A survey of police chiefs and sheriffs by the National Association of Chiefs of Police (NACOP) revealed some surprising results. (Dave Workman photo)
By Dave Workman
Senior Editor
When the National Association of Chiefs of Police (NACOP) published the results of a national survey of “command-level” police and sheriffs, the results were stunning: the overwhelming majority supports national concealed carry recognition.
And that’s not the only positive result from the 28th annual NACOP survey. The results were published in the summer quarterly issue of The Chief of Police magazine, according to NACOP CFO Brent Shepherd.
Alan Gottlieb, chairman of the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, observed, “You can bet anti-gunners never saw that coming.”
Alan Gottlieb
The admittedly unscientific survey was sent to 17,600 departments across the country, Shepherd told Point Blank. They got back more than 1,000 responses, which is typical for that size of a survey, representing about a six percent return. It’s a number that usually shows up in scientific national polls as a baseline for determining the national consensus on any given subject.
There was no small amount of irony in the publication of the survey results. NACOP’s magazine began circulating just days after the Dallas shooting of several police officers, five of whom were killed by a reportedly racially-motivated gunman. The group’s magazine circulates nationally to command level law enforcement and private security professionals, Shepherd said.
“According to the survey results,” Gottlieb noted in a statement to the media, “more than 86 percent of the respondents support nationwide recognition of state-issued concealed carry permits and licenses. Likewise, almost 88 percent believe any vetted citizen should be able to buy a gun for sport or self-defense.”
Equally stunning was the revelation that 76 percent of the respondents believe law-abiding armed citizens can help law enforcement reduce criminal activity.
The survey was mailed out in the fall of 2015 and NACOP continued gathering responses through the winter and started analyzing those responses in the spring. After looking at the survey results, Gottlieb said the numbers were virtually predictable.
“The results of this survey should really surprise nobody,” he suggested. “Law-abiding gun owners have traditionally been the strongest supporters of law enforcement, and we’ve known for decades that the overwhelming majority of police and sheriffs support the rights of honest citizens to own firearms for all kinds of uses.
“Of course,” he added, “gun prohibitionists never even acknowledge this sort of information because it does not fit their agenda or their narrative. We, on the other hand, believe the public has a right to know where law enforcement stands.”
He suggested that the survey results “could give headaches to the gun prohibition lobby.”
Congressional anti-gunners had been pushing for various measures prior to the summer recess, and with national elections looming in November, it’s a safe bet they will continue their demands as a campaign tactic.
President Barack Obama, whose term ends in January, even interjected a remark about gun control during his speech at the memorial service for the Dallas officers. His assertion that it is easier for a teenager to buy a Glock than it is to buy a book has been widely criticized.
