Gun Report for January 7th, 2014
If more citizens were armed, criminals would think twice about attacking them, Detroit Police Chief James Craig said in a press conference last week.
Craig, who served in the L.A.P.D. for 28 years, attributes a lack of confidence in his police department to the likelihood that someone with a concealed weapons permit will open fire, The Detroit News reported.
Urban police chiefs are typically in favor of gun control, but Craig said he changed his mind. Five years ago, he became police chief of Portland, Maine, where many concealed weapons permits are granted. “Maine is one of the safest places in America. Clearly, suspects knew that good Americans were armed,” he concluded.
“Studies have shown more guns don’t deter crime,” argued Robyn Thomas, director of the the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence in San Francisco. “The more guns in any situation, the higher the likelihood of them harming either the owner, or people who have access to them.”
But Craig is not alone. Some sheriffs associations across the country reject gun control, citing individual rights. But urban officers would like to be able to access gun trace data, something prevented by the Tiahrt Amendment.
Detroit police have reported 73 justifiable homicides in the city since 2011. Here is today’s report.
—Jennifer Mascia writing for the Joe Nocera blog
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