Why Bob Costas' wager for his gun critics is unfair

From Politico:

“Here’s what I would say to anybody who any time they hear the word guns automatically goes off, like, ‘Oh, they’re going to repeal the Second Amendment,’” Costas said. “Let’s make a bet, you and me. Let’s say over the next five years we’ll do a Google search. We’ll have an independent party monitor it. You keep track of how many good and constructive things are associated with athletes having a gun, and I’ll keep track of all the tragedies and criminality and folly. And let’s see who comes out ahead or behind as the case may be.” . . .

The problem here is a simple one.  It would be a fair bet if all the defensive gun uses got media attention, but athletes have little incentive to report every time that they use a gun defensively.  We know that people generally don't get news coverage for their defensive gun uses, and given how the leagues feel about athletes possessing guns, athletes have very little incentive to report these cases.

The problem might be that Costas actually believes that he will get an accurate representation of the rate of defensive guns uses from the media coverage.  If you want a good idea of how the media only tends to cover bad news from guns and not their benefits, see this discussion here.

An additional problem arises if Costas is willing to concede that the possibility that athletes have guns serves as a deterrent for criminals.  Put it this way: Would Costas be willing to put up a "Gun-free zone" sign on his home?  He might feel that he can hire enough security protections that he doesn't need it, but I suspect that he still wouldn't put up such a sign.  If so, even he must acknowledge that simply counting newspaper stories, even if they accurately recorded all events, would still not provide an accurate reflection of the benefits of gun ownership.

And people wonder why professional athletes want to own guns for protection?

While the NFL is fairly anti-gun, football players appear to own guns at a higher rate than the general population.  Well, they not only are victims of violent crime, they are also the recipients of a lot of threats.  From CBS Detroit:

Ever get death threats over a bad day at the office? Thanks to Twitter, it happens to NFL players on a regular basis.
But it’s not just their play on the field that makes fans fly over the edge — overwhelmingly, the nastiest comments come from how that play affects fans’ fantasy football leagues.
Some tweets go beyond wishing harm on players to actually threatening violence. The following tweet targeted superstar Calvin Johnson and quarterback Matthew Stafford. . . .

A list of examples are provided in the story. 

Why even professional athletes need protection from violent crime

It is so easy to attack professional athletes who are found to be carrying handguns with them (e.g., Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive end Da`Quan Bowers who ran afoul of New York's gun control laws).  From Yahoo Sports:

Life on the road can be dangerous for professional athletes. Unfortunately for Texas Rangers relieverTanner Scheppers, he found that out the hard way after the team arrived in Cleveland on Thursday night for their weekend series against the Indians. 

According to Drew Davison of the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram, Scheppers was attacked by a group of young males in downtown Cleveland after going out for a food run. The assault took place about two blocks away from the team's hotel, and as a result Scheppers was unavailable to pitch on Friday night after suffering a laceration near his left eye and experiencing headaches. 

He was, however, cleared for action on Saturday, so it appears the attack won't have any lasting effects. That's good news for everybody, but especially for the Rangers. In 46 appearances this season, Scheppers has posted a 1.74 ERA and a 1.88 K/BB ratio. Those outstanding numbers helped earn him a spot in the American League's Final Vote for the All-Star game. . . .

Football Player accidentally carries concealed handgun into airport

It would be nice if people used some intelligence in enforcing these laws. Someone accidentally carries a gun with them and no harm is done. It would be nice if some perspective was used in enforcement.

Cleveland Browns nose tackle Shaun Rogers pleaded not guilty to a concealed weapons charge after authorities say he tried to carry a loaded handgun through airport security in a carry-on bag.

Rogers' attorney, Patrick D'Angelo, says his client entered the plea Saturday in Cleveland Municipal Court. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 18 months in prison.

The 31-year-old apologized to his fans and his team Friday after spending a night in jail, saying he didn't mean to take the gun into Cleveland Hopkins International Airport.

Rogers told police he forgot the gun was in his bag when he attempted to fly to Texas on Thursday.

D'Angelo says Rogers planned to fly to Houston later Saturday to spend Easter with family and will make sure "to check everything."

News Analysis Piece for Fox News: High Robbery Rate Gives NBA Players Reason to Carry Arms

The new analysis piece by Roger and myself starts this way:

Some people ask why a man who stands 6-foot-4, weighs 215 pounds and doesn't have an ounce of fat on him needs to carry a gun.

But Gilbert Arenas is not an anonymous physical specimen. He's a player for the NBA's Washington Wizards. And statistics show that the point guard's fame and recognition make him much more likely than the average man on the street to become the victim of a violent crime.

Arenas, who has no previous criminal record, was indefinitely suspended without pay Wednesday by NBA Commissioner David Stern for bringing unloaded guns into his team's locker room. Federal and local authorities are looking into criminal charges, particularly possible violations of the District of Columbia's strict gun laws.

In suspending Arenas, Stern said: "The possession of firearms by an NBA player in an NBA arena is a matter of the utmost concern to us."

