PRO: Bring them on

Written by Terrance Johnson, Staff Writer

Much speculation has gone on concerning the bill on whether concealed weapons should be carried on a college campus. As citizens of the United States, we have the right to bear arms.

States that implemented “shall-issue” concealed carry laws reduced murders by 8.5 percent, rapes by 5 percent, aggravated assaults by 7 percent, and robbery by 3 percent, according to a 2000 analysis of FBI crime data by economist and political commentator John R. Lott Jr., PhD. Some may argue that this number is outdated, but when dealing with firearms and statistical data, the difference isn’t very much.

Detroit Chief of Police Larry Craig said permitted concealed weapons are “a deterrent,” and “good Americans with CPLs [concealed permit licenses] translates into crime reduction.”

The numbers prove that most adults who carry concealed weapons are responsible. These citizens have the right to protect themselves against a criminal who is carrying a firearm.

Violent criminals will obtain guns, no matter the restriction on them; it is better to defend yourself, rather than be a victim.

At Valdosta State University alone, there were a series of incidents where students were robbed of their belongings. These students should have had the right to protect themselves.
75 percent of Americans support the “laws allowing law-abiding citizens to get a permit to carry a concealed weapon.” As citizens, we want to be able to carry firearms. We don’t want to hurt anybody, but we want the right to do as necessary should we feel threatened by someone.

A peer-reviewed study published in the Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology found that when a gun is drawn in self-defense, the criminal retreats 55.5 percent of the time. If a criminal retreats more than half of the time when confronted with another firearm, then that reduces the crime rate.