John R. Lott, Jr.: Biden’s Political Biases on Crime in His SOTU Endanger Public Safety

President Biden’s State of the Union address made misleading claims about gun crime and other subjects.

Biden: “COVID left other scars, like the spike in violent crime in 2020 – the first year of the pandemic.”

In fact, property and violent crimes declined in 2019, and soared in 2020 after the COVID virus struck. However, the rise was due to policies followed by liberal politicians and judges, not COVID itself. As police budgets were cut, crime increased. Liberal District Attorneys refused prosecution of violent criminals. Bail reform allowed dangerous criminals to return to the streets. Liberal judges also released large numbers young, healthy criminals from jail. A Large academic literature The riskier it is that criminals commit crime, and the less likely they are to do this, shows the research. But, unfortunately, many politicians don’t understand that, and these policies have made it safer for criminals to commit crime, so we have seen a lot more of it.

Biden: “Joining us tonight is Brandon Tsay, a 26-year-old hero.  . . . He now works at a dance studio started by his grandparents.  Two weeks ago, during Lunar New Year celebrations, he heard the studio’s front door close and saw a man pointing a gun at him.  . . . In that instant, he found the courage to act and wrestled the semi-automatic pistol away from a gunman who had already killed 11 people at another dance studio.  He saved lives.”

Was Tsay heroic? Yes. However, would Biden have honored the heroes who were able to legally carry guns to stop similar attacks in the past? No. Although these heroes are rarely covered in national news, they have been featured more than once. 37 Mass Public Shootings Since January 2020. These cases of heroic and dramatic events rarely get national coverage.

Tsay would have been much safer if he had used an authorized concealed handgun to stop his attack. Los Angeles Country has no concealed handgun laws. One permit per 5,660 adults. San Mateo County was the victim of another attack. One permit was issued to every 24,630 adults. Comparatively, only one permit is required for every nine persons in 43 right to carry states.

Unsurprisingly, concealed handgun permit holders don’t stop mass public shootings in states such as California or the six other very restrictive states. These concealed handgun permit holders do make a significant difference in these right to carry states. Americans are legally allowed to carry concealed handguns. About half of all active shooting incidents in the US can be stopped.

Biden: “Ban assault weapons once and for all. We did it before. I led the fight to ban them in 1994. In the 10 years the ban was law, mass shootings went down.”

Semi-automatic guns aren’t the most common weapon used in mass public shootings. Fifty-five percent Only handguns are included, while only 11% include rifles of all types.

It is not surprising that banning should be prohibited “assault” The effectiveness of rifles was very limited. There was no decrease in attacks under the 1994-2004 ban. “assault weapons,” There has been virtually no increase in the total number of mass shootings.

But Biden You are welcome His audience was convinced otherwise. “In the 10 years the ban was law, mass shootings went down,” He claimed. “After Republicans let it expire, mass shootings tripled.” In fact Even studies funded by the Clinton administration couldn’t find statistically significant changes in the number of attacks.

Biden’s claim that mass shootings tripled relies on one researcher’s unique definition – a definition that includes fights between drug gangs over turf. However, even including gang shootings, there is no statistically significant difference in the number attacks with assault weapons. The increase in non-assault weapons shootings drives the rise in attacks. Assault weapons were less common in attacks. once the ban became obsolete – just the opposite of what proponents of the ban would expect.

Biden: “Joining us tonight are the parents of Tyre Nichols, who had to bury him just last week. . . . I’ve never had to have the talk with my children – Beau, Hunter, and Ashley – that so many Black and Brown families have had with their children.”

Tyre Nichols was clearly killed by Memphis police officers. After his hands were tied and when he couldn’t resist being arrested, the police continued to attack him. Black families need to tell their children the same thing that any other family does: obey police orders. Even if the police seem wrong, you must follow their orders. The next step in the legal process will sort it out.

Tyre, however didn’t obey The police. He attacked the officers and fled from them. Tyre is likely to be alive today if he had followed police orders when his car was stopped.

Conclusion

Biden’s misrepresentations have real consequences and endanger safety.  By refusing to criticize the liberal District Attorneys who won’t prosecute violent criminals or the liberal judges releasing criminals from jail, Democrats are unwilling to address those problems. His constant use of racism in discussing policing only fuels distrust, anger, and drives police to quit their job. His obsession with gun control makes him focus on regulations that won’t stop gun crime and ignore those policies that would make a difference.

Unfortunately, Biden has continued to put politics and ideology above people’s safety.

Lott is president of the Crime Prevention Research Center The author was most recently “Gun Control Myths.”

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