While Stern was originally expected to wait for the outcome of the investigations before acting, he reportedly felt compelled to suspend Arenas immediately when the extent of Arenas' actions — and his consequent behavior — became known. . . .

Guns in Washington DC Wizards Locker Room

No one was harmed, but it appears as if at least two of the Washington Wizard players had handguns with them in Washington DC.

NBA all-star Gilbert Arenas and his Washing ton Wizards teammate Javaris Crittenton drew guns on each other in the team's locker room during a Christmas Eve dispute over a gambling debt, The Post has learned. . . .

A top players-union official said he was shocked by the allegations. "This is unprecedented in the history of sports," said Player's Association Executive Director Billy Hunter. "I've never heard of players pulling guns on each other in a locker room."

Of course, this is raising the whole issue of athletes with guns again. Some anecdotal evidence indicates that a lot of players own guns.

The Nets, to a man, swear they've never seen guns in their locker room -- but some estimate that as many as 75 percent of NBA players own them.
"I guess they feel like they need some sort of protection," guard Devin Harris said yesterday, guessing that 60 to 75 percent keep at least one gun at home.
Forward Jarvis Hayes played for four years with Washington Wizards star Gilbert Arenas, who's under investigation for taking a gun into his locker room. He called 75 percent "a fair number."
"I didn't think he'd bring a gun to the locker room," Hayes said. "When I first heard it, I thought he might've been playing, but he wasn't, apparently."
"There's a time and a place for everything," said guard Keyon Dooling. "On the job is not it."

Some in the media are bashing athletes for having guns.

Out of such fears, athletes arm themselves, ignoring the good sense of Paul Pierce, the Celtics star who was the victim of a multiple stabbing at a Boston nightclub -- but still chooses to take a security person with him, rather than his licensed handgun.
A limo driver is dead and the fate of ex-NBA star Jayson Williams still is in legal limbo over a horrific, accidental firing at Williams' New Jersey mansion eight years ago. And yet athletes such as Allen Iverson, Sebastian Telfair and Delonte West still have been arrested on gun charges out of exaggerated needs to arm themselves.

Some NBA players carry concealed handguns:

A tower of power, he stands 7 feet 1 inch, weighs 325 pounds, and bears a tattoo of Superman's signature "S" on his massive left arm. Yet NBA great Shaquille O'Neal protects himself off the basketball court with more than his physical might and inky bond with the Man of Steel.

He is licensed to carry a concealed weapon. . . .

Plaxico Burress indicted

I have tried to paint a more sympathetic picture of Plaxico Burress in my writings (here and here). I think that Plaxico's lawyer had it correct when he said:

“Although disappointed, we are not surprised, as the facts of this case have not been in dispute since the date of the incident,” Mr. Burress’s lawyer, Benjamin Brafman, said in a statement Monday. “When you have the mayor and the district attorney both publicly demanding a maximum prison sentence, it was perhaps too much to hope for the grand jury to conduct a sympathetic review of the unique facts of this sad case.”

When the government can't protect these high profile individuals what does one expect them to do?

The Plaxico Burress Hex?

The Giants are still 11-3, but they have lost two straight games since receiver Plaxico Burress was suspended for violating NYC's draconian concealed handgun regulations.

Some players are coming to Burress's defense:

Miami Dolphins linebacker Joey Porter had plenty to say when asked about New York Giants receiver Plaxico Burress' latest troubles, and Porter can speak from experience.

Porter, in an interview that will be aired Wednesday morning on "ESPN First Take" (10 a.m. ET, ESPN2), said some NFL players feel the need to have a firearm to defend themselves and their families, and that Burress, while caught in not "the smartest situation," has been unfairly portrayed in the media.

"Plaxico is like a brother to me. I take it real personal how he's being treated," Porter said. "Everybody has their mistakes, but that's exactly what they are ... Until you've been in that situation, when you've been robbed at gunpoint or you've had a gun waved in your face or had your house broken into before or been carjacked, you really don't know what it's like." . . .

"For a person to carry a gun, I mean, you're not carrying a gun to show that 'I'm tough.' It's safety, it's nothing but safety," Porter said.

Porter had his own scare on Aug. 30, 2003, when he was with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He decided to fly out to see Colorado State, his alma mater, face Colorado. Afterward, he went to a Denver bar with some friends and, while standing in a parking lot with about 150 other people, got caught in the middle of a shooting.

Denver police said Porter was an innocent bystander, and that the shooting, which left one dead and five others wounded, was possibly gang-related. . . .

ESPN also has this:

The NFL Players Association filed a grievance on Tuesday challenging the suspension and fine given to Plaxico Burress by the New York Giants after the receiver accidentally shot himself in a nightclub more than a week ago. . . .

Some crime against football players

Here is an article from USA Today on why many football players feel the need to own guns. Suppose that the number of robberies described below is 24 over three years. That is a rate for football players of over 500 per 100,000 people. Compare that to the rate for the country as a whole of 148 per 100,000 in 2007.

