"An analysis of Texas data reveals that between 1996 and 1999, Texas permit holders were arrested for weapons-related offenses at a rate that was 66 percent higher than that of the general population," Stammen said.
The accuracy of this point was questioned in another forum, and I'll repost what I wrote:
I think it's actually correct. The key word is "arrested".
Think back to 1996-1999. That was the first three years of the CHL law in Texas. There was a lot of confusion about interpretation of some of the provisions, especially in some police departments.
You might remember an analysis I did of that data: there were a significant number of arrests, but very few convictions. I believe a lot of CHL holders were arrested by law enforcement officers that didn't know the law.
The DA would subsequently drop the charge or it would be dismissed by a judge. But, the original statistics published by the DPS were distorted by the VPC into this sound-bite, without any understanding of what was really happening.
So, while it is true, it's not the complete story. And without the complete story, it's misleading. And I believe it is intentionally misleading.
The short version: of course CHL holders are going to be arrested more often for weapons-related offenses.... they are the ones carrying weapons! It's the equivalent of saying that licensed drivers get more speeding tickets, in comparison to people that don't have driver's licenses. _______________________________________________ To post, send message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] To subscribe, unsubscribe, change options, or get password, see http://lists.ucla.edu/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/firearmsregprof
