Permit vs. Permit Holder Gun Battle Provides Ammo for Gun Control Advocates

The move towards liberalizing concealed carry permit laws in the U.S. is gathering pace. On April 29th, Governor Chet Culver signed a bill that will change Iowa from “may issue” to “shall issue”; standardizing concealed carry regs across the Hawkeye State’s 99 counties. The gun control lobby’s argument against the trend is simple: more guns = more gun violence. The fact that the vast majority of all gun violence is committed by criminals who could never receive a concealed carry permit in ANY state doesn’t stop the anti-gun brigade—or a supportive news media—from highlighting ANY gunplay between concealed carry permit holders. Call it the “Wild West” anti-gun media meme (the same hysteria preceding and following the assault weapons ban). Here’s an example from wreg.com in Memphis:

According to police, Lowe got into an accident with another driver, 28-year-old Lawrence Harwell who asked if Lowe was okay. Instead, they ended up arguing.

Then, police say, Lowe threatened to get a gun and Harwell said, “Don’t do that bro”.

When Lowe grabbed his gun from his trunk Harwell opened fire. [Lowe received gunshot wounds to his leg and foot]

When police got to the scene, Harwell admitted firing and said, “I have a gun and permit.”

Harwell’s grandmother says she doesn’t blame him and would have probably done the same thing.

Lowe has bonded out of jail and police say he admitted he got shot when he threatened to turn the fender bender violent.

This is how it works: by highlighting a dramatic permit holder vs. permit holder story, the media coverage taints all permit holders as violent—or potentially violent—gun slingers. By NOT reporting ANY stories of permit holders who prevented crime with their gun, save a small number of incidents when the permit holder shoots and kills an attacker, they leave the impression that concealed carry permits are only useful in the most dire circumstances. And for nutcases.

I don’t the media is part of an intentional “scheme” to fool the public into supporting gun control. That’s just how they roll. And you you can’t blame gun control advocates for doing what they do with what they can. Anyway, bottom line, it’s not working.