The most complete study of the profile of open carry “law-abiding citizens,” was performed in 2009 in the State of Indiana. (See indystar.com, October 11, 2009, “Should these Hoosiers have been allowed to carry a gun in public?”) The study clearly demonstrates that, far from being innocent “law abiding citizens,” many of the people who open carry gunshave violent histories, are dangerous and had used their guns to commit murders and brutal assaults.
Studies show that open carry and concealed carry create significant risk to public safety and do little to provide safety to the gun carrier. In a study funded by the National Institutes of Health and published in the American Journal of Public Health, November 2009, epidemiologists at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine found that, on average, guns did not protect those who possessed them from being shot in an assault. The study found that people carrying a gun were 4.5 times more likely to be shot in an assault than those not carrying a gun.
An ongoing Violence Policy Center study, “CCW Killers,” (http://www.vpc.org/ccwkillers.htm ) shows that from May 2007 through December 28, 2011, concealed handgun permit holders have killed 374 people (1.5 per week), including 11 law enforcement officers. They have also committed 20 mass shootings and 29 murder-suicides.
We are thankful for these studies that have been completed in spite the National Rifle Association’s success in blocking funding for research on gun use. See NY Times.
