Gun Control: Open Carry Policy Is Not The Answer

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Gun control is a controversial issue that currently has no easy solution to please everyone. In an article written by Adam Winkler, a professor from the UCLA School of Law, he states that open carry is the answer to having fewer guns on the streets. His argument fails because it contains false premises throughout the article and is also inductively weak. First, he commits the slippery slope fallacy by assuming a series of events will occur for doing one action. Second, he commits the bandwagon fallacy. The fact that other states have the open carry law in effect does not make his argument true nor does it make it a valid reason. Last, he neglects how there will always be people who do not follow laws. Gun control in the United States has been a difficult topic for many people to discuss, but Winkler’s point of view of the topic does not give a complete thought about why people should agree with him.
Winkler argues that open carry is the solution to fewer guns on the streets in the following way:
An increase in concealed weapons will make people reconsider going to public places.
Very few people want to carry openly displayed guns because the police will hassle them, stores will refuse to serve them, and some people will not talk to them.
Concealed carry could be banned entirely if the state allowed open carry.
Open carry has an open benefit to people who do not like guns.
41 states in the United States currently allow an open carry policy.
Allowing people to carry guns openly may be the answer to fewer guns on California streets.

Winkler’s argument fails because it is inductively weak as there are a couple premises that commit a fallacy. Premise 2 commits the slippery slope fallacy while premise 5 commits the bandwagon fallacy. ...

... middle of paper ...

...onsideration, we can see that Winkler’s argument is inductively weak and neglects information that should be considered.

Works Cited

Blocher, Joseph. "Firearm Localism." Yale Law Journal 123.1 (2013): 82-146. Academic Search Premier. Web. 30 Mar. 2014.
Moorhouse, John C., and Brent Wanner. "Does Gun Control Reduce Crime Or Does Crime Increase Gun Control?." CATO Journal 26.1 (2006): 103-124. Academic Search Premier. Web. 5 Apr. 2014.
Ouimet, Marc. "Crime In Canada And In The United States: A Comparative Analysis." Canadian Review Of Sociology & Anthropology 36.3 (1999): 389-408. Academic Search Premier. Web. 5 Apr. 2014.
Phillips, Charles D., et al. "When Concealed Handgun Licensees Break Bad: Criminal Convictions Of Concealed Handgun Licensees In Texas, 2001-2009." American Journal Of Public Health 103.1 (2013): 86-91. Academic Search Premier. Web. 4 Apr. 2014.

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