During
these past few years especially, gun control has been argued both ways with
multiple reasons of why. However, there seems to be more evidence and proof of
why there should not be laws against people carrying a gun on them in public.
Keeping a gun by your side reassures yourself that you are safe and it makes criminals
think twice before they do anything, knowing that you may have a gun on you.
If
criminals do not know who has a gun in the public, it will alter a lot of their
decisions. Also, there are laws out there that say criminals or people with
felonies are not allowed to own a gun. However, these laws do not stop these
kinds of people from getting a gun and committing a crime. If you let good citizens with good backgrounds
carry a gun, they are going to be good citizens who would not misuse their right
to carry a gun.
In
states that carrying a concealed gun is legal, it has reduced some crime rates.
For example, the number of homicides has decreased by 8.5% and aggravated
assaults have decreased by 7%. Also, rapes have decreased by 5% and robberies
by 3%. So in other words, being able to carry a gun has prevented many deaths
in many states.
Also,
by not letting citizens with good backgrounds carry a concealed weapon it is
breaking the second amendment. The second amendment guarantees the U.S. citizen
the right to bear arms. So not only from a statistical view, the government
would be breaking the constitution if they don’t let people carry a concealed
weapon. Therefore, it is right in both
concepts to say that carrying a concealed weapon should be legal.
In
1997, a survey conducted by National Crime Victimization Survey concluded with
their data that “robbery and assault victims who used a gun to resist were less
likely to be attacked or to suffer an injury than those who used any other
methods of self-protection or those who did not resist at all.” Even when
attacked, this proves that if you have a gun to use as self-defense then you
are less likely to be injured or harmed in any way.
Being
able to carry a gun, could help prevent massive shootings like has happened
recently. The Columbine shooting, Virginia Tech shooting, Movie Theater
shooting, and the Sandy Hook school shooting are all events that we would like
to stop or at least minimize. One way to help prevent things like this is to
have a gun so you can fight back and defend the people around you.
"Concealed
Guns ProCon.org." Concealed Guns ProCon.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 26
Feb. 2013.
Doherty, Brian. Gun Control
on Trial: Inside the Supreme Court Battle over the Second Amendment.
Washington, D.C.: Cato Institute, 2008. Print.
Myphillyblogger.
"Gun Rights on Main Street: More Citizens with Legal âopen Carryâ Guns Is
Not the Answer." MyPhillyLawyer Law Blog Legal Information Questions
Answers Court Cases Philadelphia Attorney Lawyer. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Feb. 2013.
