May be only 1% of the Texas population, but the deterrant may be which 1%??? :-)

Yeah, that's a pretty common argument, and one that I'm not prepared to dispute.

I know it's made me think twice before busting up a bar! ;-)

I have suggested to the Mrs. that I would like us to take the class to get CC permits. Not that I currently own any guns in which the permit would be necessary but just because t sounds like a fun 'couples' kinda thing.

Shannon, our local community college offers the classes as a part of its continuing education program. I'll bet you have access to a similar setup. And it would be fun to take together.

If you ever do bust up a bar, though, I expect pictures in the Gazette!

"Frankly, I'm a bit skeptical that concealed carry by 1% of the population should get the credit for the statistical drop in crime."

No? Then what has, Eric?

If you believe Texas' CCW law isn't responsible for a 10% reduction in crime, and you may be right, then it stands to reason that some other factor is responsible.

What, then?

You'd be surprised how much effect a CCW law does have, even if only 1% of the law-abiding population takes advantage of it.

...because criminals can't tell which people comprise that 1%. Those who choose not to carry concealed indirectly benefit from the deterrent effect produced by those who do.

You might want to add John Lott's More Guns, Less Crime to your Amazon "Buy" list.

Criminals are experts at sizing up their prey. Prior to SB 60's passage, criminals could look over that guy and his wife riding their tandem and flag them as law-abiding citizens.

...law-abiding, disarmed, and therefore easy pickings.

That's not the case anymore. That guy on his bike just might turn out to be part of the 1%.

Reading your posts, I've noticed that you and YLB do ride in some very lonely places pretty much all by yourselves.

If trouble finds you, you're going to be at the mercy of your attackers. Even if you're able to make an emergency cell phone call, the police aren't going to show up in time to stop the attack.

It's an ugly fact (already decided in court) that the police don't even have a legal obligation to show up at all, much less in time.

As I said in response to Gregg's statement of your premise, I'm not prepared to dispute this argument...it sounds logical to me. I should have qualified my original statement so that it read "...should get the full credit..." because I don't think a rise or fall in crime can be attributed solely to one factor. The overall health of the economy, city budgets for police forces, etc. can and do have impacts. In any event, it should be obvious that I'm not arguing in any way whatsoever against the concealed carry laws.

Whew! for a moment, I thought you were writing about concealed curry...

Oh, heaven's no...that too dangerous even for Texas!

In Florida rental cars always used to have a license plate starting a "Y". (I think.) So anyone coming off a plane to tour would have such a car. And anyone coming off a plane almost certainly did not have a gun. And 10 - 15 years ago there was a rash of car-jackings of tourists in rental cars. When the licenses were changed so that it wasn't always the same letter and there was no longer a certainty that the driver would be unarmed the car-jackings stopped (or at least became less frequent.) The uncertainty that a criminal has might account for more than 1%, mightn't it?

David, I recall reading about that phenomenon, and I agree that the uncertainty this change introduced very likely contributed to the reduced attractiveness of these vehicles as targets. It may be a bit of a leap to say that the drop was completely due to carjackers now not knowing who was armed and who wasn't; tourists make attractive targets for criminals for a variety of reasons. But, certainly, that has to be a contributing factor -- perhaps even the most significant one.

Me, personally, I'd like to see you with two six-shooters strapped to your side ala a spaghetti western.

Please?

Well, I actually have two "six shooters," but one's a little bitty snub-nosed .38 while the other's that big honkin' .357 I mentioned, and I'd list to one side if I strapped both of 'em on at the same time.

As someone who carries concealed, I would also like the option for open-carry. Especially outside city limits.

Phelps, I'd agree with that, although I'd limit it to only outside city limits, if only because it just looks tacky to walk down the park sidewalk with a single action Colt strapped to your leg and an iPod nano dangling from your neck.