August 18, 2006
JT McAdams
Dear Mr. McAdams:
Thank you for your comments on my proposed ordinance on concealed weapons. As you may already know, the City Council voted to remove the proposal from their agenda.
As Mayor, my primary responsibility is the safety and well-being of our citizens. I depend upon our Police Department and it's officers as the experts in dealing with crime and safety issues. Police Chief Casady and at least 85% of the officers believe that the concealed carry law is a bad idea for Lincoln. They are concerned about encountering more guns in their work, guns being taken away or stolen from permit holders, and the increased risk of mishaps such as accidental shootings.
The State’s concealed carry law has several loopholes that pose serious problems for Lincoln, particularly those concerned about domestic violence. The crimes of impersonating a police officer, stalking, and violating a protection order do not disqualify a person from receiving a concealed weapon permit.
The research on the impacts of concealed weapon laws on crime rates is mixed. Most of the conclusions reached depend upon the point of view of the researcher. However, one study validated what our police officers are saying. In the first five and one-half years of the concealed weapons law in Texas, concealed weapon permit holders were arrested over 5,300 times, or nearly three times a day. While some arrests were for very serious, pre-meditated crimes, others were the result of good people having guns at their worst moments. Simply encouraging more weapons does not necessarily produce a safe community.
Thanks again for your comments.
Sincerely,
Coleen J. Seng
Mayor of Lincoln
Thursday, August 24, 2006
"My Primary Responsibility"
Lincoln, NE Mayor Coleen Seng responds to a letter from JT McAdams:
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9 comments:
Well now, that is indeed odd. For I was always iunder the impression that the PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITY of a public official was to 'UPOHOLD AN DEFEND THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA'.
Oh well, guess I must have been mistaken....
(Please excuse the spelling errors, haven't had my required intake of coffee yet).
Yes, most cops are against more people having guns. They'll still have theirs, and they'd love to be the only ones armed.
As for the mayor's comments on studies showing what people are looking for, it's pretty odd he would cite one (in fact, if I'm familiar with that study, it was a pretty lousy one--could be a different one, though, since there were a lot of studies intended to stop concealed carry).
Mayor, you are a liar.
And not even a good one.
"Loopholes" my 455!
The Texas statistic is complete bullsh*t.
The statistic he's citing is correct. The CHL arrests were for speeding, parking violations, littering, etc. Six were violations involving their guns. In Texas, being stopped for speeding, etc, is logged as an arrest, even though in the vast majority of these "arrests", the officer does not detain, cuff, or insert the suspect into a patrol car. I'm sure a lot of these errant CHL holders also fibbed to their wives and eat too much fatty food.
Oh, and one other thing I forgot. If you are a CHL holder in Texas, you are twelve times LESS likely to be involved in ANY criminal activity, based on the total population at large. In other words, CHL holders represent the tiniest minority of lawbreakers in Texas, including if you stack them against police, and pastors. I like my chicken fried too, but we just had a pastor here convicted of raping three women, after first drugging them. Late last year, a constable was convicted and sentenced for calling a sting cop Mom on the internet, and arranging to meet her, with the purpose of having sex with her and her 8 yr. old daughter. I hurled like a firehose when I found out about that one.
The mayor reported "In the first five and one-half years of the concealed weapons law in Texas, concealed weapon permit holders were arrested over 5,300 times, or nearly three times a day."
Uniform Crime Reports for 2004 shows that Texas reported 1,116,524 arrests (excluding traffic and other misdemeanors - see table 69).
Even if that 5300 were in just one year, that's less than half a percent of the total.
See this link for more detail.
The very fact that the mayor trotted out the bogus Texas statistic shows you whose pocket she is in. This obnoxious piece of flim-flammery was created by the Violence Policy Center wonks -- who make no secret of wanting to ban all handgun ownership -- and is quoted only by those who are in bed with them.
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