Concealed Handgun Permit in Texas - Research Paper Example

CONCEALED HANDGUN PERMIT-TO-CARRY (Texas should allow it in school campuses) ID Number: of (affiliation) Location of University: April 25, 2014 Introduction America has a gun culture that dates back to its early days of independence, when its citizens wanted the means to protect themselves. This culture is also permissive in the sense that this “sacred” right is enshrined in the United States Constitution in the Second Amendment. It is presumed people carry guns for self-defense purposes only and never to commit violent crimes. Like slavery, abortion, and other social issues which is sensitive and touches on the citizens right to individual freedoms and civil liberties, the Second Amendment is very divisive even today. It has pitted groups of people against each other, both sides well-meaning in their intentions but the issue refuses to die down as some people are now afraid of increasing violence from guns. The debate continues unabated as recent news stories about shootings and massacres had shown how civil society is left very vulnerable to some deranged person who kills anybody on sight for no apparent reason at all. The mental stability of these killers are highlighted in relation to the right to carry guns even in public or open places. Those who sincerely worry about a gun culture that is overly permissive advocate for stricter gun controls or even a total ban. However, there are also citizens who want to reclaim this right to protect themselves and now want liberal laws which permit licensed gun owners to carry these pieces even in colleges and universities in order to be able to fire back and contain any potential assailant from inflicting more harm. Both sides of the gun debate put forward claims and counter-claims to support their own stance on the issue with arguments seemingly based on legality, logic and reason. Gun control is a highly-controversial political issue and some states had gone ahead and passed their own laws either to impose stricter controls or taken the opposite path of liberalizing gun ownership. Texas should allow those holding valid concealed gun permits to carry these weapons in our schools. Discussion Texas is one of a few states in America that has a long-cherished tradition of gun culture; this dates back to its so-called “Wild, wild, west” days when guns were everywhere, even at the homes of ordinary people. Any talk or suggestion of limiting gun ownership is immediately shot down by defiance where practically almost everybody has a weapon somewhere on his person, at home, in the office, parking lots, and even at the church where pastors pack guns (Jervis, 2013). The gun culture in Texas is one of the most permissive in America and Texans sincerely believe an armed society is a peaceful society; nothing repeals evil more than a well-aimed loaded gun. It serves as a powerful deterrent for would-be criminals and killers who know somebody will fire back at them and so they can shoot other people at their own risk of getting killed themselves. People in civil society are rightly worried about the proliferation of guns everywhere and it is a great concern for parents, especially mothers, when their kids go to schools, a place where it is supposedly safe from potential assailants. Any news of mass shootings in college campuses will revive their fears to a new heightened level and some of these parents advocate gun controls to avoid such stressful situations because carrying guns in a campus is potentially dangerous for everybody, from the students to faculty to school staff. Banning guns is good prevention. There is too much violence in society today, violence that is preventable, unnecessary, or totally senseless such that people are rightly worried about their safety. Whether in their offices, schools, supermarkets, at the malls, or even along the highways, there is always present a threat of gun violence from some unexpected quarters. Some people demand action from government authorities to stop or minimize this violence and talk some sense into gun rights advocates that carrying guns in public cause unwanted fear, alarm, worry, and even terror (Fernandez, 2013). However, despite the protests of anti-gun activists, those who advocate for enjoyment or enforcement of the right-to-bear arms have good arguments on their side too. Besides historical precedence and legal jurisprudence, gun owners cite powerful reason and logic for their defense. Deterrence – nothing stops an armed man better than another man armed similarly. This is a powerful and sensible argument of gun advocates who cite the recent mass shootings where a lone gunman could have been stopped immediately before carrying out more carnage by persons who had carried concealed guns and confronted the gunman themselves before the police arrived at the scene. These persons carrying concealed weapons are in the position to stop a rampage. In a larger scale, the principle of deterrence worked during the Cold War years between the Soviet Union (communists) and the Western world (Europe and the United States of America) where a country has the same capability to inflict the same destruction on an opposing state through their so-called mutually-assured destruction (MAD) so no one dared attempt to start a nuclear war. Second Amendment still relevant – gun owners and advocates state the same reasons why American forebears choose to enshrine this right-to-bear arms in the Constitution which is to try stopping anybody in his tracks before further violence is committed. The main reason why the Second Amendment was adopted was