It is a fact that firearms in the hands of law-abiding and responsible individuals can and do save lives and can lead to a lower crime rate. The topic of concealed carry and firearms is a highly debated topic in America today. In the recent Presidential election the topic of firearms proved to be an important issue to many Americans, the NRA spending more than 26 million dollars on pro-Trump advertisements (Reinhard 1). This is also a dividing issue in America today as there are many people who are pro-firearm and many people who are anti-firearm, as most would agree was demonstrated by Hillary and Trumps platforms on the subject. When looking at any topic, especially one that is so highly debated, it is important to start with the facts;
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He asked 1000 Americans (in all 50 states) “In your opinion, how many people out of 1000 carry a gun in your state” (Fortunato 7). There are 3 general licensing processes for a concealed carry license. The most common is “Shall Issue” (37 states) which requires one to go through a process to get their license, typically a test and/or training class. The second most common is “May-Issue” (9 states) which requires an individual to present a valid reason for needing a concealed firearm. The remaining 4 states have no permit required to carry a concealed firearm. His survey unsurprisingly found that proportionately, citizens in a “No Permit” state are most likely to believe that one is carrying a firearm (382/1000) with those in a “Shall-Issue” state being at 284/1000 and those in a “May-Issue” state being lower than 100/1000 (Fortunato 3-7). It is important to note that many other factors can also effect the public’s perception, such as differing rural and urban values and whether open carry is allowed in a …show more content…
Alfred Blumstein, Ph.D. of the School of Public Policy and Management at Carneige Mellon University wrote a paper on the recent crime drop in America which he began by stating the following, “Between 1993 and 2000 the United States experienced a sharp decline of over 40% in murder and robbery rates” (Blumstein 1). In his research Blumstein focused on two major contributing factors to the rise of crime in the late 1980s, crack cocaine and the people that sold it. The people that sold crack cocaine in those years were largely young people who carried handguns (Blumstein 1). Between 1993 and 2000 the demand for crack cocaine dropped significantly, and thus most of these young armed dealers became absorbed by the robust economy and no longer participated in this crime (Blumstein 1). I believe this information is important to note because it shows what can happen when young people have easy access to handguns, they very often use them for illegal activities and to harm others. This concept is very important to remember when considering concealed carry on a college campus, any and every student should not be allowed to carry a concealed weapon, their must be procedures in place to keep these permits out of the hands of those who only wish to use them for illicit activities. Blumsteins
He asked 1000 Americans (in all 50 states) “In your opinion, how many people out of 1000 carry a gun in your state” (Fortunato 7). There are 3 general licensing processes for a concealed carry license. The most common is “Shall Issue” (37 states) which requires one to go through a process to get their license, typically a test and/or training class. The second most common is “May-Issue” (9 states) which requires an individual to present a valid reason for needing a concealed firearm. The remaining 4 states have no permit required to carry a concealed firearm. His survey unsurprisingly found that proportionately, citizens in a “No Permit” state are most likely to believe that one is carrying a firearm (382/1000) with those in a “Shall-Issue” state being at 284/1000 and those in a “May-Issue” state being lower than 100/1000 (Fortunato 3-7). It is important to note that many other factors can also effect the public’s perception, such as differing rural and urban values and whether open carry is allowed in a …show more content…
Alfred Blumstein, Ph.D. of the School of Public Policy and Management at Carneige Mellon University wrote a paper on the recent crime drop in America which he began by stating the following, “Between 1993 and 2000 the United States experienced a sharp decline of over 40% in murder and robbery rates” (Blumstein 1). In his research Blumstein focused on two major contributing factors to the rise of crime in the late 1980s, crack cocaine and the people that sold it. The people that sold crack cocaine in those years were largely young people who carried handguns (Blumstein 1). Between 1993 and 2000 the demand for crack cocaine dropped significantly, and thus most of these young armed dealers became absorbed by the robust economy and no longer participated in this crime (Blumstein 1). I believe this information is important to note because it shows what can happen when young people have easy access to handguns, they very often use them for illegal activities and to harm others. This concept is very important to remember when considering concealed carry on a college campus, any and every student should not be allowed to carry a concealed weapon, their must be procedures in place to keep these permits out of the hands of those who only wish to use them for illicit activities. Blumsteins