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Felons learning hard lesssons

By The News Tribune
Published: Tuesday, October 20, 2009 5:19 AM CDT
Felonious behavior is becoming more dangerous, if two recent incidents are any indication.

During a home invasion on Oct. 5, one of the intruders was shot and killed by one of the occupants of the mobile home.

And an armed assailant is recovering from wounds after he was shot Oct. 13 by one of the people he was attempting to herd into a building housing law offices on East Capitol Avenue.

In the first case, the weapon was kept in the home, which always has been allowed to defend people and property.

In the second incident, the assailant was shot by someone who qualifies under the conceal and carry law.

Sheriff Greg White is a proponent of the conceal and carry law, passed by lawmakers in 2003 after Missouri voters rejected a similar law in 1999.

The law requires people to attain a standard of proficiency with weapons before they are permitted to carry a concealed gun. Proponents of the law believe it offers a greater sense of security and decreases crime by prompting felons to consider the consequences of armed confrontation.

We confess to harboring some reservations about the concealed carry law. Our fear was an increase in guns in public would result in more guns being displayed prematurely and/or more accidents.

White said recently: “All the fears over conceal and carry have never manifested.”

We concede the point.

Anecdotal evidence does not suggest an increase in accidents or unprovoked gunplay.

The evidence, however, does show people defending themselves from harm.

The message being sent to felons is don't bring a weapon to a crime unless you're prepared to accept the risk.



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Current Rating: 3.9 of 163 votes!Rate File:


Before commenting read the News Tribune Forum's policies and procedures.
Thanks.

tattoomama wrote on Oct 26, 2009 6:31 PM:

" I'm impressed. Too bad the loony lefties here in California--especially the San Francosco Bay Area--are neither as smart nor as honest. "

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Peter wrote on Oct 25, 2009 9:16 AM:

" Dear News Tribune,

Your famous Show Me tradition survives.

Thank you for respecting truth, for your willingness to learn, and for having the class to discard an inaccurate theory.

Your editorial is getting email exposure here in Cleveland Ohio. People are very impressed both with the results of your investigation and with your fine example of responsible journalism.

Please keep up the good work.

Thank you,

Peter "

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oalves wrote on Oct 24, 2009 12:24 PM:

" Just signed up.

Regardless of the subject, if more newspapers start behaving like yours, life in America will maintain the right course.

Thanks for being a Journalist!

From a new reader. "

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mvpel wrote on Oct 24, 2009 7:22 AM:

" "All the fears over conceal and carry have never manifested."

If all the Chicken Littles had been intellectually honest to begin with, they'd have looked at New Hampshire, which has had a concealed-carry licensing system for over 80 years, or Vermont, which has had no licensing system at all for most of a century, and noted that those two states routinely fall at or near the bottom of violent crime rates year after year.

Or they could have looked to Florida which, leading up to its 1987 reform of concealed carry law, suffered the same foolish hysteria, has enjoyed a bit over 20 years of falling violent crime rates.

Missouri's result comes as no surprise to anyone who did their homework. "

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rockyv wrote on Oct 24, 2009 6:06 AM:

" That's right, dirtbags beware, we have guns and we will use them if need be! "

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AndyC wrote on Oct 23, 2009 2:18 PM:

" There's nothing I detest more than biased "reporting", whether from the left or right - so it's *really* refreshing to see an honest newspaper out there for a change.

My respects. "

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3KillerBs wrote on Oct 23, 2009 8:34 AM:

" Congratulations on a rare display of honor. It takes real integrity to admit a past error and correct it in public. "

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nightowl wrote on Oct 23, 2009 1:39 AM:

" I found your story on another site and I want to shake your hand. Good for you for looking seriously at the evidence, allowing yourselves to be informed by it, and then acknowledging your error and stating your corrected opinion IN PUBLIC!! Goodness, if all the papers--and TV stations--and weblogs--and magazines--did that, there might be some hope for this old Republic after all!

