Constitutional Carry is no requirement in a state to have a license to carry a gun.
I don’t like Constitutional Carry. I am a fierce gun rights advocate. I am a Life member of the NRA and have taught safety and shooting for over 25 years. I say this because I don’t want you to think I don’t care about gun laws. But as a gun “expert” (whatever that is), I feel that those that own a gun, or especially those who carry a gun, should be licensed. The licensing process does a couple things. It weeds out some with its background check. I think that is important although I don’t think we should have mandatory background checks for private sales. I know, that seems like a dichotomy, but that’s my stance. I have trained many people from all walks of life and backgrounds, one thing I have learned is that most people need gun training. There are those who arrogantly think they know enough, until an instructor gets them on a range. I can honestly say that I continue to learn. I have evolved in my beliefs about shooting. I’m not the same instructor I was when I finished the military small arms instructor’s course as a 25 year old. Many people who have guns are dangerous or careless with them. There is a plethora of You Tube videos out there to confirm my beliefs. I’m afraid if constitutional (con) carry becomes law in all states we will have a potential for many people with guns that they are not proficient with. With this carelessness comes a blasé attitude toward storage and handling. I’ve seen it many times. Someone is around me with a pistol and keeps muzzling me until I have to grab the barrel and physically move it to a safe direction. Or the person that picks up a gun and immediately puts their finger on the trigger. Just Google “007 James Bond poster.” You will see Roger Moore and Sean Connery holding a gun like a tough guy. Then you may notice that their finger is not straight. They have a finger on the trigger and all that tells me is that these actors who are supposed to be portraying someone experienced with guns have not done their homework. James Bond would never hold a gun that way! He is supposed to be the smooth, professional who knows what he is doing. Not an actor whose only exposure to a gun is posing for a picture holding a prop.
Constitutional Carry does nothing for our freedom except put inexperienced people out there with guns. I realize that some states “classes” for concealed weapons licenses are a joke, but that should change. I also think the cost of getting a license should not be prohibitive. Just like a driver’s license, you should be responsible with a potentially dangerous thing. Some think the government should stay completely out of the 2nd Amendment, but a minimal regulation is OK by me. The problem is that often laws are made without some expert advice. Some of the requirements for a CCL should take some training to learn. Many states have little to no requirements and others have information that is not needed to carry and use a gun.
I also feel that if you carry a gun you should receive additional training and practice. To encourage this the state could give a rebate on the cost of a license to lessen the financial burden of additional training and practice. The state could give some money to schools or instructors that train these citizens to offset the cost. It should be a little easier is all I’m saying. It should not be free, because it should cost a little and take effort to get and maintain this license. Practice is sorely lacking in all of this. I shudder to think what some of these people would do if they had to actually fire their weapon at a threat.
Carrying a gun is serious business and should be an endeavor that is entered into with thought and preparation. I won’t even talk about the implications of killing another human being and how lightly some think of that. It is an act that can ruin a person’s life legally, emotionally, and financially. But beside that, the actual being ready part is challenging. Most people would be responsible but they need incentive. They like the idea of having a gun for protection but aren’t really gun nuts. They would do what needs to be done if it were reasonable with their time and money. Let’s face it, it’s not cheap. You take an initial class ($100 to $150), then the license ($50 plus $20 for fingerprints). This is not including ammo and the cost of the gun. So if you add other training and ammunition costs, the average person is not as interested as they were initially. It can be easier. I mean if the state is getting involved anyway then maybe they should do it right!
I feel the same about open carry. I’m not sure what the point is. Just because you can? I don’t want good guys or bad guys to know I am armed. The first person to die in a serious bank robbery is the guard with the gun. He or she is clearly the biggest threat to the robber. I don’t want to get into a gun fight but I would like the element of surprise in certain situations. As a concealed carrier I rarely have surprise from a direct threat to me.
Training should be ongoing. There are so many great schools and great instructors out there. Find a good source of training and then also do it yourself. Go to the range. Learn safe dry fire. This is effective and requires little cost. Maybe some snap caps. But learn drills that are true to your defensive needs. There can be a lot of fluff out there.
As in all things on LDS Gunsite, this is truly only my opinion.
Semper Paratus
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