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HERE’S WHAT HAPPENED TO CRIME IN CHICAGO AFTER CONCEALED CARRY LAW

Saturday, April 5, 2014

On July 9, 2013, a bill to recognize Illinois gun owners’ right to carry concealed firearms was passed by both chambers of the state Legislature. Illinois became the last state in the nation to allow public possession of concealed guns.shutterstock_166788275

Gun control advocates warned that high-crime areas, like Chicago, would only see more violence if residents were allowed to carry guns in public.

In reality, the opposite may be happening.

On Tuesday, the Chicago Police Department announced that the city experienced its lowest murder rate since 1958 in the first quarter of 2014. There were 6 fewer murders than the same timeframe in 2013 — a 9 percent drop — and 55 fewer murders than 2012, police said.

Further, there were reportedly 90 fewer shootings and 119 fewer shooting victims compared to last year. There have also been 222 fewer shootings and 292 fewer shooting victims compared to the first quarter in 2012.

All crime is down 25 percent from 2013 and police say they have confiscated over 1,300 illegal guns in the last three months.

Now, it’s entirely too soon to conclude that the concealed carry law is partly responsible for Chicago’s across-the-board drop in the crime. However, it is not unreasonable to conclude the drop in crime may undercut gun control advocates’ argument that more guns equal more crime.

It should also be noted that the first concealed carry permits were issued in late February, so the decrease in crime can’t yet be attributed to more people carrying guns.

The more telling statistics will be revealed as 2014 marches on. Still, as always, correlation doesn’t necessarily mean causation.

Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy called the drop in crime a “trend.” He attributed the drop to the “talent level of individuals” on the police force, “intelligent policing strategies” and other programs. He did not mention the concealed carry law.

Independent Journal Review’s Mike Miller outlines some of the research that has been conducted on the issue:

Gun crime experts John Lott, Jr. and David Mustard made the famous argument in “Crime, Deterrence, and Right-to-Carry Concealed Firearms” that: “When state concealed handgun laws went into effect in a county, murders fell by 8.5 percent, and rapes and aggravated assaults fell by 5 and 7 percent.” More guns mean less crime.

Gary Kleck, PhD., also a gun crime expert, found that the crime deterrence effect of firearms possession is significant: sophisticated statistics suggest three to four crimes are stopped by a handgun than are committed in the United States every year.

Detroit, a longtime progressive city plagued by violent crime, is currently taking an armed stand against criminals. The city’s police chief, James Craig, has advised “fed up” residents to exercise their Second Amendment rights if they feel their life is in danger.

He said criminals should be afraid to break into homes or commit other crimes because it could be the last thing they ever do. Craig also pointed out, “you’re not always going to have time to dial 911.”

As TheBlaze reported last month, the number of fatal self-defense shootings are on the rise in Detroit. There had already been 10 fatal self-defense shootings in the city as of March 27, while there were only 15 in all of 2013.

Time will tell if criminals in Detroit will get the message and think twice before breaking the law. One thing is undeniable, as Craig says, “a lot of good Detroiters are fed up.”

Filed Under: In The News, Self Defense, Special Recognition

TWO MORE THUGS LEARN WHY THIS CRIME REALLY ISN’T ONE YOU WANT TO ATTEMPT IN TEXAS

Monday, March 17, 2014

Two intruders found themselves outgunned when they broke into a Houston man’s apartment on Friday. When they reportedly forced their way into the residence, the man armed himself and fired at the suspects several times.

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One of the suspects was hit and pronounced dead at the scene, while the other fled. The Harris County Sheriff’s Office said there were at least two suspects, but they are working to determine if there could have been more.

Officers responded to the shooting at around 12:45 p.m. Friday in North Harris County.

The resident told investigators that he was still sleeping when he heard noise coming from the front door and decided to see what it was. When he did, the two suspects busted into his apartment. He then opened fire.

“According to investigators, a man has shown up a nearby hospital with a gunshot wound and they are now trying to determine if he was involved in this home invasion,” KPRC-TV reports.

Neighbor Tasha Hopkins told KVUE-TV that “no one deserves to get killed,” but “if you do wrong, there’s a price to pay for it.”

 

Filed Under: Self Defense

HE NEVER CARRIED A GUN UNTIL ABOUT A YEAR AGO

Wednesday, March 12, 2014

When a knife-wielding burglary suspect broke into an elderly woman’s home in Seymour, Tenn., on Wednesday night, he had no idea her son was only two minutes away — and armed. If he had, he surely wouldn’t have still been there when he arrived.

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When Lynch first arrived at the home, 83-year-old Christine Guffey was on the phone. The voice on the other end of the line was her son, Kenny Guffey.

