Date: Fri, 9 Jul 93 23:30:58 PDT From: chan (Jeff Chan) To: 70277.2502@compuserve.com, ca-firearms, firearms-politics@cs.cmu.edu, libernet@dartmouth.edu, president@whitehouse.gov, vice.president@whitehouse.gov Subject: SF/CCW reform letter Here is the final form of my letter urging CCW reform in the wake of the SF murders. I faxed it to 95% of the CA legislature and 50+ media outlets. So far I've only heard back from one paper (Palm Springs Daily Desert News) which will be printing it. Thank you to all those who helped with comments & data, especially Clayton Cramer and David Kopel. (Oops!, I forgot to list them as authors of the paper....) Jeff C. ---- Jeff Chan xxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (xxx) xxx-xxxx days (xxx) xxx-xxxx evenings (xxx) xxx-xxxx fax chan@shell.portal.com (Via FAX) July 8, 1993 Guns in the Right Hands Like everyone else I'm appalled and saddened by the recent murders in San Francisco. Like everyone else I'd like a truly effective way to prevent this kind of tragedy. Though it seems a quick and easy fix, more gun control is not the solution. California's gun control laws are already among the most restrictive in the nation, from a 15 day waiting period on the purchase of all guns (longer than the Brady Bill proposes) to a ban on certain semi- automatics. The failure of gun control to prevent crime is obvious. Like most people, I'd like to see no guns in the wrong hands. Unfortunately even with a total firearms ban criminals would still have access to stolen, smuggled or illegally constructed guns. Even the suggested door-to-door searches would not eliminate guns or violent crime. There is another alternative. The media almost never reports the successful use of firearms. However, guns in the right hands are used to stop around 1 million crimes a year. Most of these are home defense uses. Though they happen often across the nation, crimes stopped by citizens legally carrying concealed firearms are even less frequently reported. Mass murders have already been prevented by armed citizens. For example, shortly after the murders at Lubys in Killeen Texas, a civilian with a concealed handgun permit stopped a robbery and potential mass murder at an Anniston Alabama restaurant. Jacquie Miller knows the life-saving value of her pistol, having faced a murderer in Louisville, Kentucky. Ken Norton Jr. used his legally-carried concealed pistol to stop an armed robbery at a restaurant last year in Southern California. Violent crime is much less common in places where firearms in private hands are common. With machine guns in many homes, Switzerland has very little violent crime, in part because its citizens are not defenseless. In Israel, terrorists attempting to attack a cafe were thwarted by armed civilians. Here in the U.S. in 1987, Florida made concealed carry permits available to licensed, trained citizens who passed a background check. By 1991 Floridas murder rate had dropped 40%. Violent crime also declined in Oregon, Georgia, Utah, Idaho and other states that have liberalized firearms carry permits. While the notion of gun control may be appealing, we are constantly and tragically reminded that it is not effective. Instead of offering more misguided gun control laws, perhaps now the legislature will consider the example of other states. California should consider measures to allow its citizens to defend themselves in the face of violent crime. Perhaps we should stop trying to wish crime away and start letting people save their own lives. [signature] Jeff Chan Cc: media, California legislature, Governor Pete Wilson References: Birmingham (Alabama) Post-Herald, Thursday, December 19, 1991 Independence Issue Paper #14-93, "Concealed Handgun Permits for Licensed, Trained Citizens: A Policy That is Saving Lives" (30 pps. plus references, dated June 18, 1993) Independence Institute 14142 Denver West Parkway, Suite 101 Golden, CO 80401 303-279-6536