From: James Rogers (jamesr@best.com)
Date: Wed Apr 05 2000 - 13:43:07 MDT
On Wed, 05 Apr 2000, john grigg wrote:
> Mike Lorrey wrote:
> >Its funny, you don't know how many speeding tickets the mere >existence of
> >my concealed weapons permit has gotten me out of.....
>
> Mike, why is that?? Is it some sort of paperwork hassle for the cop?
In some states, a CCW is a "certified good guy" card and cops are extra
lenient to those that carry them, because there is a presumption that any
"crimes" committed by the holder are without criminal intent.
The CCW holder, having usually gone through a relatively extensive
background check at the local and federal levels, is often treated
differently legally as well. For example, in Nevada (where I happen to
have a CCW), many state felonies are automatically reduced to misdemeanors
if you have a CCW. Again, the idea is that a person who has maintained a
clean criminal record for this much of their life is unlikely to
intentionally commit a crime in the future.
When you consider that, statistically, cops are several times more likely
to commit felonies than CCW holders, this makes a reasonable amount of
sense. As a statistical group, CCW holders are among the least likely
individuals to commit a crime in this country (orders of magnitude
below the general population), hence the special treatment.
-James Rogers
jamesr@best.com
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