Thanks for the cite, but . . .
Thanks for the cite, but I don't think that the point is this simple. My research also finds that police are the single moset important factor, and multiple factors can be true at the same time, and indeed I believe that is the case. That said, I am glad that so many permits have been issued in that county. The decision to issue in Alabama is a county issue and off the top of my head I believe that those probably go through the sheriff's office.
Mobile County Sheriff Sam Cochran, a heavy favorite to be elected to the position he was appointed to in June, has said that he is campaigning on the success he had as Mobile police chief from 1996 until earlier this year.
Now, with the election less than two weeks away, Cochran's opponent, Democrat Matt Tew, is questioning that success. . . . .
Cochran has a financial advantage over Tew, having raised $173,370 for the race, compared to $18,550 for Tew, as of the latest filing deadline in September.
Cochran said the national average of violent crime dropped 27 percent, and Mobile Police Department programs "made up the difference" between that figure and the 47 percent drop in violent crime in Mobile.
Tew's campaign manager, Milton Morrow, said the decrease in Mobile crime can be attributed to an increase in pistol permits in Mobile County. Sheriff's Department spokeswoman Kate Johnson said there were 18,320 permits in 1996, compared with 23,870 issued in 2005.
Morrow cited a 1997 study by John R. Lott, Jr., author of "More Guns, Less Crime" and "The Bias Against Guns," who concluded that "allowing citizens to carry concealed weapons deters violent crimes."
Now, with the election less than two weeks away, Cochran's opponent, Democrat Matt Tew, is questioning that success. . . . .
Cochran has a financial advantage over Tew, having raised $173,370 for the race, compared to $18,550 for Tew, as of the latest filing deadline in September.
Cochran said the national average of violent crime dropped 27 percent, and Mobile Police Department programs "made up the difference" between that figure and the 47 percent drop in violent crime in Mobile.
Tew's campaign manager, Milton Morrow, said the decrease in Mobile crime can be attributed to an increase in pistol permits in Mobile County. Sheriff's Department spokeswoman Kate Johnson said there were 18,320 permits in 1996, compared with 23,870 issued in 2005.
Morrow cited a 1997 study by John R. Lott, Jr., author of "More Guns, Less Crime" and "The Bias Against Guns," who concluded that "allowing citizens to carry concealed weapons deters violent crimes."
posted by John Lott at 3:13 PM
2 Comments:
One of the things I love about living in Alabama is the fact that even LEOs and politicians cite an increase in pistol permits as part of the reason for decreases in crime.
I think I remember reading something last year about the mayor of Montgomery publically recommending that residents pack heat for their own protection amid an increase in crime that occured. Leaders here in Huntsville voiced the same recommendations.
There is a trade-off on wanting more police. In a police state you can have low crime rates because of it. But you will have either or less freedom (or less privacy) or more costs (higher taxes) and less freedom.
It's commonsense that more police (on every corner) reduces crime.
The most cost effective approach would be an armed citizenry.
I have had more confrontations with those who scream for police help than I have ever had with anyone else. IMO: the type to call police for every little thing are most likely those opposed to gun possession. And they have no understanding of either law or of knowing how to avoid trouble (it seems the more the police are revered, the more these types rely on them to solve their piss contests which involve petty things.)
Most of the time it is best to avoid trouble and just walk away if you can, even when you know you are right. But sometimes some of these lefty socialist types should be shot for their aggressivness.
Gun bans and police reverence contribute to their irrational aggressiveness. They don't believe they should have to walk away from any conflict. And the conflict is usually created by them - and little of it makes sense.
Police can harm innocent law-abiding citizens; and the more the liberals demand more of them the more the liberals are able to justify gun bans. And we all know police are not first responders (armed citizens are) and cannot be everywhere all the time. And there are more negative results when the government's strongarm is expanded. The government tolerates less resistance to it's strategies. And never forget that government is inherently self perpetuating - it can't prevent itself from growing. And more government results in less freedom. Police are government (government agents). The highest paid civil servant in Chicago is not Mayor Daley, it is the chief of police. These police achieve political notoriety and their views are respected, especially when they want all guns banned.
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