Imagine if the horrific mass shootings that are all over the news could be stopped within seconds of starting or even before the first shot was heard. With responsible members of society having conceal carry permits, they could stop mass shootings and other crimes and keep their community safe.

As any person can tell you, mass shootings are preventable, but what everyone disagrees on how they can be stopped. The obvious answer is with conceal carry permits. Conceal carry is when responsible members of society can get a license and carry handguns with them in public. This is a massive deterrent for mass shootings as the shooter can be stopped as soon as he draws his weapon and prepares to unleash carnage. For example, in the Zona Caliente Sports Bar shooting a conceal carry citizen drew his firearm and stopped a man from committing a mass shooting after the shooter drew his firearm and fired at the restaurant manager with the intent to harm others after he killed the manager. “A ‘good Samaritan’ with a gun killed an active shooter who may have been gearing up for a deadly rampage.” (McCausland) This hero had stopped a mass shooting from occurring and saved countless lives from being taken out of blind rage. This shooter had two guns on him and several knives on his person. If he had not been stopped so soon, the whole bar would have been injured or killed. Another example of a heroic individual saving the day, is the Uber driver who had shot and wounded a man who had the intent to hurt several people. The article reports that “when… began firing into the crowd… the driver pulled out a handgun and fired six shots at... hitting him several times.” (Ziezulewicz). He was a hero and saved several peoples’ lives and stopped another mass shooting when the number of mass shootings seems to be growing. The option of conceal carrying a firearm can prevent mass shootings and save lives as plenty of cases have been reported of heros like these men preventing national tragedies

 Another welcome benefit to conceal carry users is that it is protected by the second amendment in the United States Constitution. In the second amendment of the constitution, it states that the people have the right to keep and bear Arms, and it will not be infringed. Also, the federal 7th Circuit Court of Appeals in the case of Moore v. Madigan ruled in a 2-1 voted in favor of conceal carry and stated that they have “a right to have a concealed gun in public, to have it ready for use, and to have it for self-defense.” (ProCon) Another case, the Peruta vs. San Diego, in 2014 it states that “some form of concealed carry for self-defense outside the home.” (ProCon). The fact that the constitution and several court cases prove that conceal carry is a just option and is not as far out as many uninformed people believe. These cases are a massive boost for people who are pro conceal carry as the constitution is the most supreme law and hasn't had a revision in several years showing that the constitution is revised and has held the test of time.

Another nice benefit of conceal carry is that conceal carry can prevent people from being harmed in confrontations and help keep people safe in the everyday life. In fact, there is a positive correlation between the number of concealed carry permits and a lower rate of crimes in cities. A study done by the John Lott Jr., a FBI crime and data economist, shows that in states with the ‘shall-issue’ have had “reduced murders by 8.5%, rapes by 5%, aggravated assaults by 7% and robbery by 3%”(ProCon). This study also claims that 84,000 crimes between 1977 and 1992 could have been prevented if every state in the United States had conceal carry during those years. This study proves that crimes are preventable when conceal carry is allowed. Another study found in the Applied Economic Letters, “states with more restrictive CCW laws had higher gun-related murder rates that were 10% higher.”(ProCon) These studies and articles prove that with conceal carry, there are no downsides and only positive benefits to our society.

A popular argument to the possibility of conceal carry being an effective counter to gun violence is that conceal carry is easy to obtain and lets anyone get a permit. The Texas DPS states that you must pass rigorous tests such as “certain types of psychological diagnosis” (Ziezulewicz) and background checks for “felony convictions, some misdemeanor convictions” (Ziezulewicz) along with being able to “complete all required training”(Ziezulewicz). The Texas DPS has so many restrictions and requirements to be able to get a conceal carry permit to ensure that only good people who have good intentions for carrying are to be able to carry a concealed firearm. In fact, conceal carry is one of the hardest permits a civilian can obtain. Conceal carry licenses benefit everyone as they can stop robberies, muggings, stop horrific mass shooting tragedies from occurring, and make citizens arrests. Conceal Carry is an effective counter to mass shootings and can only benefit the community with all the crimes that people with conceal carry can stop.

Conceal carry has so many pros and no downsides as the downsides are claims made by people who don't understand all the things that go into getting a conceal carry license or understand the dangers of people without a conceal carry license. Conceal Carry is a very beneficial to everyone and has that can stop mass shootings and can keep people safe, stop rape, assaults and murders keeping everyone safe. Even citizens who do not want to carry a firearm, or do not like firearms still benefit by knowing that good people are helping make a difference and keep them safe. Conceal carry is a positive solution to a problem that nobody seems to have an answer for and the problem will continue to haunt humanity until people realize that conceal carry is the solution we need.

Work Cited

Hofer, Jake. “18 Reasons to Concealed Carry a Gun.” Wide Open Spaces, 29 July 2016, www.wideopenspaces.com/18-valid-reasons-carry-gun/.

McCausland, Phil. “Gun-Toting ‘Good Samaritan’ Kills Active Shooter in Texas Sports Bar, Police Say.” NBCNews.com, NBCUniversal News Group, www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/good-samaritan-kills-active-shooter-texas-sports-bar-police-n755136.

“Should Adults Have the Right to Carry a Concealed Handgun?” Should Adults Have the Right to Carry a Concealed Handgun?, concealedguns.procon.org/.

Team, DPS Web. “Handgun Licensing FAQ .” TxDPS - License to Carry (LTC) FAQs, www.dps.texas.gov/RSD/LTC/faqs/index.htm

Ziezulewicz, Geoff. “Uber Driver, Licensed to Carry Gun, Shoots Gunman in Logan Square.” Chicagotribune.com, 21 Apr. 2015, www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/ct-uber-driver-shoots-gunman-met-0420-20150419-story.html.

Ziezulewicz, Geoff. “Schlenker's Automotive Suspected Shooter Robert Bailey Indicted By Brevard Grand Jury On First-Degree Murder Charge.” Space Coast Daily, 2019, spacecoastdaily.com/2017/12/schlenkers-automotive-suspected-shooter-robert-bailey-indicted-by-brevard-grand-jury-on-first-degree-murder-charge/.