Letter in the Nashville Tennessean on who benefits from lowering the fees to get a concealed handgun permit

This letter appeared in the April 7th edition of the Nashville Tennessean

Poor people suffer at anti-gun bill elitism 

Re: “Shame of Senate: Guns for all but no time for people,” by by Keel Hunt, April 5.

Keel Hunt claims that the Republican legislature in Nashville only cares about “serving power, not people,” but Mr. Hunt is really the elitist.

One of the gun bills that Mr. Hunt dislikes that died in the legislature this year would have eliminated the $140 it costs to get a permit and pay for fingerprinting.

These fees stop poor minorities who live in high-crime urban areas from getting permits.

They are the very people who are most likely to be victims of violent crime, the ones who would benefit the most from being able to protect themselves.

Hunt seems oblivious to cities like Memphis, where the murder rate is more than four times higher than the U.S. rate.

Police are extremely important, but what happens when police can’t be there to protect people?

John R. Lott Jr.
President
Crime Prevention Research Center
Swarthmore, PA 19081