Why concealed weapons should be allowed

They are not trained to run through buildings looking for bad guys. Therefore, the biggest distinction between the armed assailants and the armed civilians is that the armed civilians would be hiding with the crowd, and the armed assailants would be shooting at the crowd. Return to Arguments — A Taser is as effective as a handgun against an armed assailant.

Like handguns, Tasers are banned on most college campuses. Return to Arguments — Defense Spray is as effective as a handgun against an armed assailant. Like handguns, defense sprays are banned on most college campuses. NOTE: Most campus police forces tacitly approve of the use of defense sprays, or mace, despite their prohibition in almost every student handbook.

Return to Arguments — Self-defense training is as effective as a handgun against an armed assailant. Even a well-trained martial arts expert is no match for a bullet fired from eight feet away.

Why should honest, law abiding citizens be asked to undergo years of training in order to master an inferior method of self-defense? Return to Arguments — Some states allow citizens to be issued concealed handgun licenses at the age of eighteen.

Vermont neither requires nor offers a license to carry a concealed handgun. Return to Arguments — It is inconceivable that any logical person would believe the answer to violence is more guns. Return to Arguments — The answer to bullets flying is not more bullets flying. Actually, the answer to bullets flying is almost always more bullets flying. Return to Arguments — The answer to school violence is prevention, not guns on campus.

Prevention and preparedness are not mutually exclusive. In a perfect system, the two approaches to safety compliment each other. Preventive measures, such as teaching students and faculty to watch for the warning signs of mental illness and providing counseling to disturbed students, can work hand in hand with preparative measures, such as developing campus alert systems, providing additional training to campus police, and allowing the same trained, licensed adults who legally carry concealed handguns when not on college campuses to do so on college campuses.

Return to Arguments — School shootings are very rare, and college campuses are statistically very safe. Though most college campuses—like most affluent neighborhoods—are statistically safer than the surrounding communities as a whole, most college campuses—like most affluent neighborhoods—do occasionally play host to every type of violent crime found in the rest of society, from murder to assault to rape.

It makes no sense to limit licensed concealed carry to areas where danger is likely or imminent, because reasonable people tend to avoid places where danger is likely or imminent.

Concealed handgun license holders carry guns in case danger finds them where they had no reason to expect it. Furthermore, a free society always places the burden of proof on those seeking the denial of a right, to show that granting the right will cause harm. A free society never places the burden of proof on those seeking the granting of a right, to show that the right is needed.

Return to Arguments — Some professors might be afraid to issue bad grades if they know that students could be carrying guns. In light of the fact that a person unconcerned with following the rules can walk onto a college campus carrying a backpack full of guns just as easily as carrying a backpack full of books, some professors might feel more comfortable about issuing bad grades if they knew they were allowed the means to defend themselves.

Regardless of how any particular student or professor feels about the issue, laws must be based on facts, not feelings. Feeling safe or unsafe is not the same as being safe or unsafe. Citizens with concealed handgun licenses are not vigilantes. Whereas police shooting statistics involve scenarios such as pursuits down dark alleys and armed standoffs with assailants barricaded inside buildings, most civilian shootings happen at pointblank range.

Sarkeesian asked if the university could secure the venue and screen for unlicensed weapons allowing licensed individuals to carry their handguns into the venue.

University officials—who had already promised an increased law enforcement presence, including bomb-sniffing dogs, at the event—replied that screening individual students would be too intrusive. It should be noted that it is possible to write a campus carry law in a manner that allows universities to secure sensitive areas speeches by visiting dignitaries, chemical storage facilities, biocontainment labs, etc.

Return to Arguments — College campuses contain sensitive areas such as biocontainment labs and chemical storage facilities. If an area is sensitive enough to merit prohibiting lawful concealed carry, it is sensitive enough to merit prohibiting unlawful concealed carry.

Rather than relying on honor-system-based policies to protect highly sensitive areas, colleges and universities should invest in metal detectors and armed guards, so as to ensure that these areas are gun-free in more than name only.

Campus carry laws can be written in such a way as to allow for this. Return to Arguments — According to a study conducted by Marist College, the human brain does not fully mature until the age of The remaining development is, in essence, finishing touches. Jay N. Despite the temptation to trade the complexity and ambiguity of human behavior for the clarity and aesthetic beauty of colorful brain images, we must be careful not to over-interpret the neuroimaging findings as they relate to public policy.

Giedd, M. In an ongoing longitudinal study of more than people, Dr. Giedd combined neuroimaging, genetics, and psychological testing to explore the path and influences on the developing brain in health and illness. Return to Arguments — A Harvard University study found that students who have a firearm at college are more likely to binge drink, drive while under the influence, use illegal drugs, vandalize property, and get into trouble with the police. The Harvard study in question reveals absolutely nothing about the legal , licensed concealed carry of handguns on college campuses; however, it does reveal quite bit about the illegal possession of firearms on college campuses.

The Harvard study is based on a spring survey of four-year colleges. During the spring of , the only U. Therefore, none of the respondents to the Harvard survey could legally possess a gun on campus. Furthermore, one third of the approximately respondents who reported having a gun at college were under the age of Given that only 30 U.

Return to Arguments — Umpqua Community College allowed campus carry at the time of that campus shooting. Actually, the UCC code of conduct expressly prohibited possessing a gun on campus without the written authorization of the school. The college president made clear that concealed handgun license holders were not given such authorization.

She told reporters that even the school security guard and the handful of retired police officers on the faculty were prohibited from carrying guns on campus. Return to Arguments — Umpqua Community College was not a gun-free zone at the time of that campus shooting. That means that licensed visitors and guests could carry concealed handguns on campus without fear of reprisal; however, students, faculty, and staff the people most likely to need to defend themselves on campus could be expelled or fired for doing so.

Return to Arguments — A study published in the American Journal of Public Health found that a person carrying a gun is 4. The AJPH study relied disproportionately on individuals carrying guns illegally. At the time of shooting, case participants were also significantly more often involved with alcohol and drugs, outdoors, and closer to areas where more…unemployed individuals resided. Case participants were also more likely to be located in areas with less income and more illicit drug trafficking.

That hardly sounds representative of concealed handgun license holders, who must have a squeaky clean record and who are statistically much less likely to commit a crime , compared to the general population. Basically, the study found that people engaging in criminal activity, working in high-risk professions, or hanging out in dangerous neighborhoods are more likely to carry a gun and more likely to be shot.

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Link, J. Hyatt, A. Bhati, and M. Roncek, D. Rosenfeld, R. Fornango, and E. States also are not precluded from prohibiting or restricting the possession of firearms by current or retired law enforcement on any state or local government property, installations, buildings, bases, or parks.

Significantly, a person holding a state-issued permit allowing the person to acquire or possess firearms e. This exemption threatens public safety because it allows a prohibited person to acquire a firearm when the person falls into a prohibited category after issuance of the state permit and the state has not immediately revoked the permit.

Under the federal exemption, no background check is required and the seller would have no way to learn that the prospective purchaser is prohibited from possessing firearms. For more information about this exemption, see our summary on Background Check Procedures. Every state—as well as the District of Columbia—authorizes people to carry concealed weapons in public in some form.

Twenty-nine states generally require a state-issued permit in order to carry concealed weapons in public CCW permit. Even if the general requirements are met, the official is not required to issue the permit. Michael Siegel, et al. Among states with shall issue laws, some states provide the issuing authority no discretion to deny a permit if the person meets these requirements. The strongest seven concealed carry permitting systems require CCW applicants to demonstrate good cause as to why the applicant needs a permit.

In addition, ten states also require the applicant to be of good character before a permit is issued. Seven states require CCW permit applicants to demonstrate good cause or a justifiable need to carry a concealed weapon. Indiana requires that the applicant be of good character and reputation. Delaware also requires that the training include live fire-shooting exercises on a range, including the expenditure of a minimum of rounds of ammunition, and identification of ways to develop and maintain firearm-shooting skills.

Finally, Rhode Island requires applicants to obtain a certification that they are qualified to use a handgun of a caliber equal to or larger than the one they seek to carry. The certification can be obtained by passing a firing test conducted by a range officer or pistol instructor.