Adam Fitzpatrick
Professor Gretchen Pratt
UWRT 1103-042
December 3, 2014
Inquiry Project Essay
The question ‘Should firearms be easier or harder to purchase?’ is an easy one to ask, but not so easy to answer. Everyone has their own opinion on the matter of gun control, and everyone has had different experiences with the issue. Most gun owners will say that they should be easier to buy, that they are no different than buying a car or a welding machine; others say guns should be banned altogether. Regardless of your opinion, firearms are and have been a hot political and social topic for decades, inspiring new laws at both the federal and state levels and sometimes even public protest for both sides of the argument of firearms availability.
For many Americans, no event spurs an opinion on better than a mass shooting. A mass killing is “three or more killings in a single incident” (US Department of Justice). “The FBI identified 160 active shooter incidents that occurred in the United States between 2000 and 2013” (US Department of Justice). That statistic is an unacceptable number to anyone, as even one mass shooting should inspire anger and alarm in all Americans.
But with that being said, lets not forget the old adage of ‘statistics don’t lie, but liars use statistics’. Many people see one statistic and form an opinion on a whole issue when that one statistic does not relay all the information. When someone hears that statistic regarding 160 active shooting incidents, their first reaction is to cry for the locations guns can be carried to be limited even more than it already is. But the FBI also gives the following numbers: “70% of shootings occurred in either a commercial area, an educational facility, or a government building” (US Department of Justice). The most important part of this information is the breakdown of shootings between these three areas: “45.6% in a commercial area, 24.4% in an educational facility, and 10% in government buildings” (US Department of Justice). With these numbers, we can derive that at least 34.4% of all shootings from 2000-2013 have occurred in areas were carrying a gun is already illegal. This in itself proves that laws preventing people from carrying guns in these areas cannot stop shootings.
These areas sometimes even attract shooters, as described in the article from Fox News; Did Colorado shooter single out Cinemark Theater because it banned guns? (Dr. John R. Lott). “According to mapquest.com and movies.com, there were seven movie theaters showing "The Dark Knight Rises" on July 20th within 20 minutes of the killer’s apartment” (Dr. John R. Lott). Also, that according to the same article, “At 4 miles and an 8-minute car ride, the Cinemark’s Century Theater wasn't the closest. Another theater was only 1.2 miles (3 minutes) away.” (Dr. John R. Lott). So all of that begs the question, ‘why drive farther simply to go to a specific theater’? It wasn’t to find a certain someone, all of the victims of that horrible night were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. He deliberately choose a place that he knew no one would be able to fight back. There were other movie theaters closer, but they allowed lawful concealed carry inside them. “With over 4 percent of the adult population in Colorado having concealed handgun permits” (Dr. John R. Lott), mathematically there would’ve been 4-8 people with concealed handguns in that theater that night. Would that have been enough to stop him, we’ll never know. But one thing is for sure, the inability of those people to legally have been able to defend themselves almost surely guaranteed their being targeted by that evil man.
As an active member of the United States Long Range Under 25 Rifle Team, it’s very easy to understand that I like guns of all shapes and sizes, with generally the bigger and louder being the more fun! I became apart of this select group of young adults only a year ago, and it has been so much fun. But before all of that, I liked guns. Ever since I first shot a gun as a child, with my ever-observant father closely behind me, nothing gives me the simultaneous rush and calm of shooting. Shooting has and always will be the thing that I look forward to doing again no matter what I’m doing or where I am. In the hands of a competent operator, a gun is no more dangerous than a car or any other machine for that matter. Everyone who shoots has learned the five safety rules of gun safety: Always assume that every gun is loaded; Keep your finger off of the trigger until you are ready to fire; Never point a gun at anything you are not willing to kill or destroy; Know what your target is and what is around and behind it; and safety check every gun handed to you by another person, even if you watched them safety check it before handing it to you. These rules, when obeyed, make shooting guns fun and safe. There are many other things that gun owners must know, but those basic rules are to shooting what being observant is to driving. They become second nature quickly, and though my competence with firearms is high, these rules can never be broken. Having a gun in your hand is a massive responsibility, just like driving a car. But despite what many non-shooters believe, just like driving a car, guns are safe and very fun when used correctly and safely.
Coming from someone brought up around guns and how to operate them safely, the idea that guns in themselves are somehow responsible for the havoc wreaked by their misuse is insulting and appalling. When Al-Qaeda hijacked Boeing 747’s and used them to kill nearly 3,000 Americans on 9/11/01, no one pointed the finger at Boeing for making the planes or for selling them to the airliners. No one blamed the inanimate objects misused by evil people, yet when the 6 o’clock news informs you of another mass shooting, many blame the gun for the crime.
