There has been a lot of news of late about carrying firearms in public. Is it a good or bad idea?
The anti gun crowd would tell you that less guns equal less crime and shootings. However that is not the case. Years ago I recall reading a story about a small town in Georgia that all their citizens were required to carry a firearm. The result? There were virtually no crimes committed against those citizens. Why? The reason is obvious, the would be criminals knew everyone was armed.
Some would argue that carrying a firearm is dangerous to the community. As we see from the story above that’s not the case. While I believe that everyone has the right to do so, I don’t believe that everyone should be carrying firearms out in public. For an untrained person it’s actually a danger to them as well as others. Let me explain.
Much like driving, those who carry firearms need to be trained in safely handling a firearm. Would you hand your car keys to a 21 year old that has never driven a car or taken any kind of driver’s exam? Certainly not, for obvious reasons. It’s the same for those carrying guns. You need training and you need to learn when you can legally defend yourself and in what situations you can defend others.
I’m a canceled carry holder, and trust me, the absolute last thing I would want to do is take my gun out of it’s hoster. I’ve been trained at a young age the do’s and don’ts concerning guns.
It kills me, no pun intended, when I read a headline about some guy killing or injuring himself while trying to clean his gun. Why? Because the FIRST thing you do is check and make sure there’s no round in the chamber. You also remove the magazine from the gun.
A trained, responsible gun owner is much less likely to injure himself or others. Moreover, you seldom hear of a concealed carry holder involved in a crime involving a firearm.
“According to the data, America’s 18 million concealed-carry permit holders accounted for 801 firearm-related homicides over a 15-year span, which amounts to roughly 0.7% of all firearm-related homicides during that time.”
Debunking the Myth of “Concealed-Carry Killers”
Nov 5th, 2019
Lastly, both my daughter, who used to be a cop, both feel it’s not wise to open carry. At the time of this writing, there is a bill passed by the Texas state legislature on the governor’s desk to make it legal to conceal carry without a permit. Right now there are 15 states that have already done so. I think this is a mistake and could put the public in danger from untrained citizens with firearms.
In conclusion, if you’re going to carry a firearm, get trained. Avoid open carry. Those with guns strapped on like they did in the Wild West are only asking for trouble. If you do carry and your trained, make damn sure if you pull your firearm that it’s the last resort, and make sure you’re on solid legal ground to do so.