Despite these precautions, trouble sometimes finds these players.

• Three days before the Burress shooting, his teammate, Steve Smith, was robbed at gunpoint after being dropped off at his town house in a chauffeur-driven car. Some say that may have compelled Burress to bring his gun to the club.

• Former Packers running back Noah Herron fended off a robber in his house by beating him with a bedpost.

• Last year, Texans cornerback Dunta Robinson was robbed at gunpoint in his house, tied up, and had his kids shoved into a closet. He now owns a gun and says it makes him feel safer.

• There have been dozens of other examples of athletes getting robbed in recent years, both in and out of football, including Will Allen, Eddie Curry, Antoine Walker and Stephon Marbury. . . .

Broncos cornerback Darrent Williams was in a limousine, trying to get away from a scene that had turned ugly, when he was shot and killed in Denver on Jan. 1, 2007.

Last summer, Raiders receiver Javon Walker, who was sitting next to Williams in the limo when he was killed, was beaten up and said he had $100,000 in jewelry and $3,000 cash stolen in Las Vegas. Police said Walker willingly got into the passenger seat of a Range Rover driven by his alleged assailants, an easy target because he was drunk.

Jaguars offensive lineman Richard Collier had to have his left leg amputated below the knee this year after being shot 14 times while sitting in a car outside an apartment complex waiting for two women he had met at a night club. Police believe the man accused of shooting him was retaliating for an earlier altercation at a night club. . . .

More on Professional Football players and guns

The article by Kent Babb is here:

Quinn Gray likes power in his pocket when the news is grim, and safety to this 29-year-old is one bullet away.
Gray, the Chiefs’ backup quarterback, identifies himself as a “gun guy.” He has collected guns for a long time, and three years ago he took a test in Florida that allows him, while he’s in his home state, to carry his loaded Glock .45 in his glove compartment, his .357 Magnum in his duffel bag, his .380-caliber pistol in his pocket.

“Just in case,” he says, “I feel threatened in any way.”

Gray is an NFL player, and he says that makes him a target for criminals. He says he needs those guns to protect himself. He also keeps a semi-automatic assault rifle and a 12-gauge shotgun with a pistol grip locked in a safe at his home. . . .

New Fox News Op-ed: Guns: India, Toys "R" US, and Football Players

This new piece for Fox News will be up later today:

Banning guns is in the news. India practically bans guns, but it didn’t stop the horrific Muslim terrorist attacks this last week. A football player concerned for his safety violates New York City’s tough gun control regulations by carrying a concealed handgun, and people call for everything from banning NFL players having guns to demanding that he serve many years in jail.

Where is the sympathy or debate in either case over letting people defend themselves? Given that the terrorists smuggled their machine guns in with them, would anyone argue that India’s extremely strict gun licensing and artificially high prices for guns help prevent the terrorist attacks? In fact, the reverse is more likely the case.

Would Plaxico Burress, the New York Giant’s receiver who was arrested yesterday, really have been safer just trusting the police to protect him? . . .

UPDATE: Follow up on the Toys "R" US part of my piece:

The two men involved in the shooting at Toys R Us in Palm Desert on Friday did not have licenses to carry concealed weapons, according to police officials.

The men, Alejandro Hernandez Moreno, 39, of Desert Hot Springs and Juan Carlos Meza, 28, of Cathedral City, died in what witnesses to the shooting described as a gruesome confrontation.

Sheriff's officials reiterated Tuesday that Moreno and Meza fatally shot each other.

When police arrived at the scene, they reportedly found one handgun near each of the dead men.

That the men were not authorized to carry concealed weapons is not unusual — few Riverside County residents have “concealed carry weapons licenses, ” authorities say.

“There's an underground black market economy for weapons throughout the state, throughout the region,” Indio Police Chief Brad Ramos said. “I'm concerned in Indio. I'm concerned in the Coachella Valley. I'm concerned in the state. It is something that concerns me.”

Last year, 734 county residents were licensed to carry concealed weapons, according to the California Department of Justice.

The license allows a person to carry a loaded pistol, revolver or other firearm that's capable of being concealed on that person.

It's not easy to get a concealed carry license. Private citizens must prove a demonstrated need for special protection and meet strict requirements.

“I can't just go in there and say I need a permit for protection,” said Ben Guitron, Indio Police Department spokesman. “Not in California.”

Thanks to Carl Johnson for sending me this update.

Why Athletes need guns

A few years ago I wrote an op-ed on Athletes and Guns. It is hard for some to understand why athletes, people who are so big and strong, would want to have a gun for self protection. Take the case this week of Sean Taylor:

Washington Redskins star safety Sean Taylor was in critical condition Monday after surgery for a gunshot wound to his leg during what police are investigating as a possible armed robbery at his home.

Athletes are attractive targets because they are wealthy and so high profile.

Here is another recent robbery of another professional football player's home involving Houston Texans cornerback Dunta Robinson.