Concealed carry more likely to harm than protect

If you think the concealed carry regulations (the legal carrying of a concealed weapon) protect you from a potential assailant, you may be mistaken. Statistics suggest that those who legally carry concealed weapons have often been responsible for taking lives rather than saving them. A test by the TV show 20/20 found that just having a weapon was not adequate protection. You also need to be trained in realistic conditions to be able to use a gun effectively.

View this sign here.

The relaxation of the concealed carry laws has caused an increase of crime in the name of self defense

According to the Violence Policy Institute, states have started to relax their concealed carry laws since 1996. “These citizens don’t commit violent crimes,” Tanya Metsaka, the executive director of the National Rifle Association’s Institute for Legislative Action, assured legislators.

Statistics suggest otherwise. The Gainsville Sun reported that in Florida, 410,000 residents are licensed to carry hidden guns. Out of these, 1,400 have pleaded guilty or no contest to felonies, 216 have outstanding warrants, 128 had active domestic violence injunctions and six were registered sex offenders. As Duncan Foster, Coral Springs (Broward County, Florida) Police Chief remarked, “The more guns on the street, the more prone people are to violence.”

Other statistics support this assertion as well. Among 300 fatal incidents, 80 percent of “the concealed carry killer has already been convicted (126), committed suicide (167), or was killed in the incident (seven),” according to the Violence Policy Institute. “Of the 67 cases still pending, the vast majority (55) of concealed carry killers have been charged with criminal homicide, four were deemed incompetent to stand trial, and eight incidents are still under investigation.”

Background checks required

In January, President Obama admitted that “as many as 40 percent of all gun purchases are conducted without a background check.”

Tags: concealed carry, concealed carry deaths, concealed carry laws, gun control, National Rifle Association

Category: Guns