Growing up in a rural area, life is lived just a little bit differently, and this includes the use of firearms. It's nothing unusual for men to carry at least one gun in their trucks, and for everybody and their brother to hunt whether it be deer, turkeys, coyotes, etc. So this being said, I grew up with guns being an everyday part of life, and was taught at a young age how to properly and when or when not to use a gun.
Now while doing my homework the other night, I came across a news article talking about Missouri's Firearm Conceal and Carry law. Many members of my family have a conceal and carry permit, and I planned on getting mine as well until I came across this new piece of information. Missouri will not require a conceal and carry permit anymore to carry a concealed weapon, whereas before a person would have to take and pass a training in order to receive a permit to carry a concealed weapon.
Obviously this new law is going to cause controversy. Gun violence in America is already a hot topic, and this is fueling the fire. Being a supporter of the Second Amendment, I have no issue with firearms or concealing and carrying a weapon. Now I have the right to carry without taking the class and getting a permit. For me, this is no big deal.
But, I have one little issue... not everyone was born with a father who made sure they were well educated about gun safety. Not everyone has been hunting or shooting sport such as skeet since they were young. Not everyone knows not every instance is the right time to pull out your gun and "save the day." These are the reasons I'm not quite sure if I support this new law.
There's roughly 322 million people in the United States and unfortunately, not all of them are good. This country has gone crazy about gun control over the horrific mass shootings that have occurred within recent years. But here's the thing, guns don't make bad decisions, people do. You cannot punish a material object for the actions or thoughts of an evil human being.
This being said, the logical solution would be to keep guns out of the hands of these people. Keeping guns away from the wrong hands will never work with a non existent conceal and carry permit law. The new law does not just prohibit the prevention of the "bad guys" from getting their hands on guns more easily than they already do. It allows those who have not received a proper firearm safety education and training to handle a firearm and maybe even try and take the law into their own hands.
As a concerned Missourian, I am afraid more unnecessary accidents or God forbid deaths, will occur due to the lack of education this new stance on firearm conceal and carry does not require. I am a proud supporter of the Second Amendment, but I am not a proud supporter of uneducated firearm users.