I applied for a concealed carry permit at the end of October of this year, and plan on receiving it by the end of December this year. I had to fill out and answer a six page application form, as well as give a passport quality photo of myself, give authorization to the state to view any mental health records I have (or don’t have, in my case), and provide the certificate proving I had taken and passed an eight hour course on NC handgun law and shooting proficiency. It was an extensive application, and completing the handgun safety course cost money in addition to the application fee for the actual permit. I plan on using it as much as I can, though being a full time college student severely impacts that wish. At the time of this writing concealed carry on a college campus in North Carolina is illegal. As a result I will only carry a concealed handgun when off campus, which is extremely annoying. Someone wishing to do harm to others will not heed this law, meaning that simply because I choose to comply with the law I am automatically at a disadvantage.
I carry a pocketknife on my person at all times on campus, putting it in my pocket even before my cellphone or wallet. I am the person who can guarantee my safety at any given time, and being forced to be unarmed is vexing. I would love to see the ability to carry a concealed handgun happen in my college career, though I know that it is a slim chance. People may be frightened of fellow students carrying concealed handguns, asking ‘How do I know the good guys from the bad?’ That’s not an unreasonable question, but a misguided one. Is a person who is willing to pay the almost $130 it cost me to get my permit, as well as go through the trouble to take the handgun course AND file the paperwork going to then use the permit to smuggle a gun into an area to harm others? Possibly, because there are bad apples in every bunch, but for the most part concealed carriers are the safest and nicest people you can meet.
In conclusion of this inquiry topic, I am currently seeking information on joining the Students for Concealed Carry organization. The organization’s only chapter in North Carolina at the time of this writing is at Eastern Carolina University, so short of starting a chapter here at UNCC myself, my options are limited. I believe that carrying a concealed handgun in a safe manner is the best way to protect yourself, and that any law preventing a law-abiding citizen from carrying concealed is wrong. Id like to see the stigma of ‘guns kill people’ vanish completely, because I have been surrounded by guns since I was young; and have never nor will ever murder another human being.
Works Cited
Dr. John R. Lott, Jr. Did Colorado shooter single out Cinemark theater because it banned guns? 12 9 2012. 3 12 2014 <http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2012/09/10/did-colorado-shooter-single-out-cinemark-theater/>.
Grossman, Richard S. and Stephen A. Lee. "May Issue Versus Shall Issue: Explaining the Pattern of Concealed-Carry Handgun Laws, 1960-2001." Contemporary Economic Policy 26.2 (2008): 8.
Schildkraut, Jaclyn and Tiffany Cox Hernandez. "Laws That Bit The Bullet: A Review of Legislative Responses To School Shootings." American Journal of Criminal Justice 39.2 (2014): 18.
US Department of Justice. A Study of Active Shooter Incidents in the United States Between 2000 and 2013. Crime Report. US Department of Justice. District of Columbia: FBI, 2013.
Professor Gretchen Pratt
UWRT 1103-042
December 3, 2014
Inquiry Project Essay
The question ‘Should firearms be easier or harder to purchase?’ is an easy one to ask, but not so easy to answer. Everyone has their own opinion on the matter of gun control, and everyone has had different experiences with the issue. Most gun owners will say that they should be easier to buy, that they are no different than buying a car or a welding machine; others say guns should be banned altogether. Regardless of your opinion, firearms are and have been a hot political and social topic for decades, inspiring new laws at both the federal and state levels and sometimes even public protest for both sides of the argument of firearms availability.
For many Americans, no event spurs an opinion on better than a mass shooting. A mass killing is “three or more killings in a single incident” (US Department of Justice). “The FBI identified 160 active shooter incidents that occurred in the United States between 2000 and 2013” (US Department of Justice). That statistic is an unacceptable number to anyone, as even one mass shooting should inspire anger and alarm in all Americans.
But with that being said, lets not forget the old adage of ‘statistics don’t lie, but liars use statistics’. Many people see one statistic and form an opinion on a whole issue when that one statistic does not relay all the information. When someone hears that statistic regarding 160 active shooting incidents, their first reaction is to cry for the locations guns can be carried to be limited even more than it already is. But the FBI also gives the following numbers: “70% of shootings occurred in either a commercial area, an educational facility, or a government building” (US Department of Justice). The most important part of this information is the breakdown of shootings between these three areas: “45.6% in a commercial area, 24.4% in an educational facility, and 10% in government buildings” (US Department of Justice). With these numbers, we can derive that at least 34.4% of all shootings from 2000-2013 have occurred in areas were carrying a gun is already illegal. This in itself proves that laws preventing people from carrying guns in these areas cannot stop shootings.
These areas sometimes even attract shooters, as described in the article from Fox News; Did Colorado shooter single out Cinemark Theater because it banned guns? (Dr. John R. Lott). “According to mapquest.com and movies.com, there were seven movie theaters showing "The Dark Knight Rises" on July 20th within 20 minutes of the killer’s apartment” (Dr. John R. Lott). Also, that according to the same article, “At 4 miles and an 8-minute car ride, the Cinemark’s Century Theater wasn't the closest. Another theater was only 1.2 miles (3 minutes) away.” (Dr. John R. Lott). So all of that begs the question, ‘why drive farther simply to go to a specific theater’? It wasn’t to find a certain someone, all of the victims of that horrible night were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. He deliberately choose a place that he knew no one would be able to fight back. There were other movie theaters closer, but they allowed lawful concealed carry inside them. “With over 4 percent of the adult population in Colorado having concealed handgun permits” (Dr. John R. Lott), mathematically there would’ve been 4-8 people with concealed handguns in that theater that night. Would that have been enough to stop him, we’ll never know. But one thing is for sure, the inability of those people to legally have been able to defend themselves almost surely guaranteed their being targeted by that evil man.
