Criminology

First, the majority of states have “shall-issue” laws where police do not have discretion in issuing concealed weapon permits as long as individuals meet minimum requirements, such as a minimum age, no prior felony conviction, and no recent commitments to a mental institution. According to a 2000 study by John Lott, PhD, “shall-issue” laws have reduced homicides by 8.5%, aggravated assaults by 7%, rape by 5%, and robberies by 3%. Lott argued that if states that did not permit concealed handguns in 1992 had permitted them in 1977, 1,570 murders, 4,177 rapes, 60,000 aggravated assaults, and 12,000 robberies would have been prevented between 1977 and 1992. Assume your state has a “shall-issue” law and you are a local representative being asked to change the law. Would you? Why or why not? (In two paragraphs with 2 sources)

Second, when it has finished, discuss a topic from the video: the incongruence of body language and words as an indicator of deception. For example, the shaking of your head “no” as you say “yes,” or “created jobs” with your hands because you are nervous in an interview when you are supposed to sound confident. Discuss the benefits of investigators understanding these actions or behaviors. Also, recognize a major limitation of identifying deception in these ways: Why a person is lying is still unknown. (In one paragraph with one source)