THE RIGHT TO CARRY

SPECIAL POST

I know I’m going to get into trouble with some of my NRA friends but, I do believe there needs to be some limitation on permits to carry concealed weapons.

Yes, I do strongly believe in the Second Amendment and I strongly believe in the Right to Carry a concealed weapon. Carrying any gun, concealed or not, requires a certain degree of maturity and a strong sense of responsibility. After all, I agree that guns are not toys. I believe that any person who buys a gun should know how to aim it, how to load it, how to clean it, and how to keep it from injuring innocent people. To that end, I agree with requirements that first-time gun buyers should be required to take a basic gun ownership and safety course. Beyond that, there should be no restrictions on gun ownership except that felons should continue to be prohibited.

Now comes the issue of carrying a concealed weapon. Why they don’t include knives in this category, I don’t know.

There are two reasons for carrying a concealed weapon: Self defense and crime prevention. For the most part, crime prevention should be left to law enforcement, but when you are in the middle of a bank robbery and there’s no cop around and people’s lives are being threatened, what do you do? In either event, I believe that the person who carries concealed should have some basic training. For one thing, there are legal ramifications when you pull your gun out of the holster. For another, you could just shoot your big toe off if you don’t know what you are doing.

Good concealed weapons courses take you through the legalities and teach you how to effectively shoot under stressful situations. They also emphasize gun safety.

I do not believe that any state should allow concealed carry without taking and passing a required course. On the other hand, I believe that anyone of age, who is not a felon or a mental case, should have the right to carry concealed weapons after the required course is taken. The plain truth, which anti-gun types don’t want you to know, is that crime rates are down where more people carry guns.

That’s MY AMERICAN OPINION, respectfully submitted.