As an active member of the United States Long Range Under 25 Rifle Team, it’s very easy to understand that I like guns of all shapes and sizes, with generally the bigger and louder being the more fun! I became apart of this select group of young adults only a year ago, and it has been so much fun. But before all of that, I liked guns. Ever since I first shot a gun as a child, with my ever-observant father closely behind me, nothing gives me the simultaneous rush and calm of shooting. Shooting has and always will be the thing that I look forward to doing again no matter what I’m doing or where I am. In the hands of a competent operator, a gun is no more dangerous than a car or any other machine for that matter. Everyone who shoots has learned the five safety rules of gun safety: Always assume that every gun is loaded; Keep your finger off of the trigger until you are ready to fire; Never point a gun at anything you are not willing to kill or destroy; Know what your target is and what is around and behind it; and safety check every gun handed to you by another person, even if you watched them safety check it before handing it to you. These rules, when obeyed, make shooting guns fun and safe. There are many other things that gun owners must know, but those basic rules are to shooting what being observant is to driving. They become second nature quickly, and though my competence with firearms is high, these rules can never be broken. Having a gun in your hand is a massive responsibility, just like driving a car. But despite what many non-shooters believe, just like driving a car, guns are safe and very fun when used correctly and safely.
Coming from someone brought up around guns and how to operate them safely, the idea that guns in themselves are somehow responsible for the havoc wreaked by their misuse is insulting and appalling. When Al-Qaeda hijacked Boeing 747’s and used them to kill nearly 3,000 Americans on 9/11/01, no one pointed the finger at Boeing for making the planes or for selling them to the airliners. No one blamed the inanimate objects misused by evil people, yet when the 6 o’clock news informs you of another mass shooting, many blame the gun for the crime.
I applied for a concealed carry permit at the end of October of this year, and plan on receiving it by the end of December this year. I had to fill out and answer a six page application form, as well as give a passport quality photo of myself, give authorization to the state to view any mental health records I have (or don’t have, in my case), and provide the certificate proving I had taken and passed an eight hour course on NC handgun law and shooting proficiency. It was an extensive application, and completing the handgun safety course cost money in addition to the application fee for the actual permit. I plan on using it as much as I can, though being a full time college student severely impacts that wish. At the time of this writing concealed carry on a college campus in North Carolina is illegal. As a result I will only carry a concealed handgun when off campus, which is extremely annoying. Someone wishing to do harm to others will not heed this law, meaning that simply because I choose to comply with the law I am automatically at a disadvantage.
I carry a pocketknife on my person at all times on campus, putting it in my pocket even before my cellphone or wallet. I am the person who can guarantee my safety at any given time, and being forced to be unarmed is vexing. I would love to see the ability to carry a concealed handgun happen in my college career, though I know that it is a slim chance. People may be frightened of fellow students carrying concealed handguns, asking ‘How do I know the good guys from the bad?’ That’s not an unreasonable question, but a misguided one. Is a person who is willing to pay the almost $130 it cost me to get my permit, as well as go through the trouble to take the handgun course AND file the paperwork going to then use the permit to smuggle a gun into an area to harm others? Possibly, because there are bad apples in every bunch, but for the most part concealed carriers are the safest and nicest people you can meet.
In conclusion of this inquiry topic, I am currently seeking information on joining the Students for Concealed Carry organization. The organization’s only chapter in North Carolina at the time of this writing is at Eastern Carolina University, so short of starting a chapter here at UNCC myself, my options are limited. I believe that carrying a concealed handgun in a safe manner is the best way to protect yourself, and that any law preventing a law-abiding citizen from carrying concealed is wrong. Id like to see the stigma of ‘guns kill people’ vanish completely, because I have been surrounded by guns since I was young; and have never nor will ever murder another human being.
Works Cited
Dr. John R. Lott, Jr. Did Colorado shooter single out Cinemark theater because it banned guns? 12 9 2012. 3 12 2014 <http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2012/09/10/did-colorado-shooter-single-out-cinemark-theater/>.
Grossman, Richard S. and Stephen A. Lee. "May Issue Versus Shall Issue: Explaining the Pattern of Concealed-Carry Handgun Laws, 1960-2001." Contemporary Economic Policy 26.2 (2008): 8.
Schildkraut, Jaclyn and Tiffany Cox Hernandez. "Laws That Bit The Bullet: A Review of Legislative Responses To School Shootings." American Journal of Criminal Justice 39.2 (2014): 18.
US Department of Justice. A Study of Active Shooter Incidents in the United States Between 2000 and 2013. Crime Report. US Department of Justice. District of Columbia: FBI, 2013.