Thanks so much. You done good. "

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mvpel wrote on Oct 22, 2009 1:11 PM:

" Willikers - if leftists and liberals ever ate crow when they were wrong, we'd have a new addition to the endangered species list. "

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estoltz wrote on Oct 22, 2009 11:47 AM:

" I too usually do not register to post comments. I get enough spam as it is. However this article is well worth any additional junk mail. I'm glad to see a case of common sense and a bit of honest reflection on a previous position was taken here. I appreciate the good read.

Eric Stoltz "

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G.Willikers wrote on Oct 22, 2009 10:36 AM:

" All the fears over conceal and carry have never manifested.

Sheriff White said a mouthful with that. What really irritates me is that the NT could have done some research (gasp) before coming out against the C&C bill. By doing a little research into other states that had more liberal CCW laws they would have KNOWN none of the fears they were helping to promote EVER came to light. Not one single state that has approved CCW laws has ever shown the type of incidents NT claimed would happen. A little research could have resulte in an educated opinion, rather than an uneducated one...and a retraction. "

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G.Willikers wrote on Oct 22, 2009 10:33 AM:

" Kudos NT for this story! "

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G.Willikers wrote on Oct 22, 2009 10:32 AM:

" Where are all the liberals, anti-gun folks, and those that opposed the C&C law that were trying to tell us how there were going to be untold violence and shootouts on the street when everyone was allowed to carry guns? They have some serious crow to start eating..... "

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mvpel wrote on Oct 22, 2009 5:59 AM:

" The law requires people to attain a standard of proficiency with weapons before they are permitted to carry a concealed gun.
=====

Are You Qualified to Vote? Take the Alabama "Literacy Test" to Find Out!
http://www.crmvet.org/info/lithome.htm "

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Woodpiggie wrote on Oct 21, 2009 11:48 PM:

" What the hell are you reporters and editors at the Tribune trying to do? Use truth, integrity and common sense to show a profit or something?

Many many thanks!! "

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calpurnia wrote on Oct 21, 2009 6:43 PM:

" Nice job. Very refreshin. "

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calpurnia wrote on Oct 21, 2009 5:10 PM:

" Every single time there is talk about any gun restriction getting loosened, hoplophobes in newsrooms across the country boil out of the woodwork predicting Dodge City, Blood In The Streets and Death Over Fender Benders. They have a 100% record of being 100% wrong. They were wrong about the liberalization of concealed cary about the expiration of the so-called "assault weapons ban," and they will soon be proven wrong about permitting self-defense arms in National Parks.

The fact that you "manned up" and actually printed a retraction, rather than sweeping your error under the rug, is commendable. But the real question is, have you LEARNED anything from it? WIll you AVOID making the same mistake again the next time a gun right is expanded? "

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Lige wrote on Oct 21, 2009 4:08 PM:

" lesssons? "

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yhird wrote on Oct 21, 2009 3:44 PM:

" Well done News Tribune! It takes a big news organization to right a wrong nowadays and you have succeed in that task. You now know what the rest of the lawfully armed population has known for a very very long time. Criminals will always seek the path of least resistance to find easy prey. Criminals don't like being shot and will avoid a confrontation if the possibility exists that their prey is well defended. Carry concealed laws offer another layer of crime deterrence that the entire community benefits from. "

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Sailorcurt wrote on Oct 21, 2009 1:07 PM:

" I don't normally register to comment, but I'm making an exception.

Kudos to you for recognizing and admitting your earlier mistake.

Gun control does not work because it targets the wrong people. Good people carrying guns does not increase crime, but gives criminals pause when they cannot be sure whether their intended victims may be armed or not.

Blind support for policies that flatly don't work are one reason that "legacy" media is in trouble. Your admission that you were in error on this issue is a breath of fresh air. Good on you. "

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Bucky wrote on Oct 20, 2009 12:59 PM:

" Thank you for this editorial. Can't say any more than that. Thanks. "

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