Key Findings

• According to the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), from January 1, 1996 to October 9, 1997 Texas concealed handgun license holders were arrested for 946 crimes.

• Of these crimes, 263 were felony offenses. Felony crimes for which license holders were arrested include: six charges of murder or attempted murder involving at least four deaths; two charges of kidnapping; 18 charges of sexual assault; 66 charges of assault, including 48 cases of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon; and, 42 weapon-related charges.

• During this same period, concealed handgun license holders were arrested for 683 misdemeanor crimes, including: 120 charges of assault; 194 weapon-related charges; 215 charges of driving while intoxicated; and, 24 drug-related charges.

• In 1996 Texas concealed handgun license holders were arrested for weapon-related offenses at a rate 22 percent higher than that of the general population of Texas aged 21 years and older.

• In the first six months of 1997 the weapon-related offense arrest rate among Texas concealed handgun license holders was more than twice as high as that of the general population of Texas aged 21 years and older.

• While proponents of concealed handgun laws deny that licensees will attempt to take the law into their own hands, DPS data reveals that 236 concealed handgun license holders have been arrested on weapon-related offenses including deadly conduct/discharging a firearm, failure or refusal to display handgun license, failure to conceal a handgun, and unlawful carrying of a handgun.

• According to the DPS, 42 arrests of concealed handgun license holders involved family violence, including: one alleged murder; one arrest for attempted murder; and, seven arrests for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.