Gun Control Essay, Research Paper

Ocean City, Maryland, businessman and resident Stephen George was walking his dog late one night when he noticed two men in a passing vehicle turn off the headlights and swing back toward his business, Boat Doctor Marine, Inc. After watching the pair squeeze through the fence,

George went to his house nearby and retrieved a stainless steel, .357 Mag. Revolver. Surprising the men – who were hefting new batteries back to their car – George commanded, “Hold it right there.” He then instructed the men to keep their hands in plain view and marched them back to the business to dial 9-1-1. Sheriff Charles Martin later said,

?I think it was a good common sense move on his part. We’ve got limited manpower, and we need all the common sense help we can get (Gun Control).?

In this case a law-abiding citizen took action to legally protect his business from robbery in a state that supports right to carry laws. Now in this case as in many others the victim was able to prevent a crime and put the criminals behind bars. Even though in so many cases these laws are a great attribute some may still argue the fact, that right to carry laws would increase crime, that murder rates would sky rocket, that rapes would increase, and that armed robberies would top all time highs. Well, I’m here to tell you this simply isn’t true. According to the National Rifle Association the right to carry laws have reduced crimes by a total of 24% in states that support the right to carry laws. “In states with the right to carry laws there is a 19% lower homicide rate, a 39% lower robbery rate, and a 19% lower aggravated assault rate (Conceal and Carry).?

Even though the statistics clearly state that crime rates are reduced by the right to carry laws, some people still don’t buy into it. People against right to carry laws are afraid that the person next to them may be a criminal and might be packing a 45 handgun in his back pocket. Or that the person that you just cut off on the highway has a rifle in his back window of his 4X4 and is just waiting for an excuse to use it. Although it may be frightening to think about, this simply just does not hold a credible argument. The person next to you, if he is a criminal, is going to be carrying a handgun whether or not it’s legal, and the person in the 4X4 with the mind set to assault, will not be held back by a law.

Not having the right to carry is taking away our freedom as Americans. We should have the right to carry handguns as means of self-defense. If criminals have them (and they will have them law or no law), then we should have the opportunity to legally defend ourselves.

When we vote against the right to carry laws we are voting for higher homicide rates, higher robbery rates, higher aggravated assault rates and a total higher crime rate. Why don’t we take time to consider the statistics, consider the lives that would be saved, consider how many more rapes would be prevented, consider the drop in robbery and consider how much safer America would be. It seems that the citizens of Missouri are against conceal and carry based on the last vote. If they would just give it a try they might find that it will turn Missouri?s cities into safer places to live, work, and play you can’t ignore the facts. So why do so.

Bibliography

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?Conceal and Carry? www.nra.org./issues/conceal+and+carry/

?Gun Control? The Daily Times, Salisbury, MD, 7/14/99

?Story.? American Rifleman (October 1999) Pg. 8