The Elephant in the Room We Dare Not Speak Of

Blognomicon links us to a Sheboygan Press opinion piece by Gun Week senior editor Dave Workman, who writes:

Aside from the vast disparity in the number of homicides in Milwaukee and Seattle, there is one more big difference. Washington residents can carry concealed handguns, and a lot of them do, more than 230,000 at last count.

It's an attractive thesis for gun owners. It would be easy to jump on the bandwagon and cry "See?"

The problem is, there are problems with it.

If you're going to claim concealed carry impacts the murder rate in Seattle (and I would argue it does, albeit to a much lesser degree than Workman attributes it), you need to factor the number of concealed handgun carriers in the specific population you're studying--in other words, don't use a statewide number. The 230,000 figure sounds impressive, but the state has a population of over 6 million, vs. Seattle's 571,500. If you're going to crunch numbers, you need to factor your carriers from that pool.

There's something else at work--another "big difference"--a HUGE "big difference"-- that impacts the raw murder number disparities between Milwaukee and Seattle, but there's a problem with even hinting at it--lest we be charged with the modern equivalent of being denounced a witch. We can find this "big difference" in every major urban area in the country--the places where guns are invariably controlled and the murder rate cannot be.

At the risk of being branded classist, ageist, sexist, and the dreaded "r" word... uhh, s'cuse me... could someone please look at the demographic differences between Seattle and Milwaukee?

Sorry, Mr. Workman, but the cities do not share "roughly the same...social makeup." Just look at the comparison between "female householders, no husband present" (8.09% vs. 21.07%). And we also can't forget to look at race--not as a cause of violent crime, but as an indicator of populations most directly affected by and responsive to a continuing history of destructive government policies.

If we're afraid to even address this, we're never going to be able to make things right. And those hurt the most by this self-imposed blindness will continue to be the least prosperous and protected among us.

CITGO Replies

I got a form reply to my open letter about CITGO, where the station attendant did not allow a woman customer to call 911 after she had been robbed at knifepoint.

Mr Codrea,

Thank you for your e-mail.

We are currently investigating this incident. Please understand that CITGO does not own or operate any retail outlets. However, we can (and will) take appropriate measures -- up to and including de-branding the station -- if such action is warranted.

CITGO is committed to operating as a good neighbor where we do business. Please be assured that we do not ignore nor take matters like this lightly.

Thank you for your interest in CITGO Petroleum Corp.

Sincerely,

Bruce McCall
Customer Service Representative
Midwest and Northeast Regions
x4886 or 1-800-423-8434, dial tone x6514
918-524-2114 - Fax
bmccall@citgo.com

We can't just let this go away from lack of scrutiny. I wrote him back:

Mr. McCall.

Thank you for your reply.

Will CITGO inform the public of how this has been resolved? It would seem we have a right to know if patronizing your franchises will result in similar treatment. Without evidence that the problem will not recur--including what you have done to assure that, and the outcome with the clerk and manager from the news account--I'm afraid I could not put myself, my family, or anyone I care about at risk.

Do you have an estimate for when we can expect such information?

Sincerely,

David Codrea

I'll report on his response--or the lack of one. If anyone else thinks adding their voice to this will help elicit a satisfactory outcome, feel free to do so.

But It STILL Wasn't Enough

Micayla Ellis' mother took the suggested precautions with a gun in her home - she locked it up, hid the key and put the ammunition in different locations - but it still wasn't enough to stave off her children's curiosity.

Something about this account isn't adding up. If all the "precautions" were taken, how did this happen?

And what would "be enough"?

The American Academy of Pediatrics has determined that the most effective way to prevent gun-related deaths and injuries to children and adolescents is to remove guns from their homes and communities.

Naturally.

But they don't want to ban guns. They just want to enact "common sense" laws where no one but the authorities have them.

Car-Jackers Target Luxury Vehicle Owners at Gun-Point

A GANG of armed "car-jackers" has been targeting the drivers of luxury vehicles in Glasgow it emerged yesterday, after Strathclyde Police confirmed they are investigating two separate car thefts at gun-point in an upmarket area of the city.

Uh, yeah, right...that's what violent criminals do. That's not a surprise to anyone, is it?

And why wouldn't they? Easy pickings, high rewards, no risk of being resisted by their victims...

The UK's well-heeled are getting a taste of what the average subject has to live with--not that we should expect any changes, but who knows? Maybe someone with more clout than the average serf will get mugged and wake up.