Boston.Com Article Gun applications up

I don't think the article is very good.

It still perpetuates (and concludes with) plenty of anti-gun comments.

The points made toward the end of an article are the ones the reader is epected to 'take away'.

Heavily quoting anti-gun spokepeople and their views, leaves the impression that the upswing in licensing is unfounded hysteria.

Comments to the effect that many permits requested for 'defense' are actually for criminal purposes...are just not helpful.

The article could have taken a much stronger stand on the issue of licensing and done a much more thorough job of discussing the topic.

This comment...
Massachusetts gun ownership laws are among the strictest in the country. Local police departments grant licenses and have broad leeway to deny applications.
...could certainly have been expanded to point out that while applications are up about 15%, an enormous number of citizens of MA don't HAVE THE OPTION of applying for a handgun permit, simply by virtue of what town they live in and the attitude of their CoP.

Where was the discussion of 'red', 'green', and 'black' towns?

Perhaps someday, we'll see a really fair piece!

.
 
///Somebody needs to brand a scarlet letter A on this lady for comitting such a heretical crime. How can a self-described "coalition fighting gun trafficking" utter such blasphemy in clear violation of the orthodoxy from Mumbles & Co.? I mean, why, just this year alone in Boston there were 3 gun suicides and 1 road range incident! I mean, how can they say this is not a major epidemic??
What if someone contacted her and said "We're lawful gun owners who are also concerned about gun trafficking, and we know a lot about how guns are purchased and from whom. Do we have any common ground? Wonder if she would actually think about that. My experience is that most lawful gun owners want an orderly society every bit as much as everyone else: especially most veterans.

According to a recent Radio Boston special report a minuscule percentage of bad actors commit the vast majority of the homicides and shootings that have occurred YTD in Boston. That's 33 homicides and 191 shootings. BPD has arrested 541 people on firearm charges this year.
 
That ability for a small number of people to cause such destruction is the ideological underpinning of the anti gun movement. The belief is that without guns the carnage would not be as bad. Just an FYI.
 
The comments section is useless. You are not going to sway anyone's beliefs.
Of course, that didn't stop me from posting one. :)
 
How about using some G*d-damned facts you pompous ignoramus. Try reading a book (e.g. "More Guns, Less Crime" - John Lott).

I heard him on a radio show where someone quoted that book, and he alleged that John Lott falsified some info in the book, then discounted it.

While we're on the topic of the Globe, look who they named one of their "Bostonians of the Year":

http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/magazine/articles/2009/12/20/the_responder/

Huh. That was an interesting read.

According to a recent Radio Boston special report a minuscule percentage of bad actors commit the vast majority of the homicides and shootings that have occurred YTD in Boston. That's 33 homicides and 191 shootings. BPD has arrested 541 people on firearm charges this year.

Yup. It's the same few people going through the revolving door justice system causing the same issues. Like with LaQuarrie Jefferson's brother.

Keep criminals locked up and there's less crime, but one gun a month in Mass. isn't going to do crap about the international black arms trade, or the national stolen gun trade.
 
I heard him on a radio show where someone quoted that book, and he alleged that John Lott falsified some info in the book, then discounted it.

John Lott lost a boatload of credibility when he pulled that Mary Rosh stunt. Just think of how we would have been all over it like a cheap suit if one of our detractors had done something similar.
 
John Lott lost a boatload of credibility when he pulled that Mary Rosh stunt. Just think of how we would have been all over it like a cheap suit if one of our detractors had done something similar.

I had to shut off the radio, it was infuriating listening to him. A disabled guy in a wheelchair called in to say how his local CLEO wouldn't let him carry to defend himself, and the host said something like "Well then you can fight that in court, next caller." [angry]
 
Kristen Rand, legislative director at the Violence Policy Center in Washington, pointed to troad-rage shootings as cautionary tales.

