A majority of Americans, 56%, believe that if more Americans carried concealed weapons after passing a criminal background check and training course, the country would be safer.
These results are from Gallup's annual Crime poll conducted Oct. 7-11. In the wake of mass shootings at schools and other public places, some have argued that the shootings could have been stopped if any of the victims had carried weapons. Others argue that having more citizens carrying weapons can lead to more violence and accidental shooting.
To recap, concealed carry is now the majority position of Americans. Even women want concealed carry, 50-45%, and people who live in big cities approve, 50-47%. Americans under 30 overwhelmingly believe concealed carry will make America safer by a 2-to-1 margin. All other age groups agree with that by majority numbers. Even half of people who don't own guns believe more concealed carry will make us safer.
The only groups that don't think this is a good idea? Democrats and postgraduates. And even a third of those groups think more concealed carry will make us safer.
Americans also want background checks for all gun purchases, 86-12%...but that of course only serves to make sure that concealed carry licenses are given to those who qualify.
And that's where we're heading, a society where gun ownership is greatly increased. The assumption is that guns will be even more prevalent, and that people need to be licensed and educated to own one in order to be considered a responsible citizen, the way we see ownership of a car today.
I often see the "If Guns were treated like Cars!" argument on the net. It's a good one.
It also means that guns are going to become a lot more acceptable in society very quickly, the way same-sex marriage has come to be acceptable in the last ten years. I foresee that kind of move happening, especially among younger Americans.
For better or worse. I think it will be worse.
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