Recently I’ve noticed many Newton residents have been trying to oppress others right to own and purchase a firearm. As Americans we should never try to suppress the rights of other. Many have a concern that gun ownership may lead to higher crime or accidental shootings. The data doesn’t back this up, concealed carry permit holders are even more law-abiding than government police, on average.  According to economist John R. Lott, Ph.D., formerly the chief economist at the United States Sentencing Commission, it is extremely rare for concealed carry permit holders to break the law–it is difficult to think of other groups of adults anywhere in the U.S. nearly as law-abiding. In 2018 within Texas (the last year for which data is available), 163 permit holders were convicted of a misdemeanor or felony, representing a conviction rate of 11.5 per 100,000.[x]  Combining the Florida and Texas data, concealed carry permit holders are convicted of misdemeanors and felonies at less than one-sixth the rate for police officers.