“Detroit has experienced 37 percent fewer robberies in 2014 than during the same period last year, 22 percent fewer break-ins of businesses and homes, and 30 percent fewer carjackings. (Police Chief James) Craig attributed the drop to better police work and criminals being reluctant to prey on citizens who may be carrying guns.” Of course, that good news lede is buried behind an anecdote about an 88-year-old opening fire on a news crew. The Detroit News can’t allow un-alloyed gun-related positive news to go unchallenged. But don’t try telling Chief Craig that firearms in the hands of law abiding Detroiters is a bad thing. Oh wait, the CSGV’s Josh Horwitz is doing just that . . .
“Our position is, more guns equals more crime,” Horwitz said “These are complicated issues, but the empirical evidence shows the states with the lowest gun ownership and the tightest restrictions have the fewest instances of gun violence.
Never mind that crime has dropped steadily since the early nineties as the number of guns in private hands has increased by about 50% in the U.S.. Doesn’t sound terribly complicated to us. But that kind of heresy thrown in the face of a gun control true believer like Josh will always be disregarded with extreme prejudice.
Speaking as someone with boots on the ground in America’s most violent city, though, Horwitz’s more guns equals more crime dogma flies in the face of Chief Craig’s real world experience.
“Criminals are getting the message that good Detroiters are armed and will use that weapon,” said Craig, who has repeatedly said he believes armed citizens deter crime. “I don’t want to take away from the good work our investigators are doing, but I think part of the drop in crime, and robberies in particular, is because criminals are thinking twice that citizens could be armed.
“I can’t say what specific percentage is caused by this, but there’s no question in my mind it has had an effect,” Craig said.
Sorry, Josh. Go peddle your civilian disarmament papers somewhere else. Maybe somewhere citizens haven’t yet discovered that armed self defense can be their first and best chance at deterring crime.
[h/t Dirk Diggler]