WHODATHUNK? “Gun-Free Zones” Cause Firearm Theft

The word is out: If you love having more guns in the hands of criminals (and what anti-gunner doesn’t?), then you need to make some more “gun-free zones.”

To be fair, it’s just common sense. When a law-abiding concealed-carrier gets to a destination and sees a sign saying they can’t bring their guns, their most likely next step is to disarm and stow the gun in the most logical place–their car. Trouble is, a parked car’s defenses against theft of its contents are rather fragile. Just break a window and anything inside the car is yours. So it’s become more and more common for criminals to specifically target cars in “gun-free zones” looking for guns, because guns are actually more valuable than cash to many criminals.

What’s more, there’s a reason that the phrase “gun-free zone” gets scare quotes: The entire concept is a fiction. Simply putting up a sign saying not to do a thing doesn’t mean people will obey it. (Everybody knows those speed-limit signs are just suggestions.) Criminals will bring their guns wherever they please, and if they don’t have one, they’ll steal it from the guy whose obedience to the law makes him a target.

Now, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms (CCRKBA) has hard data proving what we already suspected: “gun-free zones” result in more guns in the hands of criminals, not less. What you choose to do with this information is up to you …

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A new report from the Council on Criminal Justice revealing an increase in firearms thefts from parked cars over a five-year study period (2018-2022) overlooks one major component of the problem: the necessity for legally-armed citizens to leave their firearms before entering so-called “gun-free zones,” the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms observed.

“While the report raises alarms about a 31 percent increase of gun thefts from vehicles,” said CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb, “it fails to mention a major reason people must leave their firearms in their cars, and that’s the proliferation of ‘gun-free zones’ and ‘sensitive areas,’ all promoted by the same social justice extremists who complain about guns falling into the wrong hands.

“A legally-owned firearm is safest when it is in the possession of its owner,” Gottlieb explained. “Armed private citizens should never be expected to leave their firearms just to have lunch, attend a meeting or public hearing, handle personal business in a government building, enter churches, synagogues or mosques, or merely to go shopping at a mall or market.

“Research indicates that mass shootings occur more frequently in so-called ‘gun-free zones’ than any other venue,” he continued. “Legally-armed citizens have successfully intervened in such situations and prevented tragedies, such as the incident at Indiana’s Greenwood Park Mall, where a young man neutralized a would-be mass shooter after he had opened fire in the food court area. Armed volunteers have stopped killers in places of worship in Texas and Michigan.

“Establishing laws that disarm honest citizens while creating risk-free environments for criminals and crazy people is not simply ineffective,” Gottlieb stated, “it’s insane. Such restrictions not only make it impossible for victims to defend themselves, they provide unparalleled opportunities for thieves, especially during the holiday season.

“No law should ever be allowed to force law-abiding citizens to leave their means of self-defense locked in an automobile,” he said. “If you want to prevent gun thefts from parking lots and garages, don’t make things easier for thieves. If you want to deter mass shootings in public places, make it possible for people to fight back. If you want to keep guns out of the wrong hands, then allow those guns to be in the right hands.”