THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, April 11, 1995 TAG: 9504110510
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A12 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: Short : 39 lines
Guy Friddell's column of March 24 discussed the law recently passed by the Virginia General Assembly allowing more qualified citizens to carry concealed handguns. Mr. Friddell is against it.
Most of the column was devoted to a story about an intoxicated turkey hunter who, while riding in a vehicle, used a shotgun to shoot at another individual driving a truck - not particularly relevant to a handgun law.
Florida does have recent history showing the effects of a concealed-carry law. Since its passage in 1987, approximately 270,000 permits have been issued, and as of January of this year, just 19 permits had been revoked for reasons related to firearms usage. Further, since 1987, national homicide rates have increased 15 percent while the rate in Florida has dropped 22 percent.
A partial explanation for the homicide-rate drop in Florida may have been provided by an interview that TV news-people did with juveniles in a detention facility there. The incarcerated juveniles indicated that the reason they targeted foreign tourists was because they knew that tourists did not have guns. This is consistent with what federally funded research found: 40 percent of felons said there were times when they did not commit a crime because they knew or believed the potential victim was carrying a gun.
Is is possible that there is validity in Jefferson's belief in the inherent good judgment of the common man as opposed to Mr. Friddell's belief that ``capable judges are better able to decide what is wise'' for that common man?
J. W. CRAMER
Chesapeake, April 3,1995 by CNB