New York Police Department commissioner James O’Neill says it is “insanity” to allow national concealed carry reciprocity for law-abiding citizens.
He suggested more guns will only lead to more violence, although a 2012 Congressional Research Service study showed that a massive increase in private gun ownership–from 192 million firearms in 1994 to 310 million firearms in 2009–correlated with sharp drops in crime.
Moreover, the Crime Prevention Research Center (CRPC) has shown that concealed carry permit holders are among the most law-abiding of law-abiding citizens. To highlight how just how law-abiding concealed carriers are CPRC juxtaposed crimes by police versus crimes by concealed carry permit holders. They used Texas permit holders as their sample.
CPRC showed that from January 1, 2005, through December 31, 2007, the yearly rate of misdemeanors and felonies by full-time police officers was .102 percent. On the other hand, the yearly rate for Texas’ concealed carry permit holders in the year 2015–the year campus carry was signed into law in that state–was .0102 percent.
Yet O’Neill told “60 Minutes” that adopting national concealed carry reciprocity is “insanity.” He said, “Right now we– we have a good idea of– of who’s carrying guns. If this law passes, the– all bets are off. Anybody can come into New York City from any state and– and carry a weapon.”
O’Neill fails to differentiate between law-abiding citizens and criminals, thereby muddying the waters. For example, he does not state the obvious–that criminals are already carrying guns. They are not waiting for national reciprocity so they can legally carry guns with which to commit crimes. Therefore, national reciprocity is not about allowing “anybody” to come into New York City with a gun, but allowing law-abiding citizens, i.e., concealed carry permit holders, to come into the city armed for self-defense.
There is nothing insane about being armed to protect one’s life and liberty.
AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News, the host of the Breitbart podcast Bullets with AWR Hawkins, and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com. Sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange.