Blog #2

Guns Save Lives

            There is an ongoing debate about whether guns should be allowed on school campuses. One of the main arguments of those who are opposed to allowing guns on school campuses is “When more people have access to weapons on campus, there is a larger possibility of tragedies.” (Guns) I would like to push it one step further and ask “Should we allow legally certified Concealed Handgun Licensed individuals to carry on school campuses?”

            First, I would like to present just a very, very small section of the restrictions that may prevent someone from getting a Concealed Handgun License.

(4) is not charged with the commission of a Class A or Class B misdemeanor or an offense under Section 42.01, Penal Code, or of a felony under an information or indictment; (5) diagnosis at any time by a licensed physician that the person suffers or has suffered from a psychiatric disorder or condition consisting of or relating to: . . .  (F) antisocial personality disorder. . . (10) has not been finally determined to be delinquent in making a child support payment; . . . (12) has not been finally determined to be in default on a loan made under Chapter 57, Education Code; (Department of Public Safety)

The list of restrictions that can prevent an individual from obtaining a CHL is enormously long, including being default on a school loan, and the list of ways in which a current CHL holder can lose his license is even longer. In order for someone to obtain a Concealed Handgun License he/she must: 1) Attend a 12 hour class run by a state certified instructor, 2) Pass a shooting proficiency test with the aforementioned instructor, and 3) Submit his/her fingerprints for a complete FBI, CIA, and Homeland Security background check. As you can see, it is far from easy to obtain a CHL.

            Second, I would like to bring out another argument that is given by those who are opposed to guns in school, even licensed carriers, “However, it’s doubtful the police would be able to tell who was the “crazed” gunman if everyone had their concealed handguns out. It would be chaos as shots fired everywhere. Accidental injuries would be abundant.” (Guns) This seems like a very valid argument, but it is not backed by any real evidence. Statistically, people who have a CHL will not fire more than is absolutely necessary. “In this case, the permit holder saved the lives of the eight people in the store. News reports also stated that the other citizens in the store urged the permit holder to shoot the man again and kill him. The permit holder refused and calmly awaited the arrival of police.” (Buyalos 1) As with everything, people make mistakes and there have been innocent people shot by people with a CHL, but the statistics show that you are five times more likely to get shot accidentally by a policeman than by a person with a CHL. “Armed citizens kill more crooks than do the police. Citizens shoot and kill at least twice as many criminals as police do every year” (Kleck 111), “. . . only 2 percent of civilian shootings involved an innocent person mistakenly identified as a criminal. The 'error rate' for the police, however, was 11 percent, more than five times as high.” (Will 93)

            The last item I would like to bring to light is the statistics that show the drop in crime for the states that have CHL laws. “A comprehensive national study determined in 1996 that violent crime fell after states made it legal to carry concealed firearms. . .  States which passed concealed carry laws reduced their murder rate by 8.5%, rapes by 5%, aggravated assaults by 7% and robbery by 3%;” (Lott 15) The percentages seem rather small, but when you look at the actual numbers that are involved it changes the importance of these laws. “If those states not having concealed carry laws had adopted such laws in 1992, then approximately 1,570 murders, 4,177 rapes, 60,000 aggravated assaults, and over 11,000 robberies would have been avoided yearly.” (Mustard 3) These numbers are rather amazing.

            I hope this short essay has given you some food for thought. The purpose of this paper is not to prove conclusively one way or the other what should be done, but merely to bring to notice several points and statistics that many people don’t know about, or are not interested enough to look up. There is a very good possibility that allowing licensed Concealed Handgun Carriers to take their guns on campus would prevent a lot of “gun” the problems that we face today.

Buyalos, Andrew. “Statistics show concealed carry saves many lives, takes few.” CollegiateTimes.com. Collegiate Times, 12 Nov. 2009. Web. 23 February 2012

Department of Public Safety of the State of Texas. Laws Relating To The Carrying of A Concealed Handgun In Texas. 2011. Web. 23 Feb. 2012

“Guns should not be allowed on campus.” Editorial. NTDaily.com. North Texas Daily, 29 Sep. 2010. Web. 18 Feb. 2012.

Kleck, Dr. Gary. Point Blank: Guns and Violence in America. New York: Aldine Transaction, 1991. Print

Mustard, David B., and Lott, John R., Jr.  "Crime, Deterrence, and Right-to-Carry Concealed Handguns." University of Chicago. University of Chicago, 15 August 1996. Web. 18 Feb. 2012.

Lott, John R., Jr. "More Guns, Less Violent Crime," The Wall Street Journal. The Wall Street Journal, 28 Aug. 1996. Web. 18 Feb. 2012.

Will, George F. "Are We 'a Nation of Cowards'?." Newsweek. Newsweek. 15 Nov. 1993. Web. 18 Feb. 2012.