[dropcap]O[/dropcap]n the morning of October 1, 1997, Joel Myrick, a former assistant principal at Pearl High School in Pearl, Mississippi, started off his day like any other. He had no idea that what was about to come, could be a matter of life or death. He was crossing the school commons at 8:06 in the morning when he heard the first shot ring out. The gunman was a 16 year old boy named Luke Woodham. He had already stabbed his mother to death earlier that morning, and was now on a mission to shoot up the school. As soon as Luke shot a student and started reloading his gun, Mr. Myrick ran to his truck where he kept a pistol. He loaded his gun and took aim at Mr. Woodham but did not fire in fear of hitting other students. As soon as Luke saw the gun pointed at him, he retreated from campus, got in his car, and drove away. As Mr. Myrick ran after him on foot, the car spun out and came to a stop close to where Mr. Myrick was standing. He had his gun trained on Mr. Woodham when police arrived. This is just one of the many stories we hear of armed citizens who have become heroes because of their concealed guns. Along with many other reasons, this story is one of the reasons I believe adults should be able to continue concealed carry.
The Right to Conceal and Carry is Guaranteed by the Second Amendment
The entire Second Amendment states, “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed”.
A federal appeals court ruled that the Second Amendment protects the right to openly carry a gun in public for self defense. The 9th U.S. Court of Appeals ruled 2-1 that Hawaii officials had violated George Young’s rights when he was denied a permit to carry a gun in public to protect himself. The second amendment gives us the right to bear arms for defense. If the right to conceal and carry is taken away, that would also mean part of the amendment would get taken away from us as well. Without the amendment, we risk having other parts of the constitution taken away and we won’t have a right to defend them.
Concealed Handguns Prevent Crime
John Lott, PhD, states that “ordinary, law abiding citizens who own handguns and carry licensed, concealed weapons rarely use their guns except in matters of self-defense.” He also goes on to state that “criminals and those who carry illegal and unlicensed firearms are typically those who commit violent crimes.” According to a report from the Crime Prevention Research Center, they found that a 20% increase in the share of the adult population with permits, reduces the murder rate by 15%. They also found that states with the sharpest increases in permits had the largest percentage drops in murder rates.
Personal Protection
[perfectpullquote align=”right” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]Most people who purchase a conceal and carry permit are law-abiding citizens who intend to use their permit only for self-protection.[/perfectpullquote]Most people who purchase a conceal and carry permit are law-abiding citizens who intend to use their permit only for self-protection. They can also use them for protection when they cannot rely on police protection. A research article from the National Sheriff’s Association, reports that the average response time to an emergency call is 18 minutes with some responses taking much longer. During this time, a crime could already be done and you could be seriously injured. If you have a conceal and carry permit, things like this could be prevented.
Teachers Should be Allowed to Conceal and Carry
Many people believe that teachers should not be allowed to conceal and carry but in reality, it would make it a lot safer for everyone. The reason so many school shootings happen is because the shooters know there isn’t anyone else in the school who has a gun. This makes it easier for them since they know there is only a slight chance someone could fight back. If some teachers have guns and the criminals know that, it would make them more cautious which would result in less school shootings.
Students for Concealed Carry on Campus wrote that “declaring a college campus a ‘gun-free zone’ may make some people feel safer… but feeling safe is not the same as being safe. Denying licensed individuals the means to defend themselves on college campuses turns institutions of higher learning into supermarkets for would-be rapists and mass murderers”. Current state laws prohibit licensed, law-abiding citizens from carrying concealed handguns on to school campuses while doing nothing to disarm individuals not concerned with following the rules.
In the event of a school shooting, students and faculty are left with no action but to hide under their desks, hoping to survive until police arrive to formulate a plan and evacuate the building. If some teachers are allowed to conceal and carry, along with being properly trained, this could help prevent many tragic school shootings.
Opposing Views
One of the biggest arguments against conceal and carry is that people carrying hidden, concealed handguns in public increase the risk of more accidental or intentional shootings. According to an article done by The Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, “carrying concealed weapons increases the risk that everyday disagreements will escalate into shootouts, especially in places where disputes frequently occur”.
In another study done by John Lott, it was found that as a group, concealed carry permit holders are some of the most law abiding citizens in the United States. The rate at which they commit crimes is between one-sixth and one-tenth of that recorded for police officers, who are themselves committing crimes at a fraction of the rate of the general population. This goes to show how a lot of the things shown on the media, isn’t always the right thing.
Armed Citizens can Make a Difference
As more and more Americans obtain conceal and carry permits, there is a greater amount of people on scene and able to react. Police are not always able to get to the scene right away and seconds count when it comes to situations like mass shootings. As the number of people who carry permits increases, the instant response grows more likely.
Today, many citizens like myself see their right to conceal and carry as a mean of self-defense. If this is taken away from us, it is just one more step closer to getting our rights removed. As more and more people get their conceal and carry permits, the world can become a safer place.
Featured image by Bruce Mars from Pexels
The second amendment was instilled because of a tyrannical government that was still looming over our infant nation. As we have become more established, the 2nd has been more and more unnecessary, or should have been redefined and restructured to accommodate differing firearms after the invention of the musket. The musket that, at it’s inception took nearly a minute to load one round, that’s one shot fired, per one minute. Most every mass shooting has involved an AR of some sort, which fire up to 600 rounds per minute. Factor in that the accuracy and speed that it can reach a target, the exponential death count is staggering. Can you provide more information or insight on why you would believe we shouldn’t adjust a “right” even though technological advances have allowed for an absurd increase in statistical killing power?
Thanks Much,
I think that the author is correct in this situation because if you were going to try and commit a crime or shooting or other violent act, would you rather do it where nobody will stand up to you or where all of the citizens are armed; if you chose the second option you would probably end up shot.
“The reason so many school shootings happen is because the shooters know there isn’t anyone else in the school who has a gun”
How do you know this? Your article does not have any evidence for such an accusation. The public has almost no idea of knowing what is going on inside a shooters brain, unless they have been diagnosed with some sort of mental illness. Shooters often target schools because they often have mental illnesses. You can find evidence for that here- https://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-duwe-rocque-mass-shootings-mental-illness-20180223-story.html
“If some teachers have guns and the criminals know that, it would make them more cautious which would result in less school shootings.” How would you know this as well? We have never armed teachers, so it’s not fair to assume an outcome before action has been taken.