Why SHALL ISSUE?
You may be surprised to know that Maryland has a concealed carry law now, with about 11,366 active permits, but there is a problem with the current law. Permit holders have been so quiet and law abiding that you probably had no idea they were out there. That’s not the problem. The problem is there are not enough of them. The problem is that many of those who truly need permits cannot get them. The problem is discrimination.
The current CCW (Concealed Carry Weapons) law provides that if you can show documentation of several recent death threats then you might get a permit. However, if the threats are documented but older (say an ex- threatened to kill you when he gets out of jail and he’s been in for 5 years and is about to get out) you will not be issued a permit.
If you cannot document the death threats (they were made in person with no witnesses) you will not be able to get a permit.
I met a lawyer who also worked as a cop in DC, and lives in Maryland. As a result of his police work in DC a gang member visited him in Maryland and threatened his life. His DC police work does not permit him to carry a gun in Maryland. The Maryland State Police would not issue him a permit to carry to protect his own life. On the other hand, any self-employed person who handles cash in his business can easily get a permit. Who needs it more – the off-duty cop with death threats or the businessman?
Those who are disabled, frail, and/or elderly are easy prey to criminals – probably more so than are businessmen who handle cash, but the current CCW law has no provision for them to get permits.
I personally know good law-abiding people who either will not travel to Maryland or have moved out of Maryland because they are not permitted to adequately protect themselves here.
A couple more examples are linked below:
The Cabinet Man's Maryland CCW Denial
Making the CCW permit law shall-issue will end the discrimination.
Shall-Issue Saves Lives
Easing handgun licensing laws: helping the public fight back. USA Today (Magazine), Sept, 1998 by Jeffrey R. Snyder
A 1997 study by John Lott and David Mustard, "Crime, Deterrence and Right-to-Carry Concealed Handguns," provides significant criminological support for the claim that, far from increasing bloodshed, shall-issue systems save lives, prevent rapes and robberies, and confer benefits that extend well beyond those garnered by the people who are issued the permits.
Analyzing crime data from all 3,054 counties in the U.S. throughout the period 1977-92, Lott and Mustard found that, when shall-issue licensing laws went into effect in a county, murders fell on average by 7.65%, rapes by 5.2%, robberies by 2.2%, and aggravated assaults by 7.0%. Had all the counties in the nation had such laws, the researchers suggest that there would have been 1,414 fewer murders, 4,177 fewer rapes, 11,898 fewer robberies, and 60,363 fewer aggravated assaults. On the other hand, property crime rates increased 2.7% after the passage of shall-issue laws. Lott and Mustard conclude that criminals appear to respond to the threat of being shot by victims by substituting less risky, non-confrontational crimes.
For most violent crimes like murder, rape, and aggravated assault, the new concealed-weapon laws had the greatest deterrent effect in counties with high crime rates. Significantly, Lott and Mustard also found that "concealed handguns are the most cost-effective method of reducing crime thus far analyzed by economists, providing a higher return than increased law enforcement or incarceration, other private security devices, or social programs like early educational intervention."
Right to Carry laws have been sweeping the nation over the last 16 years. You can view the progression here - National Progress
- Criminals carry guns now - no license needed. Concealed Carry Weapons permit holders on the other hand are not only law-abiding citizens, but have been photographed, fingerprinted, subjected to a national FBI and local background check, and paid a license fee. Which do you want more of carrying guns – trained, investigated, fingerprinted, licensed law-abiding citizens – or criminals? Why should it be so much more difficult for the law-abiding citizen to carry than for the criminal?
- Nearly every state surrounding us (VA, WV, and PA) has a shall-issue concealed carry law, and every state surrounding us has a lower crime rate because of that. The reason is simple - if you were a criminal would you rather victimize someone armed or unarmed? Briefs on gun use and misuse in Maryland
- CCW permit holders have proven to be more danger to criminals and less danger to citizens than police. Gunstats
- I’m against guns and people carrying them – why should I support this? What, are you in favor of having criminals better armed than citizens? Would you put a sign on your front door “We won’t resist rape or robbery”? Do you want Police to also disarm? Do you like that our state has more crime than 90% of the states? Yes, there would be more CCW permit holders, but a ‘shall issue’ bill will eliminate permit discrimination and increase the training requirement, while maintaining current requirements of fingerprinting and local and FBI background checks.
- So what happens if we manage to reform CCW, and eliminate the "discretion" that's being wildly abused in racist, elitist, corrupt ways? See the effects of shall-issue laws:
- Guns are bad! Not so says John Stossel:
“Many people are horrified at the idea of concealed carry laws, and predict mayhem if all states adopt these laws. But surprise! 36 states already have concealed carry laws, and not one reported an upsurge in gun crime.
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