...The real targets are the CHL's themselves.
The real target is CHL
holders. I found this point telling:
There are several important caveats to their analysis, including that the weapons involved were not necessarily related to the individuals' practice of concealed carry.
So if I were to (Heaven forbid) accidentally kill someone in a deer hunting accident later this year, that would add to the total because I have a CHCL. Not because I got into a road rage incident. Not because I got drunk and shot my BIL at the family cookout. Not because I tried to intervene in a domestic dispute.
Because I have a CHCL. That's enough for them.
These garbage studies annoy the crap out of me. Enough that I couldn't resist the urge to go dig it out. The VPC article about the study is here:
http://vpc.org/press/more-than-1330...latest-violence-policy-center-research-shows/
So I'm going to put on my lawyer hat and take the VPC article apart just a little. Let's start with their most sensational claims:
The headline:
More Than 1,330 Non-Self Defense Deaths Involving Concealed Carry Killers Since 2007, Latest Violence Policy Center Research Shows
The opening line:
Innocent victims continue to die at the hands of private citizens with permits to carry concealed handguns, according to ongoing research from the Violence Policy Center (VPC).
Let me pause there to note that a shooting "involving" a CCL holder is not necessarily the same as "innocent victims dying at the hands of" a CCL holder. Case in point:
Overall, Concealed Carry Killers documents 1,104 fatal, non-self defense incidents since May 2007 in 40 states and the District of Columbia, resulting in the deaths of 1,335 people. Thirty-five of the incidents were fatal mass shootings as defined by federal law (three or more victims killed), resulting in the deaths of 167 victims.
Wait. So 35 of those incidents were "fatal mass shootings." Let's assume that they're technically correct in that. What I want to know is: Of those 35 incidents, how many were in fatal mass shootings
carried out by a CCL holder. There's a big difference. If a CCL holder is shot and killed in a mass shooting incident, that's a "mass shooting involving a CCL holder." Technically, the
Winnemucca bar shooting was a shooting "involving" a CCL holder, but not "carried out by" one. Arguably, it wasn't even a "mass shooting," but that's in part because the initial aggressor was shot a CHCL holder.
If I go to
Concealed Carry Killers, it actually does make the claim that the 35 incidents were "carried out by" CCL holders. The "fact sheet" linked at the bottom claims to identify 33 such incidents. But I only count 32 incidents listed. The VPC claims that these are just "the tip of the iceberg," I'm no math wiz, but even I can count to 35 and do proper rounding off without too much trouble. The VPC seems to be having some problems here.
Next up:
VPC Legislative Director Kristen Rand states, “Concealed carry killers continue to claim innocent lives at a shocking pace....
So, we start with their number: 1,335. Each and every one of those deaths is a tragedy to someone. Each and every one of the deceased was someone's child, someone's brother. With that said, since when is 1,335 deaths over a 12 year span in a population of 300M significant? That's an average of 112 deaths per year. 112. Out of 300M.
Perhaps most telling is this paragraph:
In the vast majority of the 1,104 incidents documented in Concealed Carry Killers (995, or 90 percent), the concealed carry permit holder either committed suicide (534), has already been convicted (379), perpetrated a murder-suicide (62), or was killed in the incident (20). Of the 72 cases still pending, the vast majority (59) of concealed carry killers have been charged with criminal homicide, four were deemed incompetent to stand trial, and nine incidents are still under investigation. An additional 37 incidents were fatal unintentional shootings involving the gun of the concealed handgun permit holder.
Suicides: 534
Since the VPC counts "murder-suicide" separately, we can safely assume that only the CCL holder died in the suicides. Is the deceased then an "innocent victim?" I don't know, but for purposes of formulating public policy, I'd exclude the suicides, bringing VPC's number down to 801, or 67 deaths per year.
The VPC isn't known for its honesty in its studies and this is a classic example of why.