In 2013 Detroit had highest crime rates in the US: More armed citizens say ‘not anymore’
Via Perry Chiaramonte at FoxNews.com
In a city plagued by chronic unemployment and crime and guarded by a dwindling police force, residents of Detroit are increasingly taking protection of themselves, their families and property into their own hands. Those who do so responsibly have the blessing and backing of Detroit Police Chief James Craig.
“When you look at the city of Detroit, we’re kind of leading the way in terms of urban areas with law-abiding citizens carrying guns,” Craig said recently. The chief’s call to arms, which first came in December, 2013, has been answered by thousands of men and women tired of being victims and eager to reclaim their beleaguered city.
In 2014, some new 1,169 handgun permits were issued, while 8,102 guns were registered with Detroit’s police department – many to prior permit holders who bought new firearms. So for in 2015, nearly 500 permits have issued by the department and more than 5,000 guns have been registered.
Michigan has a lot more freedoms with firearms than other states, and Police Chief Craig endorses and urges citizens to get a permit and carry. Within 8 hours qualified citizens can be trained and ready to go, and local gun shops and firearm academies offer one-day courses for an affordable $99.
Many citizens of Detroit believe crime rates have gone down because citizens are armed and refuse to comply with their attackers. A Detroit resident, Darrel Standberry had a near death experience where a man stole his car and was pulling out a weapon to shoot Standberry when he tried to resist. Standberry beat the criminal to the draw and fatally shot him in an act of justified defensive gun use. “I never leave home without my weapon,” he said, “You never know when or what you’ll encounter.”
Rick Ector, A firearms instructor, gun blogger, and resident of Detroit, said that he and other instructors have seen an increase in locals getting permits so they can protect themselves. He also believes in the correlation between armed locals and lowered crime rates.
“Home invasions have gone down,” he said. “A huge reason was that there was a huge spate of homeowners using their guns against intruders. More people have guns and it’s making burglars cautious.”
Detroit was the number one dangerous city with 54.6 murders per 100,000 people in 2013. That’s when Police Chief Craig made the move to encourage people to get their permits and carry a firearm. He also did a massive police restructuring, replacing commanders with captains more in touch with neighborhood concerns and stopped exhausting 12-hour shifts for police.
Chief Craig, the police department and armed citizen’s hard work and vigilance paid off. In 2014 the total number of homicides came in at 300, which is the lowest since 281 in 1967. Also the crime statistics from 2014 showed a decline in every type of crime.
In addition to declines in the number of homicides and non-fatal shootings, police also reported drops in other violent offenses and property crimes.
■ 1,928 robberies in 2014, down from 2,888 in 2013
■ 322 sexual assaults in 2014, down from 351 in 2013
■ 545 carjackings in 2014, down from 782 in 2013
■ 10,725 burglaries in 2014, down from 13,277 in 2013
■ 10,564 stolen vehicles in 2014, down from 12,594 in 2013
■ 14,603 larcenies in 2014, down from 18,324 in 2013
Other cities need to take note and not ignore the blatant facts from Detroit. Defensive gun use happens every day across America and Detroit has realized the problem can be addressed by arming residents according to the Second Amendment, and thus thwarting and preventing criminal activity and victimization.
Ch
icago, however, is the victim of a continued bloodbath. 6 were killed and 35 were wounded in shootings just this past weekend. Their gun laws are like night and day with Detroit’s, and only .5 percent of the population are armed legally.
Their chief of police, Garry McCarthy, is known for his desire for tight gun control, he attacks the problem of violence completely in the wrong way. He was quoted as saying, “You put more guns on the street expect more shootings,”
He also said in light of this weekend’s most recent shootings, that better gun laws will reduce shootings and illegal firearms are the root of the problem. Illegal firearms in the hands of a criminal are the root of the problem: guns can’t do anything without a person in control. More gun laws only prove to harm legal citizens by restricting firearms for everyone, criminals do not follow the law, that is the definition of a criminal. If you force more gun control, innocent citizens will be harmed because you cannot control criminals with the possession of firearms.
Keep up the good example Detroit!
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