The on-going debate about the impact of CCW permits on everything from the crime rate to an increase in domestic violence most likely won’t end until someone can produce some cold hard facts either for the against. I’ve always been interested to see how local and state law enforcement officials react to the surge in CCW permits for their respective areas.
Posted below is an editorial piece recently published in the opinions section of a local online newspaper in Modesto, CA. I’ve included the entire article with a link as a snippet simply didn’t do it justice:
Source: https://www.modbee.com/2014/02/27/3209930/sheriff-adam-christianson-concealed.html
Sheriff Adam Christianson: Concealed carry permits raise level of protection for Stanislaus County citizens
Author: Sheriff Adam Christianson – Current Sheriff of Stanislaus County, CA
“Since becoming sheriff in 2006, and having sworn an oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States, I’ve issued concealed carry weapons permits to law-abiding citizens who meet the statutory mandate of “good moral character.”
During my 2010 re-election campaign, several pro-Second Amendment groups asked me to reaffirm my position and more specifically, recognize “self-protection” as good cause for issuing a permit. I reaffirmed that commitment and since then the number of CCW applications has increased significantly. Now, our office is several months behind in processing applications primarily due to limited staffing.
Recently, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued its opinion in the case of Peruta et al v. San Diego County, concluding California’s requirement of “good cause,” in cases where an applicant wants a firearm for personal protection, impermissibly infringes on the Second Amendment right to bear arms in lawful self-defense. In its opinion, the 9th Circuit defined the issue on appeal as “whether a responsible, law-abiding citizen has a right under the Second Amendment to carry a firearm in public for self-defense.” As we’re already recognizing “self-protection” as good cause, the court’s opinion has no effect on our current “good cause” standard.
Bee community columnist Steve Taylor recently wrote about the numbers of permit applications and renewals. Those numbers need some clarification. From Jan. 1, 2010, to July 31, 2013, we’ve processed 2,929 new CCW applications. Of that number, 2,385 CCW permits were issued. In the same period 106 applications were denied, 25 permits were revoked and 1,189 were renewed.
We strongly believe that firearms training is an important part of the process. Being comfortable using a firearm, demonstrating that you’re proficient and safe are all critical components of training. We will continue to ensure that those providing the training are delivering a good quality level of classroom and range instruction.
With unprecedented declines in revenue and cuts to budget and staffing, law enforcement struggles to adequately protect the community. Even though agencies work collaboratively, sharing the resources and costs of protecting the community, law enforcement cannot be everywhere at once. Law-abiding citizens have the right to defend themselves; the issuance of concealed carry permits provides that level of protection for permit holders and their families.
Public safety realignment under AB109 has brought 1,170 criminal offenders back to our communities from state prisons, and they’re now on post-release community supervision. While we continue to invest in educational, vocational and rehabilitative opportunities to reduce recidivism and break cycles of addiction and violence, there’s still a risk and there are negative effects on our quality of life.
We’re managing the challenges of those on supervision with the finite staff and funding resources we have. Jail bed capacity, limited staffing, recruitment and retention of staff will remain challenging for some time to come. We don’t know yet whether the issuance of CCWs has had a positive impact on crime rates, but I like the fact that perhaps it will give criminals a moment of pause to consider whether or not their victim is armed.
We track CCW permit holders who are “involved in a crime.” The revocation numbers listed are for those individuals who have crossed the line from law-abiding to finding themselves in the back seat of a patrol car. The majority are DUI-related. If you have a problem with alcohol and your judgment is impaired to the point that you decide to drive, then you don’t have enough common sense to carry a concealed firearm.
We don’t have any stats on CCW permit holders who’ve prevented a crime. But I’ll share this: I’ve heard plenty of rhetoric about abuse, vigilantism and other predictions of doom and gloom related to the issuance of concealed carry permits. To date, we’ve not had a single incident or occurrence where that has happened. With the exception of revocations, the vast majority of our CCW permit holders remain responsible law-abiding citizens and they’ve demonstrated they possess common sense and good judgment.”
While there’s clearly some politicking going on with references to the challenges of manpower and resources in regards to a backlog of permits, the core message that “CCW permits are good” seems somewhat rare these days. Most politicians prefer to walk the fine line of supporting the cause due to pro-gun laws but then waffling in the face of negative publicity associated with the CCW permit or permit process. I wish more in his position would take his stance.
ccw holders commit less crime than cops, statistically speaking….
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