On reflection, I agree that talking about a criminal's not having a gun
permit (as opposed to a concealed carry license) might lead some readers to
think that such ownership permit requirements are more common than they are.
On the other hand, talking about a criminal's not having a gun permit might
also lead some readers to accept the "licensed gun carriers don't commit
crimes" argument that is usually given in support of shall-issue laws. And
since the debate about shall-issue concealed carry laws is much more active
than the debate about ownership licensing requirements, it still seems to me
that on balance including a line such as the one in this story would do more to
advance pro-gun-rights sentiments than anti-gun-rights sentiments.
Eugene
> -----Original Message-----
> From: [email protected] [mailto:firearmsregprof-
> [email protected]] On Behalf Of Chad Perrin
> Sent: Tuesday, February 16, 2010 2:36 PM
> To: [email protected]
> Subject: Re: Media lies, distortions, and innocent errors (and imprecision)
>
> On Tue, Feb 16, 2010 at 09:58:14AM -0800, Volokh, Eugene wrote:
> > Joe: I'm just not sure that this sort of imprecision - use "permit"
> > to mean "concealed carry license," even though on its face it could
> > mean "gun ownership permit" - would advance the reporter's supposed
> > anti-gun bias. And the inclusion of the sentence, precise or
> > imprecise, yields a pro-gun-rights result, which makes it even less
> > likely that the reporter's imprecision was part of an anti-gun agenda.
>
> Repeating things that give people the impression that one "normally"
> needs a license or permit to own a firearm creates a culture of expectation
> that
> it is unreasonable to expect to be able to own one
> *without* a permit. The sad fact is that many people tend to assume that if
> something is illegal it is wrong and, once they get it in their heads it's
> wrong,
> they react poorly to the idea of it being legal.
>
> Ultimately, I think the long-term harm of creating a pervasive public mindset
> that firearm ownership should require licenses or permits outweighs any short-
> term benefit from the unarticulated possibility that licensed or
> permit-holding
> gun owners are more law-abiding than those who own firearms and do not have
> licenses or permits pertaining to firearms.
>
> --
> Chad Perrin [ original content licensed OWL: http://owl.apotheon.org ]
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