Permitted Gun Owners Are More Law Abiding Than Police

There are, of course, news reports out there of gun owners acting irresponsibly. We wish that wasn’t the case, but once in a while when you hear about a report like the one out of North Carolina of a man who was carrying a concealed weapon speeding while driving under the influence, you can’t help but cringe. In this case, the man was illegally carrying and had been charged previously with illegal concealment of a weapon.

Then along comes the news from the Crime Prevention Research Center that concealed-carry permit holders are the most law-abiding demographic of U.S. citizens, and you just want to throw your hands up and give high-fives to everyone around. The report, titled, “Concealed Carry Permit Holders Across The United States 2016,” compared permit holders to the general population and then to police officers in Florida and Texas.

Though that data only covers two states (large, populated states, we might add), the data revealed that from 2005 to 2007, permit holders are convicted of felonies and misdemeanors at less than a sixth of the rate of police officers, according to the study. Out of 100,000 officers, firearm violations are committed 16.5 percent of the time, seven times more frequently than permit holders, at only 2.4 per 100,000 in Texas and Florida. Well done, folks.