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Breaking News from America's Progressive Community... 1999
Releases
The press releases posted here have been provided to NewsCenter by the one of the many progressive organizations we have selected to participate. If you would like more information about this press release, you should contact the organization directly. |
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| FEBRUARY
10, 1999 4:12 PM FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Handgun Control |
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| Colorado Proposal Would Allow Upwards Of 57,000 Convicted Criminals To Carry Hidden Handguns | ||||
| WASHINGTON
- February 10 - Passage of the concealed-carry law now before the Colorado state legislature
would allow tens of thousands of convicted criminals to carry guns in Colorado
communities, many of whom are likely to commit additional, often violent, crimes
in the future. According to data obtained by the Office of Planning and
Analysis of the Colorado Supreme Court, in just one year, from July 1, 1997 to
June 30, 1998, there were 57,587 cases filed in Colorado for misdemeanor
offenses ranging from assault to criminal trespass to theft to simple drug
possession to fraud.
While not all cases result in convictions, and some individuals may have committed more than one offense in that year, the numbers are staggering. Moreover, felony arrests which resulted in misdemeanor convictions as a result of a plea bargain are not included in the more than 57,000 cases cited above. "What Colorado citizens cannot escape," said Sarah Brady, chair of Handgun Control, Inc., "is that this law will open the door for thousands of convicted criminals to legally carry handguns in cars, in bars and on our streets. And many, if given the chance, will do just that. Federal law does bar possession by some misdemeanants, particularly those convicted of domestic violence offenses, but large numbers of convicted criminals are still permitted to own guns when they get out of jail." A recent study conducted by the Violence Prevention Research Program and published in the Journal of the American Medical Association showed that people convicted on misdemeanor charges in California were seven and a half times more likely to commit another crime as were gun buyers with clean records. Nearly half of the gun owners with misdemeanor records were later arrested for another crime, with one in four charged with violent offenses including murder, armed robbery and rape. Another study conducted in early January by HCI’s sister organization, the Center to Prevent Handgun Violence, demonstrated that in the five years between 1992 and 1997, there was a much larger decline in the crime rate – and in the violent crime rate – in states with strict concealed-carry laws compared to states that have relaxed their carry laws. Colorado itself experienced a 9.1% drop in its overall crime rate in one year, from 1996 to 1997, compared to a national decline of 3.2%. The state did even better with its violent crime rate, which declined 37.3% between 1992 and 1997, compared to the national decline of 19.4%. "The proposed legislation would ensure that the wrong people can carry the wrong guns in the wrong places," Mrs. Brady said. "Colorado does not need hidden handguns and the risk of more gun violence." # # # Handgun Control, Inc., chaired by Sarah Brady, is the nation’s largest citizens’ gun control lobbying organization. Based in Washington, DC, HCI works to enact stronger federal, state and local gun control laws, but does not seek to ban handguns. Founded in 1974, HCI has more than 400,000 members nationwide and works with local groups around the country to enact and protect reasonable gun control laws. |
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