I feel compelled to point out inaccuracies in Julie Gritton's letter "Cut through the gun rhetoric" (Friday, Nov. 5).
The letter referred to a study conducted by the Violence Policy Center, a self-proclaimed gun control "think tank." Gun control advocates point to this study as proof that concealed handgun licensees are really dangerous criminals in the making.Unfortunately, the so-called study is very misleading. The study showed that 946 licensees have been arrested between Jan. 1, 1996, and Oct. 9, 1997 (almost two years of data). At first glance, this may seem an astonishing number. When put in perspective, it is remarkable but not in the intended way.
The overall crime rate for 1997 for the state of Texas is 5,480.5 per 100,000 persons (FBI Uniform Crime Reports). The overall crime rate for concealed handgun licensees is about 513.4 per 100,000 licensees. Keep in mind the 946 licensees were arrested (not convicted) over a period of almost two years, so in actuality, the real crime rate for licensees is much lower.
Interestingly, the study made no attempt to adjust for gender. A majority of concealed handgun licensees are male. It is a fact that males are many times more likely to commit a crime than females. Thus, crime rate comparisons made to the general population are not reliable. Concealed handgun licensees are not more likely to commit crime than any other citizen. Perhaps they're less likely to do so.
I do agree with Gritton on one point: It would be very interesting to see a study on concealed handgun licensees and crime in our own state. I have an idea the results will be very similar to those in Texas.
Brett L. Shakespear
Roy