Gun Control Laws: A Concealed Carry In The United States

The Second Amendment has given the right to individuals to keep and bear arms since December, 15th 1791. Even though this has been in the Constitution for 223 years, the issue of gun control and the right to concealed carry has been a growing issue in the United States. Whether citizens should be allowed to legally carry a gun has been a growing debate. In this paper, I will talk about the history of concealed carry, the different types of issuances among the states, and how to obtain your concealed carry license in Wisconsin along with providing concrete evidence with different statistics and stating the pros and cons of the issue.

In the Second Amendment in the Bill of Rights the founding fathers of America gave us the right to bear arms for self-defense. Although everyone in America has the right to own a firearm, you must have a concealed carry permit in order to bring a hidden handgun into a public area. Through people carrying concealed handguns we can reduce violent crimes.

It is very important to notice that the matter of regulation, first of all, refers to concealed guns. Lott (2013) states that the problem of allowing concealed handguns--but not openly carried handguns--is based on the argument that “when guns are concealed, criminals are unable to tell whether the victim is armed before striking, which raises the risk to criminals of committing many types of crimes.” The author also speculates that, on the other hand, when “open-carry” handgun laws are adopted, the defensive ability of a potential victim is immediately identified by the criminals, which makes it easier for them to choose the most vulnerable target (Lott, 2013, p. 6).

Today in America we face many controversial problems. With strict gun control, Americans cannot feel safe, and to some the thought of not being able to use a firearm in self-defense is very frightening. We Americans should never have to be in fear of not being able to protect ourselves, especially in the comfort of our own home. How are strict gun control laws and regulations going to reach the estimated 65 million gun owners that own approximately 240 million firearms (Just Facts Gun Control)? The answer is simple, they can’t. There must be an end to gun control, its problems significantly outweigh any good intentions it has, and besides there is no doubt about it, America is a safer place when the citizens are able to own firearms.

The history of concealed carry began in 1986, when the push for allowing the practice first gained momentum

Now a citizen carrying a concealed weapon can be very beneficial to society and maybe even help save lives. In an article by ProCon.org, it is stated that “...this law helped to stop a massacre in Dec. 2007 when a volunteer security guard for the church who was carrying a concealed handgun shot an attacker who had opened fire in the church.” ProCon claims that because this man had his concealed weapons permit, he himself was able to stop what could have been an awful and tragic mess. And that is the entire point of having a concealed weapons permit, so that any citizen can protect themselves from certain situations.

There are many benefits to having a concealed carry license. The main reasons are work, self-defense, hunting, and target shooting. For instance in February, a pharmacy in West Virginia was held up at gunpoint. The pharmacist acted to save the lives of his staff and customers by firing two shots into the suspect, with his own concealed carry handgun. No one ended up being robbed that day and the suspect later died in the hospital. (Owens, 2015). In another incident, a combat vet saved his aunt and her boyfriend from an estranged husband that came into the house and began shooting. The estranged husband’s life was ended and three lives were saved. (Chilson, 2014). In another incident a man in Alabama was walking home with his dogs and was attacked by a bear. He pulled his revolver and killed the bear before he or his dogs sustained injuries. (Learn About Guns, 2009). I personally believe that an armed society is a polite society. I feel that armed citizens do more than just protect citizens from criminals or animals. Citizens owning and bearing arms also protects them from a tyrannical

The amount of crimes happening today will only increase with stricter gun control laws because there is a higher temptation to steal guns. An American citizen claims, “Ever since I first learned how to shoot, the issue with gun violence around the nation became clear: Guns are not the problem; people are” (Sherfenski). Police need to lock up these people committing the disastrous crimes that affect so many innocent lives. These blameless people are not prepared when they are being attacked, and that is because most shootings tend to happen in areas where guns are controlled. The former United States Secretary of Education, William Bennett, explains the reason that criminals decide to go to places that have controlled gun laws is because: “These murderers, while deranged and deeply disturbed, are not dumb. They show up to schools, universities, malls and public places where their victims cannot shoot back” (Bennett). Even if guns are controlled in public places including malls and schools, where there are uncontrolled shootings, why would it make a difference if they were controlled everywhere? It would not make a difference whatsoever because these crimes are done out of pure, revolting pleasure. Committing a crime is one thing, but taking away a right that was given to Americans in the 1790s is a whole different story.

