Great news, but hardly a surprise

According to the Detroit Free Press of January 6, since Michigan changed its law in 2001 and began giving out "shall-issue" handgun carry permits instead of "may-issue" (given out at the discretion of law enforcement, usually quite rarely), the number of permit holders in the state has increased from 25,000 to 155,000, or approximately one in every 65 residents. The downside? There apparently isn't one:

"The incidence of violent crime in Michigan in the six years since the law went into effect has been, on average, below the rate of the previous six years. The overall incidence of death from firearms, including suicide and accidents, also has declined." (Emphases mine)

This really isn't news, although it's gratifying to see the major media acknowledging the fact that in Michigan, as in the rest of the 36 states where "shall-issue" is the law, with an infinitesimal rate of exceptions permit holders simply do not commit gun crimes, and their rate of committing other crimes, both violent and non-violent, is well below the rest of the population. Troublemakers simply don't go through the steps of going through firearm training, a criminal background check, and an application (usually pricey) to the police chief or sheriff for a carry permit, as criminals don't bother to follow the law in the first place, points emphasized in the article by academician and gun rights scholar John Lott. (Full disclosure: I have worked with Professor Lott by email on other gun rights issues.)

The article goes on to provide an example of a permit holder who successfully defended himself against criminals, notable due to the location of the crime:

"In September, a 36-year-old Troy man killed an armed 18-year-old assailant who, with three other suspects, attempted to steal his car outside Detroit Police headquarters." (Emphasis mine)

Of course, there are still anti-gun zealots out there who refuse to believe that their dire predictions were proved wrong, even when confronted with the hard numbers:

"Shikha Hamilton of Grosse Pointe, president of the Michigan chapter of the anti-gun group Million Moms March, said she believes overall gun violence (including suicide and accidental shootings) is up in Michigan since 2001. Many incidents involving CCW permit holders have not been widely reported, she said."

Where's your proof, Ms. Hamilton? I'm sorry, but your "beliefs" and feelings on the subject just aren't enough to deprive hundreds of thousands of law-abiding citizens their Constitutional right to self-protection.

While we're talking about numbers, there's one more major one to discuss. Zero. That's the number of states that have gotten rid of "shall-issue" laws, because none of the states that have enacted them have had significant problems with their permit holders.

Hopefully, the 14 other states will take note of this positive trend, and allow their own residents to have a fighting chance of defending themselves against the criminals and thugs that prey on them.