Missing the Mark
A well-publicized recent study by economist John Lott has shown that cities
and states that make it easy for citizens to legally carry concealed
handguns have significantly less violent crime. Pennsylvania is one example.
That state liberalized its concealed carry law in 1989, and most of the
state saw a significant decrease in violent crime. However, violent crime
continued to rise in Philadelphia -- which had demanded an exemption from
the state's liberalized concealed carry law.
Ironically, last year Philadelphia became the first city to propose suing
gun manufacturers to recover costs relating to firearm violence. Perhaps
city leaders should look at other parts of their state -- and other sections
of the country with liberalized concealed carry laws -- for a better solution.
(Source: "Gun Lawsuits Make Us All Less Safe" by H. Sterling Burnett,
National Center for Policy Analysis, printed in the Heartland Institute
publication Intellectual Ammunition.)
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