supposedly to protect citizens from an abusive government when the former British monarch ruled American colonies with an abusive and iron hand but this situation is still applicable today as a matter of principle. This is why the United States Supreme Court had reversed itself when it ruled as unconstitutional the stringent gun control laws of the District of Columbia as a violation of the constitutional right of citizens to bear arms to protect themselves (Cornell & Kozuskanich, 2013). If the Supreme Court had ruled and seen it as being unconstitutional, gun controls are set aside in favor of upholding this basic right of citizens. Statistics belie the perception – despite an abundance of guns, the Texas law enforcement statistics point to lower death rates from firearms and gun-related violence. Gun rights advocates cite how Texas is ranked only 23rd nationally, with just 11 gun-related deaths per 100,000 of its residents (Jervis, 2013). In other words, a perception of guns lying everywhere does not translate to a more violent society; the bigger picture is that fewer people die from guns if gun owners are better trained and more responsible when it comes to handling and using their guns. Perception is a lot different from reality, if the statistics are used to augment reason and logic in the debate. The arguments put forward by gun control advocates are equally, if not more compelling, coming from those who want their Second Amendment rights fully protected by authorities. The influential lobby group of the National Rifle Association (NRA) counts among its own members some of the countrys powerful politicians who naturally are more inclined towards the NRA. The group had even brought to court Attorney General Eric Holder for contempt for his refusal to change his stance against gun ownership, citing his bias against the NRA (Spitzer, 2012). Probability of shootouts – arming everybody can readily put a dangerous situation into a more serious situation because a simple altercation can escalate. When people have weapons on their possession, the tendency is to use these weapons, ostensibly to protect themselves but hot-headed people with guns are not deterred by other people equally armed. It is when people have guns that a relatively simple misunderstanding can turn deadly as people resort to their weapons to settle their differences. This is a logical outcome of carrying guns. In schools where students mingle daily and there are cases of bullying too, guns will tend to be used. This probability of a shootout happening increases every time there is a gun carried by two persons or more; only the authorized marshals and police personnel should be allowed to carry guns in schools. Second Amendment is now archaic – the amendment was the product of a revolutionary time and is no longer particularly relevant in todays modern times and more civilized societies. It was useful to fight off an oppressive and autocratic British rule during colonial times but that is no longer the case today; its utility as a basic right is no longer necessary when people can try to settle their differences through debates and if that is not possible, through proper courts. This amendment was primarily adopted to prevent incipient government tyranny but democratic and electoral processes are fully in place for people to change government officials any time. Statistics indicate otherwise – in many countries where gun control laws are being strictly enforced consistently, crime rates are markedly lower compared to countries where guns tend to proliferate due to a permissive gun control which makes access to guns relatively easy. The best way to ensure the safety of everyone and to attain peace of mind against possibility of violence is to remove guns from the hands of people, whether trained or not. A gun ban will work only if all people are not allowed to possess guns except those permitted to employ legal violence, such as the police and military personnel in the performance of their duties as guardians of the peace. Conclusion Texas still does not allow guns inside the campuses of colleges and universities despite a growing clamor to allow it because Texan culture is highly permissive in terms of gun ownership and so banning it from campuses seems out of character. The best argument for allowing it is the need for protection, the very reason why the Second Amendment is still relevant. The deterrence effect of knowing someone else carries a concealed weapon makes a potential killer think twice. People who hold valid concealed gun permits should by all means be allowed to carry concealed weapons inside public colleges and universities as they can serve as police force multipliers. References Cornell, S. A. & Kozuskanich, N. (2013). The Second Amendment on Trial: Critical Essays on District of Columbia v. Heller. Amherst, MA, USA: University of Massachusetts Press. Fernandez, M. (2013, November 11). A face-off outside Dallas in the escalating battler over Texas gun culture. The New York Times. Retrieved April 25, 2014 from http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/12/us/a-face-off-outside-dallas-in-the-escalating-battle-over-texas-gun-culture.html?_r=0 Jervis, R. (2013, February 18). Texas, a place where guns are right at home. USA Today. Retrieved April 24, 2014 from http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/02/17/guns-are-a-way-of-life-in-texas/1926763/ Spitzer, R. J. The NRA’s Fast and Furious Gun Walking. Huffington Post. Retrieved April 25, 2014 from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-j-spitzer/fast-and-furious-gun-walking_b_1636079.html Read More