Philly mayor's plan on permits is criticized

The Philadelphia Inquirer is reporting that the city mayor's call for a moratorium on CCL-issuance in the wake of a rash of 22 murders in 9 days is being met with incredulity, even by gun control proponents.

From the story:

A leading gun-control lobbyist said yesterday that Mayor Street's proposal to impose a moratorium on concealed-weapon "carry permits" would not do much to reverse the sharp spike in homicides.

The same sentiment was voiced by city residents sitting in a crowded office awaiting the police interview required to obtain a carry permit.

"All the crime going on, none of those people have permits," said a 30-year-old North Philadelphia forklift driver, a father of two, who declined to give his name because he did not want neighbors or coworkers to know he was seeking a permit.

"I get up to go to work at 3 a.m... . I don't want my son to see me lying in a casket."

Street's potential moratorium would not prohibit anyone from purchasing a handgun or other weapon.
Rather, he is considering a 90-day moratorium on issuing the permits required to carry a concealed weapon.

The newspaper reports Mayor Street is expected to make a decision by next week. Surprisingly, this major urban newspaper has published the facts about CHL-holders, and about how many gun control laws already in place have failed to prevent these crimes:

Again, from the story:

About 28,000 Philadelphians already possess carry permits, according to Street. That is a relatively small proportion of the total number of people who own handguns. About 250,000 handguns a year are sold in Pennsylvania, according to state police data.

Police did not immediately respond to a request for data on how many people charged with murder had legal permission to carry a concealed weapon.

To obtain a carry permit, an applicant must be fingerprinted, photographed and interviewed, answer a detailed questionnaire, and submit the names of two references. Police also conduct a background investigation.

Only a questionnaire and criminal-record check are required to purchase a gun.
Many of the city's fatal shootings involve disputes between people with criminal records, which makes it illegal for them to own a gun, let alone possess a carry permit.

Diane Edbril, executive director of CeaseFire PA, told the Inquirer: "Any measure that reduces the absolute numbers of guns on the street is a good one, but... the folks who are using guns on the streets are not folks who are carrying them lawfully, with gun permits. They are not the kind of people shooting up their neighborhood at 2 a.m."

In a rare moment, the National Rifle Association found itself in agreement with a gun ban extremists, calling the potential moratorium "misguided."

Andrew Arulanandam, an NRA spokesman, is quoted as saying "the folks who apply for a permit go through rigorous background checks. They are vetted thoroughly by law enforcement... . It is very unlikely that a criminal would subject themselves to that."

The story concludes:

Yesterday, four people sitting together in a cramped Police Department office applying for handgun carry permits agreed that Street had it wrong.

They also declined to identify themselves. "I don't want my neighbors to know my business," said a woman who said she was a waitress.

The forklift operator said he lived in a violent neighborhood and wanted to protect his family.

"You ever go to bed at night and hear gunshots, and you have your kids in the bed in the next room?"
Another man, who described himself as a project manager from South Philadelphia, said he was applying to renew an existing carry permit. He owns two handguns, which he keeps permanently locked in a safe in his home.

So why seek a concealed-weapons permit? To cover all the bases, said the man, who is married and has a family. "It helps me sleep at night."

Click on the "Read More…" link below to read a press release on the subject from the Second Amendment Foundation.

NEWS RELEASE
March 16, 2005

Philly murders no reason to clamp down on honest citizens, says SAF

A wave of homicides in Philadelphia should not be used as an excuse for Mayor John Street to advocate clamping down on the self-defense rights of thousands of law-abiding citizens, the Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) said today.

"When the Philadelphia Daily News asked Mayor Street whether the homicides were related to the 28,000 legally-issued concealed carry licenses in the city, he sidestepped the question," noted SAF Founder Alan M. Gottlieb. "Instead, he argues that there are just too many handguns in the city.

"That's a bogus response to a legitimate question," Gottlieb said, "and it lies at the very heart of the gun control debate. It's typically not law-abiding citizens who gun people down on the street in drug deals, or who are the killers in drive-by shootings or acts of domestic violence. Yet anti-gunners like Mayor Street are quick to argue that the only way to stop the criminal misuse of firearms is to punish people who aren't even remotely responsible for the crimes."

Gottlieb concurred with State Rep. Dwight Evans, a Philadelphia Democrat, who told a newspaper that, "It's not like you're going to pass a bill and this is going to go away."

"Evans is right," Gottlieb observed. "If Mayor Street thinks he's going to suddenly make street violence disappear by denying law-abiding citizens their right to self-defense, he's sadly mistaken. This is not a problem that can be easily solved by eliminating the means of personal protection for thousands of Philadelphia residents, turning those people against you in the process. Gun owners are typically the most ardent supporters of law enforcement efforts to crack down on crime.

"Tired rhetoric about ‘too many guns on the streets' is not going to prevent a single crime in Philadelphia or anywhere else," Gottlieb concluded. "Absent the city's ability to round up the perpetrators and hold them accountable, Mayor Street's approach is to shift responsibility to legally-armed citizens who had nothing to do with any of these crimes. That's not simply wrong, it is dangerous."

The Second Amendment Foundation is the nation's oldest and largest tax-exempt education, research, publishing and legal action group focusing on the Constitutional right and heritage to privately own and possess firearms. Founded in 1974, The Foundation has grown to more than 600,000 members and supporters and conducts many programs designed to better inform the public about the consequences of gun control. SAF has previously funded successful firearms-related suits against the cities of Los Angeles; New Haven, CT; and San Francisco on behalf of American gun owners, a lawsuit against the cities suing gun makers & an amicus brief & fund for the Emerson case holding the Second Amendment as an individual right.