“We were talking probably ten minutes and then all of the sudden her voice panicked and she said, ‘What are you doing in my house, oh no, he’s got a knife. What are you doing with the knife?’” Guffey told WVLT-TV.

He was only about two minutes away from the home when his phone call with his mother took the horrifying turn. Guffey entered the house with his gun drawn, ready to defend his mother.

When he went through the door, he witnessed the suspect standing over his mother with a shovel. What happened next sounds like something out of a Hollywood thriller.

Lynch, the suspect, used the shovel to knock the gun out of Guffey’s hand. But the man fought back, tackling the suspect and managing to get his gun back.

Guffey says he then sat on top of Lynch and held his gun to the back of his head while his mom called 911. He looked down and saw the man’s knife.

As it turned out, the suspect didn’t feel like losing his life, so he didn’t fight it. Bount County deputies arrived a short time later and arrested the would-be robber.

“God just worked this out and put me that close to her house. Because that’s the only way we’re both alive – we could have both been hurt bad,” Guffey said.

Guffey never carried a gun on him until about a year ago when his whole family got their permits. The man’s son, Nathan, told WVLT-TV that his dad said they would probably never have to use the guns, but it would be good to have them just in case.

Filed Under: Self Defense

GUNMAN BURSTS INTO DOLLAR STORE AND THREATENS TO KILL EVERYONE

Saturday, January 18, 2014

An armed man entered a Orrville, Ala., Dollar General on Thursday, waved his gun in the air and threatened to kill everyone, AL.com reports. Though motive is unclear, he never got the chance to hurt anyone because a customer carrying a concealed handgun neutralized him with a deadly shot.

Dallas County Sheriff Harris Huffman Jr. told WSFA-TV that the gunman held a cashier and customer at gunpoint, forcing them toward a break room area. It was at this point that the customer reportedly drew his firearm and shot the suspect one time in the chest. The entire incident took less than five minutes, police say.

The gunman was pronounced dead on the scene.

The sheriff said the customer is not currently facing any charges over the shooting death, however, investigators are working to confirm he had a valid concealed carry permit. Open carry is legal in Alabama, but a permit is required to carry a concealed handgun.

WSFA.com: News Weather and Sports for Montgomery, AL.

There was also a sign posted outside the Dollar General prohibiting open carry, but not concealed carry, the report states.

“The deceased individual had his in his hand, waving it. The customer actually had one in a holster covered up. We’re in the process of checking on permits and all of that,” Huffman Jr. said.

“You have one individual waving a gun and you have another one who shoots the one waving the gun. Some people say that’s justifiable. Then you’re going to have some who says it’s not. I think we need to get all of the information we can get from everybody and then go forward from there,” the sheriff added.

No one, other than the gunman, was injured in the incident. The individuals involved were not immediately identified.

 

Filed Under: In The News, Self Defense

WIFE NEVER WANTED TO HAVE A GUN IN THE HOUSE

Monday, September 16, 2013

Texas man’s pregnant wife never wanted to have a gun in the house – but now she’s sure glad he insisted.

A Texas man’s pregnant wife made it clear she was against having a firearm in their house. However, the husband insisted she learn how to use a gun to protect herself just in case. In fact, it was just a few months ago that he took her out to teach her the basics.

On Saturday, she was extremely thankful to have the protection of a gun on her side.

The pregnant woman, identified only as “Alex,” told KGBT-TV that she was startled by the sound of a man banging loudly on her front door while another man walked around to the back of her Palmview, Texas, home. Her husband had just left 20 minutes before.FirefoxScreenSnapz034-620x339

“I’m a young woman, I’m pregnant, I’m home alone. I’m not going to answer the door – I mean, I know better,” she recalled.

Sensing something was very wrong, the pregnant woman retrieved her husband’s handgun for protection. With one hand on the firearm and the other dialing 911, one of the men broke into the house.

“Oh my gosh, he broke in!” the woman told the operator.

She remembered what her husband told her while practicing shooting just months before: “When you’re in a situation like that- you’re not going to think twice.”

He was right.

When the two men realized the woman was armed, they took off towards their truck. Alex’s “adrenaline kicked in” and she shot once at the vehicle. She said she was not aiming to shoot the men, but rather at the truck to both scare the burglars and provide police an identifying marker that might help them track it down.

Unsurprisingly, Alex is very thankful her husband insisted that they not only keep a firearm in the house, but that she learn how to use it.

“I was against him buying a gun maybe 7-8 months ago, but I told him, ‘I don’t know if I told you, thank you for doing that’ because it changed the situation completely,” she told KGBT-TV.

