Interesting post from the gentleman who set up a nice gun-law straw man to knock down. “The conceal-carry law is one month old. Where’s the bloodbath?”
I haven’t predicted such a thing, and I haven’t heard others do so. However, he’s made it clear that the gun lobby thinks any law that doesn’t immediately cause a massacre is a good law. I have higher standards. The experience from Texas has been one of a gradual worsening in the behavior of permit holders -- not sudden massacres. From January 1, 1996 to April 30, 2000, 3,370 gun permit holders were arrested for serious crimes, including murder, sexual assault and impersonating a police officer. By August 31, 2001, that number had jumped to 5,314. That’s quite an acceleration. I hope that doesn’t happen here, but it isn’t surprising to me that the longer the law is around, the more people have a chance to get permits, and the more often they get in trouble. It’s also very clever of you to demand that we come up with evidence that is hidden by law from the public. You cite crimes committed and say that not one was committed by a permit holder. And how do you know? It’s not public information, thanks to our legislature. It was reported in a Brooklyn Park newspaper that on April 21, 2003, a 31-year-old Brooklyn Park man was arrested after pointing his gun at a victim and threatening to kill her. He was arrested later with his bullet-proof vest, gun, ammo, and PERMIT TO CARRY. Good reporting on the newspaper’s part. But just try asking the sheriff whether someone charged with a crime has a permit to carry. You won’t get it. How convenient for the gun lobby. Tim Grant of Concealed Carry Reform Now testified before a Senate committee this year about how his stepfather was rescued from a would-be carjacker by unarmed bystanders in a grocery store parking lot. Did he say how happy he was about the rescue? No. He complained that the bystanders weren’t armed. I am not making this up. We will see more guns brandished in traffic, which is a decline in quality of life for everyone. We will see a few kids get hurt when they find guns left accessible by gun-toting adults. We will see a few people commit crimes or do dumb things with guns. However, the gun lobby has made it extremely difficult to trace any bad outcomes to this new law. The state isn’t tracking accidents, near-misses, or suicides with guns purchased for the purpose of carrying. So, if only a FEW people die or are permanently disabled because of this gun law, I guess that’s okay with gun folks. I am following with interest Minneapolis’ efforts to find money for public safety. There is lots of money available to process conceal-carry permits, and presumably also to handle permit holders’ arrests and court cases when they commit crimes. This is the price of our new corps of vigilantes. Heather Martens Kingfield TEMPORARY REMINDER: 1. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. 2. If you don't like what's being discussed here, don't complain - change the subject (Mpls-specific, of course.) ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
