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Did California gun laws make kidnapping of teens more likely?
Now that two California teenagers are safe after the horrific "lovers' lane" kidnapping, here is the question that Americans should be asking: Could this crime have been prevented if the state allowed residents to carry concealed weapons? This incident illustrates how vulnerable all of us are to random, violent crime. According to studies by criminologists, concealed-carry handgun laws have reduced murder rates by about 8.5% and rape rates by about 5%. Had such right-to-carry laws been in effect all 50 states since 1992, there could well have been about 1,600 fewer murders 4,000 fewer rapes every year. Of course, passing a concealed-carry law won't stop every kidnapping, rape, or murder -- and may not even have stopped the tragedy in Lancaster, California. But a future Roy Ratliff will be far less likely to attack if he knows that sheriff's deputies aren't the only ones who can send him to his grave.

posted by Hal 6:19 PM