“People may feel safer with a handgun, but all the evidence points to the opposite,’’ she said. “We see it happen across the country. They are not enhancing public safety; they are a public safety problem.’’

we need to stop this troad rage epidemic before it gets out of hand and we're all killing each other with handguns.

troads piss me off.
 
I think alot of good things were said in the article, granted they were balanced off with the liberal hype... but we've all heard the liberal hype before... some of the things said by the CoPs and the rights advocates are things most of the Globes normal readers probably haven't heard before... or at least wanted to hear...

I thought it was a good article. Showing a GOOD trend in Mass... how often can we claim that? [wink] So regardless of what was said in the Globe, the fact that the permits are up speaks for itself. [grin]

And front page isn't bad either! [smile]
 
Give guns to more people and just look what happens!

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,580777,00.html

Murders Fell 10 Percent in First Half of 2009, FBI Says
Monday, December 21, 2009


WASHINGTON — Unemployment is high, the economy is down. Yet for all the signs of recession, something is missing: More crime.

Experts are scratching their heads over why crime has ebbed during this recession, making it different from other economic downturns of the past half-century. Early guesses include jobless folks at home keeping closer watch for thieves, or extra benefits keeping people from resorting to crime.

Preliminary figures gathered by the FBI for the first six months of 2009 show crime falling across the country — at a time when many experts and police officials had expected crime to rise under the pressure of high unemployment, foreclosures and layoffs.

Murder and manslaughter dropped a surprising 10 percent for the first half of the year, according to the FBI's data.

"That's a remarkable decline, given the economic conditions," said Richard Rosenfeld, a sociologist at the University of Missouri-St. Louis who has studied crime trends.

Rosenfeld said he did not expect the 10 percent drop in killings to be sustained over the entire year, as more data is reported. But he said the broad declines are exceptional, given that past recessions have boosted crime rates dating back to the 1950's.

The professor said there are several possible explanations, including that extended unemployment benefits and other government attempts at economic stimulus "have cushioned and delayed for many people the big blows that come from a recession."

Those benefits will have to run out eventually, he cautioned.

Another possible factor is that with more people home from work, it is harder for burglars to break into a home or apartment unnoticed by neighbors, he said. Rosenfeld said another possibility is that because big cities tend to have an outsize impact on crime statistics, those cities' so-called "smart policing" efforts are still working to drive down rates.

"What you see are the large cities, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York in particular are down considerably, and those large cities are driving the overall change," he said.

Overall, violent crimes fell by 4.4 percent and property crimes dropped by 6.1 percent, according to the data collected by the FBI. Crime rates haven't been this low since the 1960's, and are nowhere near the peak reached in the early 1990's.

The new figures show car thefts also dropped significantly, falling nearly 19 percent and continuing a sharp downward trend in that category. Some believe that big drop in car theft is due largely to the security locking systems installed on most models, as well as more high-tech deterrents like global positioning systems.

The figures are based on data supplied to the FBI by more than 11,700 police and law enforcement agencies. They compare reported crimes in the first six months of this year to the first six months of last year.

The early 2009 data suggests the crime-dropping trend of 2008 is not just continuing but accelerating. In 2008, the same data showed a nearly 4 percent drop in murder and manslaughter, and an overall drop in violent crime of 1.9 percent from 2007 to 2008.

According to the FBI figures, reports of violent crime fell about 7 percent in cities with 1 million or more people. But in towns with 10,000 to 25,000 people, violent crime ticked up slightly by 1.7 percent.

Each city's data was different, but collectively pointed to less crime in every major category.

Nationwide, rape fell by 3.3 percent, and robbery by 6.5 percent. Arsons, which are subject to a variety of reporting standards, declined more than 8 percent.

The FBI's data for New York City shows 204 reported murders in the first half of 2009, compared to 252 in same period last year. By comparison, Oklahoma City saw reported killings increase from 26 to 32, the FBI said. Phoenix, Ariz., saw 10 fewer killings, dropping from 86 in the first half of 2008 to 76 in the first half of this year, according to the data.

