From the HT opinion page today.
Our opinion
Handgun data is very revealing
December 1, 2009
One e-mailer suggested a headline for our next gun story: “Citizenry up in arms about proposed data-base.” Indeed, many commenters on HeraldTimesOnline.com were concerned that the information the H-T was making public would encourage break-ins at gun owners’ residences.
Data specific enough to cause that was not included in our report and was never intended to be. The point of Michael Malik’s two-day series and accompanying information on HTO was to shed light on the number of personal protection handgun permits in our area and to see whether they were becoming more or less common. Our data revealed a few facts.
Rural counties have a far higher percentage of residents with personal protection handgun permits than do more urban counties. That may not surprise some people, but it did catch our eye that the trend even held true for Marion and Lake counties, two counties with the most total permits issued and significant crime. Only 1 in 22 people in those counties have personal protection permits, compared to about 1 in 12 in Lawrence, Owen, Morgan and Greene, and 1 in 8.5 in Brown.
Permits spiked in the months around the election of Barack Obama as president, prompting gun dealers to refer to “the Obama factor.” This shows a troubling distrust — paranoia? — about the new administration. Our research doesn’t say whether it’s just political or political and racial, but we have our suspicions.
Finally, experts interviewed were consistent in stating that those who have handguns need to undergo training; should keep them locked up at home; and should not use firearms to try to defuse a dangerous situation but only for purposes of self-defense. Saturday’s arrest of a local man for criminal recklessness after he fired a gun at a bandit retreating from a Citgo — the shooter was a customer — further highlights the need for such advisories.
Copyright: HeraldTimesOnline.com 2009
Our opinion
Handgun data is very revealing
December 1, 2009
One e-mailer suggested a headline for our next gun story: “Citizenry up in arms about proposed data-base.” Indeed, many commenters on HeraldTimesOnline.com were concerned that the information the H-T was making public would encourage break-ins at gun owners’ residences.
Data specific enough to cause that was not included in our report and was never intended to be. The point of Michael Malik’s two-day series and accompanying information on HTO was to shed light on the number of personal protection handgun permits in our area and to see whether they were becoming more or less common. Our data revealed a few facts.
Rural counties have a far higher percentage of residents with personal protection handgun permits than do more urban counties. That may not surprise some people, but it did catch our eye that the trend even held true for Marion and Lake counties, two counties with the most total permits issued and significant crime. Only 1 in 22 people in those counties have personal protection permits, compared to about 1 in 12 in Lawrence, Owen, Morgan and Greene, and 1 in 8.5 in Brown.
Permits spiked in the months around the election of Barack Obama as president, prompting gun dealers to refer to “the Obama factor.” This shows a troubling distrust — paranoia? — about the new administration. Our research doesn’t say whether it’s just political or political and racial, but we have our suspicions.
Finally, experts interviewed were consistent in stating that those who have handguns need to undergo training; should keep them locked up at home; and should not use firearms to try to defuse a dangerous situation but only for purposes of self-defense. Saturday’s arrest of a local man for criminal recklessness after he fired a gun at a bandit retreating from a Citgo — the shooter was a customer — further highlights the need for such advisories.
Copyright: HeraldTimesOnline.com 2009