Gun Control & RKBA
Related: About this forumFlorida should not loosen gun laws
http://www.tampabay.com/opinion/columns/column-florida-should-not-loosen-gun-laws/2309109As Florida experiences another mass shooting this time at Fort Lauderdale's airport state legislators have introduced bills that would allow concealed weapon license-holders to carry handguns, both openly and concealed, into colleges and universities, public schools, local government meetings, airport terminals and legislative chambers. Supporters of these bills explain that these expansions of gun rights will be limited to individuals trained and licensed to carry firearms, and that the measures will enhance public safety.
We should not be reassured.
The evidence is growing that expanding the right to carry will compromise rather than enhance public safety. Stanford University researchers have found that right-to-carry laws "are associated with substantially higher rates of aggravated assault, rape, robbery and murder." An FBI study of active shooter incidents found that just 1 of 160 incidents was stopped by an armed civilian. In addition to research, recent experience tells us that right-to-carry laws can be perilous. Last summer, when five law enforcement officers were shot and killed in Dallas, police Chief David Brown said that policing where open carry is legal is "difficult at best." When multiple people are walking the streets exhibiting their guns during an active shooting, confusion as to who the perpetrator is may impede the response of officers and may endanger them and the armed civilians who happen to be in the area.
Still, the gun lobby continues to promote its agenda of permitting guns on campuses and at government meetings, disregarding the risks of verbal conflicts escalating into lethal ones. The risks don't end there: Guns on campus may increase the number of suicides, injuries due to accidental discharges and the theft of firearms.
The gun lobby argues that the training received by Florida licensees justifies the expansion of concealed and open carry into places like airports. In reality, the training required of authorized permit holders in Florida is seriously inadequate.
gejohnston
(17,502 posts)was done by public health types and wasn't peer reviewed. How are they "associated" when the rates have been decreasing as carry laws have been liberalized? Also, "associated" does not mean cause and effect, which is why anything public health types put out is usually junk science to begin with.
They forgot to mention in the FBI study that most mass murders are committed in places where citizens can't carry guns to begin with, and I would like to see the study.
A political opinion of a public official is of no consequence, although he was referring the open carrying of rifles.
ileus
(15,396 posts)Last edited Fri Jan 13, 2017, 01:22 PM - Edit history (1)
I shall always be Progressive on the 2A.
yagotme
(3,819 posts)"If it saves one life". Progressiveness on the 2nd Amendment is obviously saving some lives, therefore...
jmg257
(11,996 posts)promote theirs? Makes sense.
Understood it is an opinion piece - so lots of use of the word "may" in there
"may increase...", "may impede...", "disregarding risks...", etc. that may be possibly associated with campus carry, more concealed carry etc.
http://www.guns.com/2016/10/11/group-pushes-for-assault-weapon-ban-in-florida/
David Hemenway gave it 5 stars! Must be a real anti gem!
Anyway - I am all for training - its a blast, and makes sense if you'll be carrying.