Separate statistics compiled by the Justice Department measure both reported and unreported crimes.
 
My reply over there must have made some asshat uncomfortable, they removed it!

I posted under the name Beretta96fs, last time I looked I had 9 "like" or approved of the post. WTF!

I had mentioned how cops do not have to answer 911 calls, do not have to protect you, only investigate after a crime, and promised to not use my gun to protect the anti's if the SHTF if they leave me and my rights alone.

CENSORSHIP!

What else would I expect from the Glob?
 
My reply over there must have made some asshat uncomfortable, they removed it!

I posted under the name Beretta96fs, last time I looked I had 9 "like" or approved of the post. WTF!

I had mentioned how cops do not have to answer 911 calls, do not have to protect you, only investigate after a crime, and promised to not use my gun to protect the anti's if the SHTF if they leave me and my rights alone.

CENSORSHIP!

What else would I expect from the Glob?

Post it again.
 
Great grab and great news!



Boston was up 18 percent, Cambridge 25 percent, Somerville 26 percent, according to the article.
I wonder if this is total license holders or just Class A? You cannot count of the media to get things right, especially when it comes to gun-related issues. Assuming that number is true (228,000 Class A) and you factor in all of the Class B and FID holders, you would have well over 300,000 licensed gun owners. That is a decent-size voting bloc. I wonder how many MA gun owners vote?[thinking]
 
The increase in Class A permits - the largest and broadest category of gun license - amounted to a jump of more than 28,000 statewide to about 224,000 as of last month, according to data provided by the state Executive Office of Public Safety and Security.

The number had previously been dropping, from about 239,000 in 2001 to 192,000 in 2007. Class A permits, commonly called “a license to carry,’’ are the only permits that allow individuals to carry concealed guns and own all types of legal firearms.

The way LTC/As are specifically defined out of the broader term "gun permits" I think would lead the reader to believe this is the overall number, not just class A.

I hope they all vote, if they want to remain MA gun owners... [thinking]
 
I think the best news in this article is that more people are joining the ranks of gun owners or at least trying to do so. Gun owners NEED more people to be owners and shooters, and when there are the gun control advocates are going to be speaking to fewer people.
 
I really enjoyed this comment:
Dot02116 wrote:
Good luck getting to your properly secured gun when someone breaks into your house. And for all you gun owning bill of rights lovers, I expect to see you reporting for militia duty on the common asap. A gun is simply another toy for insecure weak men, like fancy golf clubs, sportscars, and cigars bigger than their own manhood.

sure, mr dot I'll be happy to report for militia duty on the common. I won't expect to see you there however as I'm sure when th SHTF you and all your liberal buddies will be cowering in fear somewhere waiting for and expecting someone else to take responsibility for saving your worthless life.

God some of these people are stupid. No wonder the world is in the shape it is today...
 
Just once I would like to see a Globe article with the word "gun" in it that does not quote Rosenthal.
 
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More than 30 states allow a person to openly carry a loaded handgun without a permit, according to the Legal Community Against Violence, a public interest law center focused on gun control issues.

Huh? What states are those? I think I can count one, but even VT is not keen on OC.
 
More than 30 states allow a person to openly carry a loaded handgun without a permit, according to the Legal Community Against Violence, a public interest law center focused on gun control issues.

Huh? What states are those? I think I can count one, but even VT is not keen on OC.

VT, NH, Alaska, I would think Texas too. Those are the first ones that come to mind.
 
More than 30 states allow a person to openly carry a loaded handgun without a permit, according to the Legal Community Against Violence, a public interest law center focused on gun control issues.

Huh? What states are those? I think I can count one, but even VT is not keen on OC.

Technically they're correct...

http://www.opencarry.org/opencarry.html

It sounds confusing because the majority of those states still require licensing for concealed carry.
 
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