Two on-topic letters today in the Raleigh, NC News&Observer. (both copyrighted - fair use claimed) The NCAGV organization http://www.ncgv.org/ mentioned in the 2nd letter is an anti-gun organization which the wife, Lisa Price, of local US Representative David Price (NC, 4th) has been *very* active, and probabably helped found. It has been very visible locally, and is against guns that are used in crime or violence or that might be used in crime - because they are big and powerful, or small and not powerful, ...
They never fail to get involved in any local firearms-related issues. -- --henry schaffer http://www.newsobserver.com/580/story/432002.html I'm right about guns An April 15 People's Forum letter attacking my research was filled with inaccurate claims. It said that my research showing that concealed carry gun laws lead to a drop in violent crime has been "entirely discredited" and "failed to stand up when examined by more objective researchers." In fact, a large number of refereed academic studies have confirmed my results, some finding drops in crime even larger than I did. For a list of papers see: http://johnrlott.tripod.com/postsbyday/RTCResearch.html. As renowned criminologist James Q. Wilson pointed out in the National Academy report that the letter-writerreferenced, all the regressions estimated by the committee on murder rates showed that murder rates declined significantly after right-to-carry laws were adopted. Interestingly, there are no refereed academic journal publications that claim that right-to-carry laws increase any type of violent crime rate. John Lott Burke, Va. http://www.newsobserver.com/580/story/432001.html Crime rates' fall That it is good news that crime rates are declining is something we can all agree on. However, the writer of an April 11 People's Forum letter asserted by implication that the decline is due to concealed carry weapons laws, as concluded by controversial researcher, John Lott. This assertion is incorrect. At least nine credible scholars disagree with this conclusion, and several report that the available evidence shows that these laws have increased crime. Even John Lott's co-author has conceded that their study has serious flaws, including omission of other variables that could explain the change in crime rates. The collection of information about whether someone who used a gun illegally has a concealed carry permit is an easy solution to any remaining uncertainty in this area. Not surprisingly, the NRA has successfully opposed such a step. Nan Nixon Chapel Hill (The writer is a board member of North Carolinians Against Gun Violence.) _______________________________________________ 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 Please note that messages sent to this large list cannot be viewed as private. Anyone can subscribe to the list and read messages that are posted; people can read the Web archives; and list members can (rightly or wrongly) forward the messages to others.
