Police in Phoenix, Arizona are still investigating a fatal shooting at a Walgreens Tuesday night in which an armed citizen shot a would-be robber, yet another example of increasing resistance to crime by gun-toting Americans who are fighting back.
According to KPNX News, the local NBC affiliate, approached the pharmacy counter and “demanded oxycodone.” The armed robber reportedly pulled a gun and began waving it around, terrifying several customers. At that point, it appears the armed citizen drew and fired.
This came about 36 hours after a 60-year-old woman in Harris County, Texas heard two people breaking into her home, according to WTSP. She grabbed a handgun and opened fire, killing one of the two home invaders while the other one fled.
Across the country, citizens are “arming up” as increasing numbers of people realize that “when seconds count, police are minutes away.” It’s not that the cops are doing a rotten job, they just happen to be outnumbered for a variety of reasons that include tight budgets, turnstile justice, sanctuary policies, gang warfare and drugs.
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Recently, the Crime Prevention Research Center (CPRC) founded by researcher and author John Lott, updated its annual estimate of the number of people with concealed carry permits and licenses in the United States. The new figure is a staggering 16.3 million, and Lott has indicated that figure might be conservative.
Toss in citizens in a dozen states where no permit is required to carry a defensive sidearm in a peaceable manner and you’ve got an increasing potential for some criminal to make a fatal error in the victim selection process.
Here are just a few examples.
The Colorado Springs Gazette reported a 56 percent surge in carry licenses in the Centennial State since December. That’s based on the CPRC report, according to the newspaper. The estimated number of active carry licenses in Colorado today is 388,646, the story said.
USA Today reported that there are “about 1.15 million active gun-license holders (in Texas), according to the Texas Department of Public Safety.” Texas is one of three states with more than a million licenses in circulation. The other two states are Florida and Pennsylvania, the CPRC said.
An update from the Arizona Department of Public Safety shows there are now 318,988 active carry licenses in the Grand Canyon State, up from 296,228 in December.
Washington State’s Department of Licensing reports that there are now 586,948 active concealed pistol licenses, up from 571,476 on Jan. 3.
The Michigan State Police report as of Aug. 1 showed 616,941 active carry permits/.
Do the math. In most states, about eight percent of the adult population is packing, according to a CPRC estimate. That percentage falls in restrictive states.
Some years ago, national gun rights leader Alan Gottlieb collaborated with this correspondent on a book titled America Fights Back: Armed Self-defense in a Violent Age. A more recent collaboration is Right to Carry: I Carry a Gun, A Cop is too Heavy. Things have not changed much in the interim except for the increased number of citizens who are carrying guns. Gun control proponents and criminals don’t care for that, which makes one wonder whose side the anti-gunners are really on.
