Many people are under the impression that concealed gun carriers are the “good guys,” using their guns only for self-defense, but far too often this is not the case.
Concealed carrying is a problem because it increases crime just as much as it deters it, it can turn confrontations into lethal incidents, it gives dangerous people easy access to firearms, it encourages criminals to carry guns, and it makes non-carrying people vulnerable.
Concealed Carry Killers is a resource created and updated by the Violence Policy Center that includes a considerable number of examples of “non-self defense killings by private citizens with permits to carry concealed, loaded handguns in public that took place since May 2007.” As of August 12, 2016, Concealed Carry Killers has recorded “696 concealed carry related incidents in 41 states and the District of Columbia resulting in 885 deaths.”
Concealed guns can turn confrontations into lethal incidents.What starts out as a disagreement, can too easily turn violent or even deadly, if either of the parties have easy access to weapons. Especially if in common places such as movie theaters, bars, or even traffic (and we all know how frustrating rush hour can be)! Take the situation below for example…
Spotlight: Neighborhood shooting in Maryland |
 “On April 3, 2011, Charles Edward “Pete” Richter Jr., 66, shot and killed his neighbor Mark Xander, 55, after Xander’s Rottweiler went on to Richter’s property. Richter’s defense attorney told a judge deciding bail that Richter had a permit to carry a handgun issued by the Maryland State Police… Read More |
Concealed carrying gives dangerous people easy access to firearms. Concealed carry is good in theory, but not so much in reality. If only good, law-abiding citizens were able to obtain permits, there would be no issue. However, there is no way of guaranteeing the intents of other people or that a “good person” will continue to act the same way upon obtaining his or her permit.
The right to concealed carry encourages criminals to carry guns. Criminals will always find ways to obtain weapons, but one of the main reasons that they carry guns is to protect themselves from possible victims who are also armed.
Concealed carrying makes non-carrying people vulnerable. This is kind of an obvious one… As a non-armed person in a restaurant or bar, how would you feel knowing that strangers who are armed surrounded you? Most likely you would feel some sort of discomfort. If a fight broke out and everyone started pulling out their guns, what would you do? You would be the most vulnerable person there with no way to defend yourself.
The ability to carry concealed weapons is not as safe as it has been cracked up to be.
According to Jacobs, the number of firearms has increased by 10 million per year but there is no correlation between the amounts of firearms people own compared to the amount of gun violence. He believes that people always assume that gun violence is getting worse when in reality the fatality caused by gun violence has decreased. Jacobs states, “That most gun-related deaths are suicides, not murders. There are twice as many suicides in the U.S. by guns as there are homicides.” And “30,000 people have been killed with guns, but what’s not said is that 20,000 of them took their own lives.” Jacobs justifies his argument of being against gun control by stating that suicidal gun violence isn’t equally important compared to killing others with guns. Whether a life was taken by others or themselves we need to remember that every life matters because that means someone lost a loved one, a friend, a colleague to gun violence. The main point is that a precious life was lost by gun violence and that needs to stop! According to Jacobs, politicians on both sides of the gun control debate, support the idea of focusing more to keep firearms away from the mentally ill. The problem with only focusing on the issue of the mentally ill would require us to clearly and comprehensively define as to who would be considered mentally ill. And the fact is that defining who is mentally ill is almost an impossible task. If the government did indeed get as far as defining who the mentally ill is, the government would have a difficult time making their database public because of people’s privacy issues. Another question is how does a person get officially designated as mentally ill and be identified before he or she tries to buy a gun. “Jacobs also believes the law enforcement should aim at the people who are more likely to commit crimes with firearms such as: drug dealers, gang members, people who have engaged in violent crimes in the past, and the areas in which they operate. Again only focusing on people who are most likely to commit a gun crime isn’t a good idea because gun violence in the past has proved that the people who have committed crimes with firearms don’t have obvious records unless you dig deep. Therefore creating laws which apply to everyone will gradually keep people safe.
Gun Control is Out of Control 