Anne C. Cunningham - Guns: Conceal and Carry

Guns: Conceal and Carry

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Guns: Conceal and Carry

Anne Cunningham, Book Editor

Published in 2018 by Greenhaven Publishing, LLC
353 3rd Avenue, Suite 255, New York, NY 10010

Copyright 2018 by Greenhaven Publishing, LLC

First Edition

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer.

Articles in Greenhaven Publishing anthologies are often edited for length to meet page requirements. In addition, original titles of these works are changed to clearly present the main thesis and to explicitly indicate the authors opinion. Every effort is made to ensure that Greenhaven Publishing accurately reflects the original intent of the authors. Every effort has been made to trace the owners of the copyrighted material.

Cover image: AVN Photo Lab/Shutterstock.com

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Cunningham, Anne C., editor.

Title: Guns: conceal and carry / edited by Anne C. Cunningham.

Description: New York : Greenhaven Publishing, 2018. | Series: At Issue | Includes bibliographical references and index. | Audience: Grades 9-12.

Identifiers: LCCN ISBN 9781534500624 (library bound) | ISBN 9781534500600 (pbk.)

Subjects: LCSH: Firearms--Law and legislation--United States--Juvenile literature. | Gun control--United States--Juvenile literature.

Classification: LCC KF3941.G867 2018 | DDC 344.730533--dc23

Manufactured in the United States of America

Website: http://greenhavenpublishing.com

Contents

Introduction

Guns Will Affect Classroom Interactions

Jonathan M. Metzl

Concealed Weapons Should Be Allowed On Campus

Michael Newbern

Guns In School Do Not Prevent Crime

Evan DeFilippis

Concealed Weapons Deter Crime

John R. Lott, Jr.

Guns Will Change the Character of Higher Education

Steven J. Friesen

Firearm Self Defense Legality

Lauren Baldwin

Concealed Carry Prevents Shootings

Crime Prevention Research Center

Should Applicants Provide Reasons for Wanting a Concealed Weapon?

Joseph Blocher

Background Checks And Mental Illness: Facts and Myths

Denise-Marie Ordway

Balancing Gun Rights And Public Safety On Campus

Thomas L. Harnisch

Students May Threaten Professors for Better Grades

Jessica Smartt Gullion

More Gun Availability Means More Crime

Irshad Altheimer

Explaining Mass Shootings

John Wihbey

We Should Be More Skeptical About Gun Control

David B. Kopel

Fear Is a Threat to Learning

Jeffrey Alan Lockwood

Organizations to Contact

Bibliography

Index

Introduction

A mericans have an abiding and emotional relationship with guns. The option to keep a gun for hunting or self-defense is a constitutionally protected and deeply cherished right, but does this mean that gun owners should be permitted to bring their guns to any public space, at any time? Are laws banning guns from sensitive areas such as schools and government buildings constitutional and in the public interest? Should states require concealed weapon permit seekers to demonstrate a compelling reason why they wish to carry a gun, and if so, what reasons qualify as valid? These and other similarly thorny questions pertaining to concealed carry comprise an especially controversial subset of contemporary gun law and policy. Indeed, experts such as Joseph Blocher, from whom we will hear in the pages that follow, identify concealed carry as the most important field within the larger debate over gun rights and restrictions.

The purpose of this book is to examine the concealed carry debate from a variety of angles and viewpoints. It includes articles representing a wide range of ideological and political positions. Some writers advocate virtually unfettered rights to carry concealed weapons. Others present anecdotal and statistical evidence to the contrary, supporting common sense limits on where gun owners can take their weapons for the sake of public safety. If we step back and view this discussion from a more general perspective, the debate over concealed carry reveals familiar tradeoffs between individual liberty and the public good. Since vastly different interpretations emerge as to how best to balance these prerogatives, an in-depth understanding of multiple perspectives on the concealed carry issue is crucial to reaching an informed position.

Despite daily reports of injuries and fatalities by firearms, to say nothing of the brutal spate of high profile mass shootings in recent years, majority support for gun rights in this country remains steadfast. According to recent opinion polls conducted by Pew Research Center, 52% of those surveyed wish to protect the right to own a gun absolutely. By contrast, only 46% support new restrictions on gun ownership. This divide is starkly polarized politically. 79% of Democrats support gun control measures, while a staggering 90% of Republicans favor broad gun rights with minimal restrictive legislation. Some bipartisan support exists for common sense gun laws including universal background checks, a ban on assault weapons, and restrictions for those on federal terror watch and no fly lists from owning guns. Contrary to the desires of the co-called no compromise gun lobby, this indicates that Americans share common ground regarding the impact of widespread gun availability on public health and safety.

Dating back to 1791, the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution provides a foundational text for gun rights advocates. It is supported by the majority of the population, and is unlikely to see repeal. Nonetheless, this amendment is both brief and notoriously vague, and has therefore been subject to varying interpretation over the years. Moreover, even legal scholars disagree over how precisely to interpret the provision for a well-regulated Militia given the obvious differences between late eighteenth century America and todays highly professionalized and technologically powerful military.

In the landmark 2008 case District of Columbia v. Heller, the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that the right of the people to keep and bear Arms protects the individuals right to own a gun, rather than any collective right to form militias. Although the court ruled conclusively that citizens are permitted to own guns for traditional reasons such as sport and self-defense, the decision also contained a carefully worded statement that the Second Amendment does not confer a right to keep and carry any weapon whatsoever in any manner whatsoever and for whatever purpose. Thus, under the