stevie_d_64 wrote:They did a story on this very issue about League City...
And then did some rediculous racial comparision about guns and the disparity in the poorer areas, etc etc...
The broadcast report didn't even hit on the obvious conclusion, exept to draw that crime in poorer areas would not be less if those folks had guns to defend themselves with or to even deter crime...
It was a "Stupid" story, but I always watch them to see how bad they do present the issue...And it is always poorly produced and researched...
Here ya go>
"Texas: Houston suburb leads TX in CCW license
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Posted 2002-12-31 @ 16:29:00 by gl22ock27
( Read 3789 times with 1 comment , with 86 clickthroughs. )
Here is the link for AP story in Dallas Morning News
League City leads state in concealed-weapons licenses 12/30/2002 Associated Press LEAGUE CITY, Texas – This Galveston County burg of about 45,000 people is the gun-totingest town in an abundantly armed state, according to an analysis showing residents in the League City ZIP code hold the highest number of concealed-weapons licenses in Texas. In some ways, the suburb southeast of Houston epitomizes the image of a state known for its allegiance to the Second Amendment. But the serene, relatively peaceful suburb contradicts the rough-and-tumble stereotype of areas with high gun ownership. A Houston Chronicle analysis of state records shows that three Houston-area counties have the most licensed gun holders per capita among Texas' most populous counties. Galveston, Montgomery and Brazoria counties lead the brigade among those with at least 100,000 residents. 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. Slightly more than one in every 100 adults in Texas can legally carry a pistol. But that ratio is three in every 100 adults in Galveston, Montgomery and Brazoria counties. Smith County in East Texas and McLennan County, of which Waco is the county seat, round out the top five. The prototypical license holder is a middle-age suburban or rural white man. White men have 165,000, or 74 percent, of the licenses, followed by white women with 37,766. Combined, whites, who make up 52 percent of the state's population, own 91 percent of the gun licenses. Half of the state's 20 most-armed – or, at least, legally most-armed – ZIP codes are in the suburbs of Houston. The League City ZIP code, with 843 permit holders, outpaces any other in the state. Alvin, Cypress, Friendswood, Deer Park, Sugar Land, Baytown, Pearland and La Porte are other communities with high numbers of concealed license holders. Galveston County sheriff's Capt. B.J. Miller said he supported residents' right to protect their property, but he said he was concerned about his officers amid so many armed residents. "If we have 500 people licensed to carry guns, does that just mean we have 500 upstanding citizens clean enough to pass the stringent background check?" Capt. Miller asked in the Chronicle on Sunday. "Or does it mean we have a bunch of people running around putting justice in their own hands instead of where it should be? "On the other hand, if we don't allow legal guns, only the criminals will have guns." The relatively low violent crime totals in those areas raises the question of whether guns are making the cities safer or whether they were safe before concealed guns were allowed. "If you ask a gun owner why they carry, they will tell you it's for protection," said Dave Smith, founder and president of Texans for Gun Safety. "Protection from whom? I'm not quite sure what we're afraid of in our mid- to upper-class neighborhoods." Kendal Hemphill, a Hill Country outdoors writer, said residents in the safe neighborhoods are not overprotective, but rather, those in more violent neighborhoods are foolishly underprotected. "A great many American citizens who live in high-crime areas, and may actually need to defend themselves, don't carry guns, legally or otherwise," Mr. Hemphill said. "There seems to be an unreasonable fear of guns among many." Concealed-gun permit holders have generally followed gun laws, though, in the seven years since the permits were offered, the state revoked 2,023 licenses because their holders committed certain crimes, such as felony driving while intoxicated. Others used their guns to commit crimes. "
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BTW that Dave Smith guy is an idiot. He says "Protection from whom? I'm not quite sure what we're afraid of in our mid- to upper-class neighborhoods"
Like I spend 100% of my time in the city limits??? I don't need a license to carry at home. Besides we do have coyote and dog problems not found in the crime stats.
