NPR: Does carrying a pistol make you safer?

[Pietro Beretta]

There is a pistol-packing revolution going on in America. Nearly 13 million Americans have permits to carry concealed handguns — triple the number just nine years ago — and that figure is low because not every state reports.

Read the rest of the article here.

 

[TimSr]

It's puzzling that so many Americans are choosing to arm themselves at a time when the FBI tells us violent crime and property crime have been falling dramatically for two decades.

They seem to think that this happened overnight, when in fact, it's been a long slow evolution over about 3 decades. With so many factors, you can't say definitively that increased concealed carry has reduced crime, but you can lay out both curves on a graph over those 30 years and see that crime and concealed carry have been inversely proportional over those years.

 

[Pietro Beretta]

triple the number just nine years ago

I would say this statement in the first paragraph would demonstrate they recognize its been a long time coming. 9 years ago; at that point it would have been four million. Seriously, that's what you key in on?


The thing I keyed in on is people with tunnel vision profiling people, they are going to end up getting mugged by the person they were not looking looking at because they didn't fit a description or profile that they set in their mind.

 

[44 AMP]

It's puzzling that so many Americans are choosing to arm themselves at a time when the FBI tells us violent crime and property crime have been falling dramatically for two decades.

I don't find it puzzling at all. First, consider that while crime statistics say crime had dropped, it is an overall number, and crime in your particular neighborhood might, or might not be following the national trend.

And, even if it is, if it happens to YOU, it happens to YOU, and low crime numbers mean squat when it happens to YOU!

Also consider the fact that several states have changed their laws over the last few years and now allow (or make it easier to get) concealed carry permits.

I think it likely that more than a few people have gotten permits now (recently) simply because they can, where before they couldn't, or didn't simply because of the hassle to get a permit. With that changed, people who didn't apply before are doing so now.

 

[RoughDivider]

I gotta say, I live in the suburbs of Memphis, TN and while I know what areas to avoid while in town I think Memphis has finally made it to #1 in violent crimes in the US. So good for the rest of the country. Of course now that I'm out of college I don't need to go into Memphis for anything, other than maybe a ball game or a night on Beale St but that's few and far between.

 

[Doyle]

RoughDivider, Memphis has recently come to match Jackson and New Orleans for being a seriously dangerous place to be.

 

[RoughDivider]

Doyle, just found the FBI stats for 2015 and I was wrong it only moved up to #3, still behind Detroit and Oakland so that something I suppose. Now how good the FBI stats are is another matter lol.

 

[1-DAB]

"It's puzzling that so many Americans are choosing to arm themselves at a time when the FBI tells us violent crime and property crime have been falling dramatically for two decades."

guess they don't consider that there might be any cause and effect in action here? you could restate that thusly:

'we think it's great that the increased legal carrying of firearms has led to falling crime rates'

now, correlation does not prove causation, so they might want to talk to some of the cause agents (crooks) and ask them their views on running into an armed citizen. on average, crooks aren't big fans of being shot while they are committing their crimes.

duh.

 

[rpseraph]

I think the headline from this is... WOW! NPR is doing a relatively unbiased article about Concealed Carry? NPR has always been liberal leaning, and to have them do ANY article, let alone interview actual weapon carriers is interesting to me.

Like some of you said, it is probably a matter of not being able to ignore it! While the article clearly puts a bit of a spin on a few testimonials, as a whole it deals with the responsibilities of gun ownership, tells stories that deal with both responsible owners (the car jacking with the 19yr old) and irresponsible (the lady shooting out the tires of the shop lifter)

I think it was pretty fair, and it hits a lot of issues that many people DON'T think about!

 

[foolzrushn]

I'm with 44 AMP in believing that at least in part, the statistics reflect changing laws.

Some states now allow concealed carry (within the state) without a permit.

 

[2damnold4this]

Interesting article.

 

[DaleA]

Public Radio is definitely a guilty pleasure of mine.

Everybody involved in Public Radio is SO, SO DEEPLY steeped in ‘THE NARATIVE’ that it’s just ridiculous to expect them to be unbiased on most social issues especially about guns but REMARKABLY this comes kind of close.

I did get a kick out of the line:

His henchmen sped out of the parking lot, spraying Gonville and her car with military-grade bullets.

To me it just comes down to the situation where you’re at your local mall, church, mosque, synagogue, school, etc. in line waiting to be shot by some whack job---would you rather have a gun or not?

P.S. The article got over 4500 comments as of 5:19 PM CDT 4/12/2016!!!

 

[Jo6pak]

In the age of CNN, MSNBC, and FOX "news" In my opinion, NPR does a pretty good job of unbiased reporting. Sure, the talk shows are usually discussing more liberal social issues, but many of the news reports and shows are relatively straight shooting (pun intended.)

 

[P71pilot]

Carrying a pistol does indeed make you safer. Not everyone can disarm and armed assailant, not everyone can kill or severally wound a man or animal with only his/her hands and feet. The pistol is the great equalizer. It turns a would-be victim into a survivor, or hero. Since we carry pistols (admittedly I rarely do), we have a chance to survive from being robbed, killed, jumped, raped, etc....

I know several people who have been jumped by more than 3 other people because they were walking to their car from a friend's house at night, in a not so nice part of town. Some of them were robbed, but all were beaten senselessly. I also know a guy who was shot in the leg at a gas station because he would not give the mugger his last 20 dollars.

I live in a nice part of town, but anytime I am leaving my community, I try to have either the Walther PPQ .40 m2 on my hip or my Springfield loaded model 1911 .45 on my hip. I will survive

 

[pnac]

I contend that murder and violent crime are down because more people have carry permits.

I stopped listening to NPR about 15 years ago, after I did research into some of their sponsors. Check out the Ford Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, Bill and Malinda Gates Foundation, etc.

 

[JDBerg]

I heard this feature on the radio and they do make a very valid point that LCF holders do not train or practice sufficiently to prepare themselves in the unlikely event that they have to defend themselves with a firearm. Valid point, I think there's always room for improvement in my firearms training and practice habits.

 

[Bill DeShivs]

I also live in the Collierville suburb of Memphis.
Memphis has just risen to #1 on the nation's murder list.

 

[Skeets]

Safer?

Feel safer?What I Feel is a much better chance of survival at my age and health,

 

[BarryLee]

While I obviously support the right to carry and believe it makes you safer I’m not sure it results in a reduction of crime. Crime has gone down for a variety of reasons some obvious others not so obvious. For instance some believe things like the legalization of abortion have reduced crime as unwanted children are more likely to become criminals.

 

[A pause for the COZ]

If they really want to see a sea change.
What would happen in Chicago if only a 3rd of the law abiding people were armed?

Think about what its like for them for just a few minutes.
We hear what its like in Mexico were the average person has no chance to arm them selves. They are completely powerless to affect change or protect them selves at all.

Chicago is not much different. The only real difference is the police are not as corrupt and owned by the Drug gangs.
But the people on the south side are powerless. They think they have power( they can protest and complain) But the truth is the Drug dealer on the corned is in control. They live, eat and work at the pleasure of the dealers.
If they dont want you out side at a certain time of the day. You dont go out.
They dont want you shopping at a certain place. you dont.

They have no control over their own lives.

Now imagine that world if 1/3 of the people were armed. And said no more!!