Palmview Police and SWAT eventually tracked down the suspects, brothers Lucas and Jesus Ortiz, who had barricaded themselves inside a different home. Authorities blocked off the area and negotiated with the two men, ultimately arresting them.

“Palmview Police say Lucas and Jesus Ortiz were high on unknown drugs at the time of the burglary and that they are still not being cooperative with the investigation,” KGBT-TV reports.

Filed Under: Self Defense

CARJACKERS

Monday, September 16, 2013

These are the carjackers who made a deadly mistake of targeting a driver with concealed carry permit

All the guy wanted to do was return his Redbox movie.

So he headed to a McDonald’s parking lot to drop off the DVD at a kiosk outside the fast-food restaurant…when two men armed with guns approached him and demanded his car keys and cell phone, according to Houston police.

The would-be thieves, however, had no idea their would-be carjacking victim had a concealed handgun license.

And as TheBlaze previously reported, the 29-year-old was carrying. KHOU-TV reports the man was forced out of his vehicle and pushed down.

Now we know about Melvin Auston and Elijah Mims, the alleged robbers the man shot as they tried to get in his car and drive away, reports KBTX-TV.

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All the guy wanted to do was return his Redbox movie.

Auston, 26, died at the scene. Mims, 32, was injured but got away on foot. A third suspect reportedly picked up Mims and drove him 100 miles to a hospital, KBTX says, where he was treated for a gunshot wound and eventually arrested.

Mims has been charged with aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon. He and Auston boast extensive criminal histories, including violent offenses, KBTX reports.

A grand jury, KBTX says, will decide if the shooter will face charges.

A news report from KHOU indicates that the carjackers may have been interested in the “unusual” rims on the victim’s car wheels, which stick out about a foot — and that a “fake gun” may have been part of the incident:

Filed Under: Self Defense

TEXAS TEEN PROTECTS GRANDMA’S PROPERTY

Thursday, August 29, 2013

A Texas teen is being praised by neighbors for protecting his grandmother’s home from a burglary attempt early Wednesday morning after he shot and killed one of two suspects.

The break-in occurred in Baytown just after 5:30 a.m. when the 18-year-old told police he heard someone coming into the home. He called 911, grabbed a shotgun and found the two men in the living room, according to KHOU-TV.

When the two suspects did not put their hands up as the teen ordered, he shot at both. KHOU reported that one of the suspects, later identified as 40-year-old Charles Allen Dixon, died on site, while the other was wounded and ran away.

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The second suspect, 26-year-old Michael McDaniel, showed up at a local hospital later for treatment. The women who drove him to the hospital are being questioned by police as well.

Suspect Michael McDaniel was only wounded after being shot by the young adult. McDaniel later showed up at a hospital for treatment and was transferred to another in critical condition. Charges against him for his involvement in the attempted robbery are pending. (Photo: Baytown Police via Houston Chronicle)

“He was in fear of his life, that’s the main thing,” Baytown Police Department Det. Edgar Elizondo told KHOU. “Situations like this we will see more often. More Texans arm themselves and we have a right to protect our property.”

Neighbors too say they think the young adult did the right thing.

“He did good, he did right, he did his job,” said Abe Garcia, according to the local news outlet.

KHOU reported that the teen, who had participated in a program for kids interested in the police force when he was younger, was living at his grandmother’s house after she was put into a nursing home. He is not facing any charges.

“They probably were thinking they were coming into an empty house, which they weren’t. The grandson was there,” neighbor Barbara Carr told KTRK-TV of the incident, noting that the same home had recently been broken into.

Filed Under: Self Defense

ROBBER BRINGS KNIFE TO PIZZA-DELIVERY HEIST

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

A pizza delivery-man fatally shot a knife wielding robber after dropping off a pizza to a motel room.

Domino’s employee Bryon Park, 54, had just returned to his vehicle after delivering a pizza to a room in a Days Inn motel in West Melbourne, Fla., about midnight Friday when Fredrick Lorenza Kelly Jr., 32, approached him with a large knife, the Brevard Times reports.

Kelly allegedly threatened to kill Park if he didn’t hand over money. A police official reports Park grabbed a gun he carries in his vehicle and fired once toward Kelly, who was later pronounced dead at the scene, the Times reports.

“Preliminary evidence in the case demonstrates that the intended victim of the robbery acted in self-defense while being robbed by a violent criminal who was armed with a knife,” Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey said.

Kelly’s lengthy rap sheet includes armed robbery, aggravated battery, and false imprisonment, according to the sheriff’s office, and was released from prison in 2009, the Times says.

Filed Under: Self Defense

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