Greed, fear drives push
for concealed weapons

I am very disappointed that your editorial board supports the Illinois House Bills permitting citizens to carry concealed weapons (CCW). You would think that the Tri-Cities were awash in gun violence (I hope that does not come to pass with these bills). But I don’t remember the last time we have had a criminal fire a weapon here.

I think there are two reasons for the rush to pass CCW laws in the states — greed and fear. The firearms industry, wanting to increase its sales and prove it has clout, pressures our state lawmakers to introduce CCW bills. Then the rhetoric that accompanies that introduction fans the flames of fear among our people. Yet many people do not feel safe sitting next to a stranger who may, or may not, be carrying a concealed weapon.

But do CCW laws make us any safer? According to FBI statistics, out of 29,569 Americans who died by gunfire in 2004, only 229 (0.8 percent) were shot in justifiable homicides by private citizens with firearms. So CCW laws were not much help for that for which they were touted.

Furthermore, in a study made in 1999, between 1992 and 1998, the violent crime rate in states which had strict CCW laws fell by an average of 30 percent. The violent crime rate for the states with weak CCW laws during this same time saw their violent crime rates drop by only 15 percent (Nationally, violent crime declined by 25 percent during that same period). These numbers suggest that states with the strictest CCW laws have found more effective ways to reduce their crime rates than simply letting more people carry hidden firearms.

Lastly, the number of CCW permit holders who have acted badly is increasing as their numbers increase. Many permit holders have been stripped of their permits for criminal behavior, and even law-abiding people get angry, drunk, careless or confused, make mistakes, and escalate minor arguments into deadly gun-play.

The firearms industry, and its surrogate the Illinois State Rifle Association, has convinced many of our legislators that CCW laws are in the best interest of the citizens of Illinois. They are dead wrong.

James A. Bachman, St. Charles