Florida should not loosen gun laws

[HAB911]

http://www.tampabay.com/opinion/columns/column-florida-should-not-loosen-gun-laws/2309109

As 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]

1. I'm betting the Stanford University study

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]

2. If it saves just one life....amirite?

Last edited Fri Jan 13, 2017, 02:22 PM - Edit history (1)

I shall always be Progressive on the 2A.

[yagotme]

3. That was the old banner argument, wasn't it.

"If it saves one life". Progressiveness on the 2nd Amendment is obviously saving some lives, therefore...

[jmg257]

4. So anti-gun authors/activists can promote their opinions and agendas, as much as the gun lobby

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.

Thomas Gabor is a criminologist based in Palm Beach County and is the author of "Confronting Gun Violence in America." Patricia Brigham is the co-chair of the Florida Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence and first vice president of the League of Women Voters of Florida.

A small gun control organization, using the Pulse nightclub mass killing as a call to action, is making the long-shot attempt at bringing a ban on some semi-automatic firearms and their magazines to Florida....Terming themselves the Florida Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence...they have two stated legislative goals: bring universal background checks and a statewide ban on “all semiautomatic assault weapons and large-capacity feeding devices” to Florida...In the past, Brigham has been all over the state, pushing expanded background checks, campaigning against open carry and campus carry and even visiting firearms dealers in the Sunshine State to make sure that the businesses have signage that is required by law

http://www.guns.com/2016/10/11/group-pushes-for-assault-weapon-ban-in-florida/

Confronting Gun Violence in America explores solutions to the gun violence problem in America, a country where 90 people die from gunshot wounds every day. The wide-range of solutions assessed include: a national gun licensing system; universal background checks; a ban on military-style weapons; better regulatory oversight of the gun industry; the use of technologies, such as the personalization of weapons; child access prevention; repealing laws that encourage violence; changing violent norms; preventing retaliatory violence; and strategies to rebuild American communities.

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.