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Kyle Stewart

Layson

3rd hour

19 April, 2021

Concealed Weapons
Have you ever heard about someone getting assaulted without any self-defense? Have

you ever thought what if they had a concealed weapon to defend themselves? The US

Government should keep concealed weapons legal because they are making college campuses

safer, they are helping prevent and deter attacks, and the accessibility of guns has saves many

lives.

The Second amendment geurrenties “the right to keep and bear arms'', this basically

makes concealed weapons legal. Some states like Washington, Indiana, Maine, and North

Dakota have already issued permits to carry concealed weapons. All states in America permit

concealed weapons but some states are becoming more strict on this matter. Concealed

weapons have become an issue in some states because of different pros and cons of concealed

weapons. Some pros are citizens with concealed weapons are able to defend themselves or

others by either using or showing their concealed weapon. Some cons are that some civilians

might use the concealed weapons without having accurate information and introducing a firearm

into a violent situation might make it a more fatal outcome. There are debates if concealed

weapons put more civilians in danger compared to protecting the civilians. Concealed weapons

most of the time have more benefits than not.

One reason concealed weapons should be legal is that they will make College

campuses safer. “Will I carry on campus? I’m not sure, but isn’t that the point? A potential

shooter will not know if I and many others will be armed”(McCuistion). If students are able to
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carry concealed weapons on campus most potential shooters wouldn’t know about who and

who is not carrying so they might not cause a school shooting. Even if a shooter brought out a

weapon, the students would be able to defend themselves and others around them on the

campus. “Campus carry” was a law passed in Texas to allow students at universities to carry

concealed weapons being at least 21 years old and having an appropriate license. This law is

simply to prevent mass murders on university and college campuses. “ In 2013, there were

50,869 convictions; 158 (0.31 percent) were CHL holders. In short, CHL holders are much less

likely to be involved in criminal activities, and only CHL holders are permitted to carry on

campus”(McCuistion). Most people with a CHL in texas are not likely to commit crimes

compared to people without them. People with a license that carry a concealed weapon don’t

usually commit crimes so keeping guns would not increase crime rate. Even with Law

enforcement on campus doesn’t mean all students are safe from a potential shooter on campus.

Retired police have suggested that students on campus would be safer with a concealed

weapon to protect themselves.

Another reason concealed weapons should be legal is that they help prevent and deter

attacks. “Numerous studies have estimated that there are anywhere from 800,000 to 2.5 million

defensive gun uses every year in the United States” (Summers). This shows that guns are used

commonly to prevent crimes and to save lives. “...there are 2.2 million to 2.5 million defensive

gun uses annually. A sample of those cases revealed that 8.2 percent were defenses against

attempted rape and sexual assault, and 30.4 percent were defenses against other types of

assault” (Summers). People have used guns to defend themselves from rape and sexual

assault. "...related how she was haunted by the thought about how things might have turned out

differently if she had had her gun that night “At some point, I would have been able to stop my

attack while it was in progress, and, consequently, two other known rapes would have been

prevented, and a young life would have been saved" (Summers). In this case without a weapon
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to defend herself, she was almost powerless to stop the attack and it ended in 2 others also

facing the same fate as her.

Another reason concealed weapons should be legal is that the accessibility of guns are

saving lives not hurting them. “The law-abiding, gun-owning citizen is not the problem but for

some reason is often the target of those who seek to disarm the populace” (Huntwork). Some

people think that its the law-abiding citizens that are causing the problems, but its the ones not

following the law that are the main problem. “Doesn't it just make you sick watching people die

and the law not allowing a single one of them to be prepared to defend themselves?

Concealed-carry permit holders have better safety records than police forces themselves, and

fewer cases statistically of misusing their firearms” (Huntwork). Law-abiding citizens have the

right to protect themselves from attacks of any kind while also having a low firearm misuse rate

even compared to police. “People are alive today because a fellow citizen was able to use a

firearm to save their lives. This is not a Right/Left issue, nor should it be. It is an issue of

protecting lives, empowering our citizens, and making our society and our current "gun free"

zones far safer than they are today” (Huntwork). This is not a topic of politics, this is about the

safety of all citizens. People deserve to be able to protect themselves and others around them.

Some people say Concealed weapons Endanger Public safety, but they actually make

the public more safe. “The gun lobby continues to push legislatures to expand carrying, despite

the fact that public opinion polls confirm that Americans feel less safe when their fellow citizens

carry concealed guns” (Lovelace). The author states that americans feel safer when others

around them feel safer, but when people are carrying concealed weapons, most people are fine

with the fact know that they would be protected for assault in the streets when others are

carrying a concealed weapon for defending themselves and other around them.

The US Government needs concealed weapons to be legal because they are making

college campuses safer, they are helping prevent and deter attacks, and the accessibility of

guns has saves many lives. Concealed weapons have been used for safety of the user and
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people around them. Without these concealed weapon laws, many peoples life could have

either been changes or even ended if not for defense by a concealed weapon.
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Works Cited

"Concealed Weapons." Gale Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection, Gale, 2018. Gale In Context:

Opposing Viewpoints,

link.gale.com/apps/doc/PC3010999022/OVIC?u=lom_accessmich&sid=OVIC&xid=7ef6cc94.

Accessed 26 Mar. 2021.

Huntwork, David M. "The Accessibility of Guns Protects Lives." Guns and Crime, edited by

Christine Watkins, Greenhaven Press, 2012. At Issue. Gale In Context: Opposing

Viewpoints,

link.gale.com/apps/doc/EJ3010015247/OVIC?u=lom_accessmich&sid=OVIC&xid=43a97a36

. Accessed 13 Apr. 2021. Originally published as "Concealed Carry and the Right of

Self-Defense," ConstitutionClub.org, 19 Mar. 2011.

McCuistion, Dennis. "Texas’s Concealed-Carry Law Will Help Make Campuses Safer." Gale

Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection, Gale, 2021. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints,

link.gale.com/apps/doc/VLHFSA676621829/OVIC?u=lom_accessmich&sid=OVIC&xid=b2a1

88bc. Accessed 29 Mar. 2021. Originally published as "Pro-con: Should College Campuses

Restrict Concealed Weapons?" Dallas Morning News, 23 Oct. 2015.

Summers, Adam B. "Expanded On-Campus Gun Rights Would Reduce Sexual Assaults." Sexual

Assault on Campus, edited by Jack Lasky, Greenhaven Press, 2016. Opposing Viewpoints.

Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints,

link.gale.com/apps/doc/EJ3010984219/OVIC?u=lom_accessmich&sid=OVIC&xid=45266a82

. Accessed 30 Mar. 2021. Originally published as "Using Gun Rights to Prevent Rapes on

Campus," Orange County Register, 11 Mar. 2015.

"Weak Laws Permitting Concealed Weapons Endanger Public Safety." Concealed Weapons,

edited by Kacy Lovelace, Greenhaven Press, 2011. At Issue. Gale In Context: Opposing

Viewpoints,
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link.gale.com/apps/doc/EJ3010788205/OVIC?u=lom_accessmich&sid=OVIC&xid=88bc6621

. Accessed 23 Apr. 2021. Originally published as "America Caught in the Crossfire: How

Concealed Carry Laws Threaten Public Safety," www.lcav.org/concealedcarry/, 2009.