Over the course of the past couple years there have been multiple cases regarding police shootings and killings of an unarmed man.Whether it be intentional or unintentional. Citizens should have the right to carry a concealed weapon to defend themselves due to whatever is trying to cause harm to them. The right to have and carry a concealed firearm is due to your own personal protection. It should be legally just to gain a permit in every state and you should not be denied a permit unless there is probable cause that you would not use the permit as it is intended for. Citizens licensed with a concealed carry permit has many potential positive outcomes. It will lower the crime rate, give us our own personal defense and also help protect people around us. With the proper training and knowledge about guns the world would be a safer place than it currently is. In this essay, I will explain to you some of the many reasons why US. citizens should have the right to carry a concealed firearm with them at all time.

Gun Control in the United States has gone out of control. The United States should enforce laws to not allow any guns in a house hold in order to reduce violence and crime in the country. Reducing the rate of crime in the United States, controlling big weapons, taxing ammunition, and gun collection can help make this happen. Gun Control can make this country a safer environment to live in.

Many people over time from civilians to politicians have argued the reasoning, regulations, and practice of concealed carry gun laws. One big reason is women’s safety because their seen as by criminals as an “easier target”. Now with many laws being put into affect, certain genres of people will not be able to carry or even own guns for the potential safety of others. Most civilians feel that they would rather have it and not need it then to need it and not have it. Some issues with concealed carry is that people can have a “Wild West” mentality and that is the fear of most. But all in all, concealed carrying a gun could mean life or death in a very real reality of a violent world full of crime and carelessness.

Colleges should not be allowed to take away your personal protection unless they can provide a truly safe environment for students. Sadly, most campuses can’t guarantee that assaults won’t occur, so people must be allowed to arm themselves for protection. While some schools have security or law enforcement, rarely can they reach the scene of an assault fast enough to prevent it. If the victim or a bystander has a self-defense weapon, there is a much greater possibility of stopping the attack. Attackers also avoid areas that allow firearms, and knowingly target places that don’t allow them. On October 9th, the Crime Prevention Research Center released a revised report showing that 92% of mass public shootings between January 2009 and July 2014 took place in gun-free zones. If college campuses nationwide reflected on the findings of this report, it would become apparent that allowing concealed weapons on campuses would significantly lower the odds of attacks occurring. Campuses that allow conceal carry are utilizing one of the biggest measures to deter assaults. According to John R. Lott Jr., PhD, "when states passed concealed carry laws during the years we studied (1997-2005), the number of multiple-victim campus shootings declined by 84%. Deaths from these shootings plummeted on average by 90%, injuries by 82%.

In this past year alone there have been 23 shootings on college campuses, not including incidents that have occurred at other grade level schools. Innocent students and teachers have been injured or killed in each of these shootings. School shootings are not restricted to one geographic area; they are spread across the United States, from Arizona to Florida to every thing in between. There is no way to tell when or where events like this will occur, so many wonder how to prevent traumatic events like this. In the United States all 50 states have passed laws to allow concealed carry, but only under certain restrictions and mandates.

Should we have more gun laws? More and more innocent people are dying from guns. Is 2013, there was 73,505 nonfatal firearm injuries. That number has grown over the years. The violence in growing and there in less time to help. These are true stories that have happened and are not made up. These are just some ways to prove that guns are getting out of hand. We have to stop this and make a different law. We have to save and protect innocent lives.

Many Americans tend to be on opposing sides when dealing with such a controversial issue such as gun control. A more specific category of such a broad topic as gun control is the practice that some Americans participate in, called concealed carry. Concealed carry is the practice of carrying a weapon, typically a handgun, on one’s body that is hidden from the public. This political issue hits many different institutions within America, such as many special interest groups, the constitution and Judicial branch of the government, and also the principle of Federalism.