The New York Times Lies About Gun Permits

The New York Times is addicted to a particular form of yellow journalism. In January of 2008 the Times ran a series of articles with this title: "Across America, Deadly Echoes of Foreign Battles". The title implied what the article tried to prove: that the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan had "deadly echoes" at home. That is to say that our soldiers were bringing the violence back home, committing murders here because of their training and experiences abroad.

As this blog pointed out, the argument was fraudulent.

The stories are sad and no doubt some returning soldiers and veterans suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, but where's the context for this story? How does this report of a "cross-country trail of death and heartbreak" compare overall to the general United States and the murder rate of young men in this age group? Apparently, the Times didn't bother to ask themselves that question or refused to print the numbers. Marc Danziger checks the math and spots an obvious problem. Among returning soldiers, Danziger finds that the Times' 121 murders represent about a 7.08/100,000 rate. Turning to Department of Justice statistics, the US offender rate for homicide in the 18-24 year old range is 26.5/110,000 and for 25-24 its 13.5/100,000. Antimedia likewise crunches some numbers and finds that the rate is smaller than among the civilian population.

In other words, returning soldiers were less likely to commit homicide than their counterparts in the general population. The Times authors might have bothered to point this out, except that it would have refuted their case.

The Times is at it again. In "Guns in Public, and Out of Sight," Michael Luo makes the case the folks who have been issued concealed carry permits are a pretty murderous bunch, at least in North Carolina.

More than 2,400 permit holders were convicted of felonies or misdemeanors, excluding traffic-related crimes, over the five-year period, The Times found when it compared databases of recent criminal court cases and licensees. While the figure represents a small percentage of those with permits, more than 200 were convicted of felonies, including at least 10 who committed murder or manslaughter. All but two of the killers used a gun.

Among them was Bobby Ray Bordeaux Jr., who had a concealed handgun permit despite a history of alcoholism, major depression and suicide attempts. In 2008, he shot two men with a .22-caliber revolver, killing one of them, during a fight outside a bar.

More than 200 permit holders were also convicted of gun- or weapon-related felonies or misdemeanors, including roughly 60 who committed weapon-related assaults.

In addition, nearly 900 permit holders were convicted of drunken driving, a potentially volatile circumstance given the link between drinking and violence.

I can't help pointing the absurd logical stretch in that last paragraph, but I'll focus on the main point. "More than 2,400 permit holders were convicted of felonies or misdemeanors, excluding traffic-related crimes, over the five-year period." That's 1% of the 240,000 persons who have been issued concealed carry permits in North Carolina, according to the Times. What percentage of North Carolinians have a conviction for a felony or misdemeanor? I don't have that figure, and the Luo doesn't offer one. Okay, so:

More than 200 [permit carriers] were convicted of felonies, including at least 10 who committed murder or manslaughter. All but two of the killers used a gun.

Now we are getting somewhere. Of the 240,000 persons who were issued concealed carry permits, ten of them committed a murder in a five year period. Eight of them actually used a gun.

Robert VerBruggen points out at The National Review online that

North Carolina has a statewide murder rate of about 5 per 100,000. Even without counting manslaughter, that's 25 murders committed per 100,000 North Carolinians every five years. There are about 230,000 valid concealed-carry permits in North Carolina, so by pure chance, you'd expect these folks to be responsible for nearly 60 murders over five years.

That is the answer to the question that Luo was explicitly addressing.

The bedrock argument for [the concealed carry] movement is that permit holders are law-abiding citizens who should be able to carry guns in public to protect themselves. "These are people who have proven themselves to be among the most responsible and safe members of our community," the federal legislation's author, Representative Cliff Stearns, Republican of Florida, said on the House floor. To assess that claim, The New York Times examined the permit program in North Carolina.

The claim is demonstrably true, according to the very evidence that Luo presents. The people who have been issued concealed carry permits are in fact safer (less likely to commit murder) than the population at large. Yet Luo bends all his force to present the opposite case.

The Times is a yellow rag, as this blog has often pointed out. I would go further here and say that the Times is a whore. It prostitutes its ancient prestige on behalf arguments that are manifestly fraudulent.

Comments

[Jimi]

"The New York Times Lies...."

I'm shocked! I will not tolerate this.....The New York Times is offically out as my primary Toilet Paper!

[D.E. Bishop]

One fact about PTSD is that more returning soldiers are committing suicide than dying in Iraq or Afghanistan. That is a heartbreaking development. It doesn't make them dangerous to others, but apparently they are fatal to themselves way to often.

[Ken Blanchard]

Jimi: yeah, it is a dog bites man story.

D.E. Bishop: unlike the mess I post on, the suicide rate among our Men and Women at arms is indeed a real and tragic story. Thanks for pointing that out.

[Sean D Sorrentino]

D.E. Bishop: and just like the claims of NC CHP holders committing massive crimes, the belief that returning vets are committing suicide in high numbers is false. According to the Journal of the American Medical Association,

"The overall risk for suicide was not significantly elevated (SMR, 1.15; 95% CI, 0.97-1.35) and varied little by military service branch (Table). "

The only groups that showed elevated suicide rates were those that were diagnosed with mental disorders.

[Ken Blanchard]

Sean: thanks for the informative comment. Do you have a link?