Copyright 2003 The Houston Chronicle Publishing Company
The Houston Chronicle
January 23, 2003, Thursday 3 STAR EDITION
SECTION: A; Pg. 21
LENGTH: 555 words
HEADLINE: Groups say gun laws' effect on crime rates inconclusive
SOURCE: Staff
BYLINE: ROBERT CROWE
BODY:
While two groups promote their dueling studies over the effect of concealed weapons laws on crime rates, opponents and proponents of gun control in Texas say it's difficult to conclude how or if this state's "right-to-carry" laws have affected crime rates.
However, each side is firm in its stance on concealed handguns.
A study released Wednesday by the Brookings Institution argues that state laws that allow private citizens to carry concealed weapons do not reduce crime and may even increase it, the Los Angeles Times reported.
The findings, by Stanford University law professor John Donohue, contradict a highly influential study by economist John R. Lott Jr., now a research fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, who concluded in 1997 that by adopting such laws, states can substantially curb violent crime.
"I'd say that no one can claim or disclaim that concealed handguns have lowered crime rate in Texas," said Jim D. Nicholson, past president of the Texas State Rifle Association. "There are too many factors to say exactly what has taken effect."
Nicholson, who favors Texas' concealed weapons laws, supports Lott's assertion that concealed weapons do make criminals think twice before committing crimes.
David Smith, president of Texans for Gun Safety, also believes there are too many factors that could lead to the reduction in crime rates. He thinks that anytime people are armed with loaded weapons, the likelihood for crime - whether by a criminal or a law-abiding citizen with a legally concealed weapon - can dramatically increase.
"If guns made you safer, we would be the safest country and have the lowest crime rates," Smith said. "Instead, we have some of the highest crime rates and an armed citizenry."
Since the late 1970s, 33 states have enacted "shall-issue" or "right-to-carry" laws, which require law enforcement authorities to issue handgun permits to qualified applicants. Among the states are Texas, Florida, Pennsylvania, Utah and Nevada.
Since Texas began allowing residents to obtain licenses to carry concealed guns in 1995, the Department of Public Safety has issued more than 220,000 permits. About 15 percent of them have gone to residents of Harris County, which is home to 16 percent of the state's population.
Social scientists, represented on opposing sides by Donohue and Lott, remain stubbornly divided over the effect of such laws on crime rates.
"If somebody had to say which way is the evidence stronger, I'd say that it's probably stronger that the laws are increasing crime, rather than decreasing crime," Donohue said Wednesday in an interview. "But the stronger thing I could say is that I don't see any strong evidence that they are reducing crime."
Donohue's study, which builds on work with Ian Ayres, a law professor at Yale University, will appear in Evaluating Gun Policy, a book to be released by Brookings this month.
The book also includes a separate study by Philip J. Cook and Jens Ludwig, professors at Duke and Georgetown universities, who conclude that gun ownership may actually increase the risk of being burglarized in the United States.
Donohue's study will also be published in the May issue of the Stanford Law Review - side by side with an updated study by Lott, who defends his position and rejects Donohue's findings.
LOAD-DATE: January 24, 2003
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Groups say gun laws' effect on crime rates inconclusive