“Matilda Crabtree, 14, was shot and killed by her father when she jumped from the closet and yelled ‘BOO’ to scare her parents; her last words were, ‘I love you, daddy.”(Rottenberg 87) Laws that regulate carrying concealed weapons (CCW) have been wildly debated in the California and the US. There have mainly been two different types of laws. One is a type of legislation known as “may need” laws, which issues licenses to people who are in absolute need of carrying a concealed weapon. The other is known as “shall use” laws, which is a lot more lenient for people and makes it easier for the general public to get a gun. This law gives state authorities to issue concealed weapon licenses to any adult who does not have a felony conviction or history of mental illness.
The use of firearms is justifiable only when a person is threatened with serious bodily injury. It does not mean that if a person is stealing your system from your car, you can shoot them. Legalizing concealed weapons to the general public is a direct attack on society’s safety in public places. Too many people will resort to force instead of a chance to runaway; everyone would rather be a hero. At the moment there are 31 states in the United States that permit people to possess a concealed weapon; California is not one of them. Carrying a concealed weapon is a threat to society because there have been too many accidents, concealed weapon laws might cause criminals to act more violently, and finally carrying concealed weapons might stimulate violent confrontation.
“Shall use” CCW laws do not cut down the amount of gun violence. Even though these laws are pretty recent, studies show that more carefree concealed weapon laws will not decrease the amount of gun related violence. Based on data collected from three states, University of Maryland researchers David McDowall, Colin Loftin, and Brian Wiersema found that the homicide rates did not significantly drop in these states following the adoption of Concealed Carry Laws. Instead, in three of the five cities studied these researchers found a statistically significant increase in the rate of gun related homicides - 74% in Jacksonville, 43% in Jackson, and 22% in Tampa (Ford 65).
Carrying a concealed weapon creates a false sense of security and diverts attent...
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...nal, even when well-trained police officers are involved. The idea that poorly trained, self-appointed vigilantes are running through our streets looking to become heroes, should not make any of us feel safer. Arming a society does not create civility nor does it produce solutions to gun violence. We cannot solve our society’s disease of violence by arming ourselves with the epidemic.
Work Sited
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Ford, Liam T.A. (1994, August/September). “Gunning for Change,” Reason, 64-66
Kirchner, Paul (1994, February). “Defending Gun Ownership,” Chronicles, available from 934 N. Main St., Rockford, IL. 61103-7061
Reese, Charley (1996, January). “You Can’t Beat an (Armed) Woman,” Conservative Chronicle, available from Box 29, Hampton, IA. 50441.
Rottenberg, Annette T. (1997). Cease fire advertisement. The Structure of Argument. Boston: Bedford Books a division of St. Martin’s Press Inc.
Sojourners (1994, March). “Annie Get Your Gun,” available from 2401 15th St. NW, Washington, DC 20009.
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Ring, Ray. “Guns R Us.” High Country News (Paonia, Co) Vol. 39, No. 14 Aug. 6 2007:10-17. Sirs Issues Researcher. Web. 6 Oct. 2015.
...t is our job, as citizens, to at least be prepared for the criminals’ attack and to be able to defend ourselves in time of need. At the Virginia Tech shooting, the responding police officers took approximately three minutes to reach the school, but about five minutes to break through the chains binding the doors together. Cho fired rounds off for about nine minutes. Out of those nine minutes only four, or less, could have happened, if a professor or other college personnel stopped the aggressive action before the tragedy was completed. Police cannot get there fast enough sometimes to save a life; citizens must be prepared for the worst. One thing is for sure, one would rather have it and doesn’t need it, than need it and doesn’t have it. People often ask themselves, “Why should I have a gun?” Well guns are needed when seconds count, and the police are minutes away.
Everyone has had that time in their life where they feel that they would be safer if they had some sort of protection, concealed carry is a great option for protection. Over the years it has been growing in popularity, more and more people are going out and getting their concealed carry permit. With more and more people going out and getting their permit, some may view it as dangerous, while others feel it is a necessity. Concealed carry is essential because, it allows added protection, has certain restrictions that the person must meet, and if guns are handled properly they are not as dangerous
If a person don’t carry a concealed weapon, how will they be able to protect themselves and their precious family from vicious criminals? Shall issue states are states that citizens may apply and be considered by the state for a gun permit which is also known as concealed carry. John R. Lott, is an economist and has received his Ph.D. in economics from UCLA. He claimed "shall-issue" concealed carry laws reduced murders by 8.5%, rapes by 5%, aggravated assaults by 7%, and robbery by 3%, according to a 2000 analysis of FBI crime data” (Lott, John R.) This refers to how concealed carry reduces crime and information was reported by the FBI compared to the other states that don’t allow concealed carry. This quote shows real evidence on how guns
Rauch, Jonathan. “The Right Kind of Gun Rights.” National Journal Vol. 40 Issue 11. Academic Search Complete. 15 Mar. 2013. Web. 6 June 2015.
Carter, Gregg. Guns in American Society: An Encyclopedia of History, Politics, Culture, and the Law. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO, 2012. Print.
Wilson, H. (2007). Guns, gun control, and elections. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Huemer, Michael. “Is There a Right to Own a Gun?” Social Theory and Practice. 29.2 (April 2003): 297-324. ProQuest . Web. 30 Nov. 2015.
Many Americans are now applying for a license to carry licensed concealed arms with them. The rate at which licenses are being approved is worrying. This development is concerning law enforcement authorities. Putting so many firearms at the disposal of the public is counterproductive to the gains that are being made on improving security and especially in the cities where incidences of gun crime and violence are on the rise.
Johnson, Fawn. "The Silver Lining in the Gun-Control Defeat." National Journal. (2013): Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Web 31 Oct. 2013
Citizens want to conceal carry a handgun because every day there are dangerous individuals who prey on the weak. In addition to that, concealed handguns are an effective non-lethal form of self defense the majority of the time. Gary Kleck from the Federal Bureau of Investigation “estimated that, 2 million to 2.5 million victims annually use handguns to repel criminal attackers” (Kates). The surprise of being armed is the advantage for the victim, which the victim has the disadvantage of knowing the time and place of being attacked. Concealed carry actually provides protection to citizens that do not carry because the criminals are not sure who is able to defend themselves....
Following this, a study done by Gary Kleck, written about in the article, “The Gun Control Debate: You Decide” showed how successful handgun bans would lead criminals to use more lethal weapons when committing a crime. This statement right there supports that it doesn’t matter what weapon is used, it is the people we need to focus on, not the firearms. We need to put the firearms in the hands of the right people who will use them for good. If we keep putting more reforms and stricter policies on guns, specifically handguns in this article, then criminals will advance to more lethal weapons that are easier to get their hands on.