
> misdemeanor arrests.
>
> Of the 3,679 total arrests among concealed-handgun-license-holders
in
Texas
> for a four-year period from 1996 to 2000, 889 are felony arrests.
The
> remaining 2,790 arrests involve less-serious misdemeanor charges.
>
> Third, arrest does not mean guilt. Of the 474 felony arrests that
have
been
> resolved, fewer than half resulted in convictions.
>
> Fourth, the data show that average annual arrests for all crimes
among all
> adult males in Texas (9,508 per 100,000) is 14 times greater than
the rate
> for concealed-handgun-license-holders (671 per 100,000).
>
> The violent-crime arrest rate of all adult men in Texas (306 per
100,000)
is
> five times greater than the violent-crime arrest rate of
> concealed-handgun-license-holders (62).
>
> Furthermore, since Jan. 1, 1996, a total of three
concealed-handgun-license
> holders have been convicted of murder, attempted murder or
manslaughter.
> Only at the Violence Policy Center do three convictions in four
years add
up
> to a "License to Kill."
>
> Since 80.5 percent of concealed-handgun-license-holders in Texas
are men,
> these comparisons are valid, and it is clear that the center's
insinuations
> of a crime wave among this population are false and absurd.
>
> To the disappointment of the Violence Policy Center and other
gun-control
> advocates, the Texas concealed-handgun-license program is a
success and a
> model for other states, such as Colorado, that are considering
licensing
> concealed handguns.
>
> It proves that citizens who are screened by state and federal law
> enforcement and properly trained can be trusted to carry concealed
handguns
> for their own protection and the protection of others.
>
> Why does the Violence Policy Center continue its attack on Texas?
>
> The answer probably lies in an unwillingness to present the whole
truth,
not
> to mention a callous and dangerous disregard for the lives and
safety of
the
> people of Texas by extremists for whom gun control has become a
religion.
> ----
> Carl M. Hubbard, Ph.D. is a professor of business administration
at
Trinity
> University.
The idea that any inanimate object is
somehow responsible for its misuse by a
human operator is pure VOODOO
