THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, February 8, 1995 TAG: 9502080013
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A10 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: Short : 38 lines
Richard Parise (``More permits for concealed weapons would mean more killing,'' Another View, Jan. 27) tries to prove that concealed-carry laws don't work. He says Florida crime is 56 percent higher than the rest of the country and up 16 percent since its law passed.
The Crime in Florida annual report tells the rest of the story. Since the Florida law passed in 1987, violent crime has risen 17.8 percent while the U.S. rate has risen 24 percent. Overall, crime dropped from 69 percent to 59 percent above the nation and homicides fell from 37 percent above to 3 percent below the national average.
Mr. Parise thinks gun owners will act as ``would-be heroes firing hundreds of bullets . . . in the cause of justice.'' Thirty-five states have concealed-carry laws, and his fantasy simply has not come true. A St. Louis University Law School study concluded that armed citizens were more successful than police in shooting or driving off criminals, and five times less likely to shoot innocent bystanders.
Vermont allows noncriminal adults to carry concealed handguns without a permit and was ranked as the safest state in 1994. States with carry laws have lower crime, Dirty Harrys don't roam the streets. Neither do criminals. Well, at least not as much.
Carry laws won't eliminate crime, but history shows they reduce it without adverse side effects. Unlike gun-control proponents, our Virginia legislators are debating the issue with open minds.
JOHN ROVEGNO
Norfolk, Jan. 28, 1995 by CNB