Should Adults Carry a Concealed Handgun?

The last decade had seen a rise in unnecessary shootings and the deaths of far too many innocent Americans because of the use of concealed handguns. In 2001, a study in Accident Analysis and Prevention showed that 50 people were shot each day and a child under 15 died every other day from accidental gun fire in America. The use of concealed weapons is intended for the safety and security of the people but one must realize that sometimes good intentions only create more problems. While it may seem to some that carrying handguns increases safety, it actually raises fear because of the greater risk of a shooting.

One cannot disregard that a concealed weapon could help end a confrontation or possibly save a life; that if someone is walking alone at night that they might feel safer holding a handgun or that a criminal might be less likely to attack someone who is armed. Also, the majority of adults who carry handguns are permitted and trained citizens who follow the law. As well as the fact that, The government cannot always promise the safety of its people, so an adult has the responsibility to protects themselves and their family. A concealed weapon is only a weapon hidden on or by someone for purely the means of self defense. However, concealed weapons are used for much more than just self defense, they raise the amounts of death and get away with because it is seen as a form of protection but it is only hurting the country more.

From “Guns and Suicide in the United States”, Matthew Miller and David Hemingway stated that,” Carrying concealed handguns increases the risk of suicide because [many] suicide attempts are impulsive…carrying a handgun gives individuals the means to act on their impulses. In 2005, 53% of all suicides in the US involved a firearm, resulting in an average of 46 suicides from guns each day.” In America, suicide is the second top cause of death in people under the age of 40, having firearms at the palm of their hands intensifies the cause even more.

Moreover, these concealed weapons for safety can actually cause criminals to get guns if they think a civilian is armed, this creates the chance of a shooting or the chance that someone will pointlessly get shot just because a person was thought to be armed. Then, even if someone has been trained to use a gun, if in a confrontation, they still might not use the gun right; which could lead to injuring themselves or even harmless people. Which is why trying to save the day with a gun should be left to the more trained official officers who will know what do in a bad situation and more lives could be spared. Even more important, is the fact that people don’t feel safe; with the rise of civilians and officers being killed by individuals legally allowed to carry handguns, it’s not surprising, but it shouldn’t be happening. When people carry guns it alarms other Americans and they feel unsafe ;they don’t know if the person is dangerous and if they will start shooting. In 2005, Adam Lichtenheld and Herbert Scoville Jr.

Peace Fellows at DC Bureau wrote that,” While granting citizens the means to protect themselves, it also gives criminals the means to commit crimes… guaranteeing that some weapons will fall into the wrong hands…Guns quickly escalate a situation…You go from losing your wallet to losing your life; you go from enduring a black eye or a bloody nose to suffering from a gunshot wound.” Carrying a concealed weapon increases the chances of a confrontation becoming lethal; it is not an effective form of self defense. The Violence Policy Center released the statistic that between May 2007 and March 2014, 14 police officers and 622 Americans were killed by legally permitted handgun owners. With more people holding guns: criminals or civilians, for good or bad, it just ends up in higher amounts of crime, fear, and death. If the country keeps going on the path of allowing concealed weapons then there will just continue be more problems.

The amount of school shootings since the Columbine Massacre in 1999 has been over a hundred, with or without deaths, students shouldn’t be in school thinking about what they have to do during a shooting. People shouldn’t be afraid to go to the movies, to malls, or anywhere with the fear that someone will start a mass shooting. Handguns have killed far more people in America than they have in any other country. With the higher amount of guns, more criminals have guns; more guns are going to be taken into schools to take the lives of this country’s future leaders. The use of guns isn’t really needed if guns aren’t in the hands of the wrong people, if the amount of guns are reduced in general, then maybe fewer offenses will happen.

If the people who buy guns are thoroughly back ground checked and have their weapon in a secure place where no one can just take it, then guns won’t be given to those who will cause as much harm. If guns are needed for self defense, then lives can be spared by using non lethal form of self- defense such as stun guns, pepper spray, nun chucks, and so many other ways to protect yourself without the greater chance of someone getting killed. If someone is in a bad situation, the only means of protecting themselves shouldn’t be a deadly one that could harm themselves and many others. This form of protection shouldn’t be the reason why so many people are killed. It’s a method that doesn’t work, but it’s not permanent and if something doesn’t work in the government then it can be changed and this is a change that needs to happen for the safety of the American people now and the next generations to come.

Works Cited Page • “Concealed Carry Killers.” Violence Policy Center. N.p., n.d.

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• “Crime in the United States.” FBI Website. N.p., Sept. 2008.

Web • Hemenway, David, Deborah Azrael, and Mathew Miller. “Gun Use in the United States: Results from Two National Surveys.” Injury Prevention. N.p.: n.

p., 2000. N. pag. Procon.org.

Web. • Wright, James, and Peter Rossi. “The Armed Criminal in America: A Survey of Incarcerated Felons.” National Institute of Justice Research Brief. N.

p.: n.p., 1985. N. pag.

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