bjrichus wrote:So as of 12/31/16, there are 1,150,754 Texans licensed to carry a handgun (LTC), or 6% of the 21 years and older population of the state.
Just SIX PERCENT? Somehow, with all the media hype about firearms, I expected this number to be more like 80% and for everyone to be out there shooting everyone that they don't like the look of all the time (can you detect my sarcasm here).....
In fact, a quick search of the DPS web site shows that there were a massive (I'm still being sarcastic) 108 convictions of LTC holders in 2015 (latest year stats are available) or 0.2% of the LTC population. These 108 include all felons by the way, not just gun related categories, where the numbers appear to most often be in the ones or twos with a few crimes having 10.
It sure looks like as the general population committed over 42,000 of these same offenses in the same categories, that one justified interpretation is that LTC holders (have been trained and have shown that they have proficiency in safe use of a weapon), and carry guns are justified in doing so as the unarmed population are much more criminally inclined than they are.
Can someone verify the math please? I had to use the Microsoft calc app in Windows 10, so Lord knows if it can do percentages properly!!!
I know a lot of people who are familiar with firearms have suspected that there are a lot of fake news stories about gun violence and that a large (in this day and age, can I say H-U-U-G-E) proportion of the shootings we do hear of are from those NOT so licensed. You know the usual thing... Criminals won't bother with getting a license and so on. This message needs to be shouted from the rooftops... How strange we almost never hear it in the mainstream media.... (I'm still being sarcastic)...
I haven't verified your math ( it's Sunday and I try not to think too much) But these DPS numbers are completely ignored by the MSM, the MDA, and any other left wing gun grabbers because they show the exact opposite of their narrative. In fact during hearings for campus carry the spokesperson for MDA, even claimed that any LTC holder's gun crimes were strictly hidden and anecdotal, and there was no way to verify their claim of being law abiding. I'm surprised she wasn't laughed out of the Capitol.
