Questioning the safety of concealed firearms

I was thinking about guns and how I do not believe the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution protects a person’s right to own an assault rifle anymore than the First Amendment protects a person’s right to make a fake bomb threat. This line of thinking led me to question my support of concealed hand gun permits. I have always believed that this is a right for people who pass background checks and was planning on getting one myself, but then it occurred to me: what about my right to keep my family clear from guns?

I do not believe that because a law-abiding citizen is packing a concealed weapon in a restaurant I am eating at with my family that we are any safer from a perpetrator that comes in to do harm, perhaps just the opposite. Having a concealed gun permit does not in anyway mean that said person with the legally concealed gun is capable of using the weapon safely and effectively. However, it does mean that I have no knowledge of whether my family is around guns or not and I believe strongly that my right to keep my family clear from guns outweighs another person’s right to legally carry a gun in close proximity to my family without my knowledge.

I completely understand the argument against my thoughts, but I no longer know if I agree with it anymore, and I know that the right to carry a concealed weapon in public may be the price of freedom, but I no longer know if I am willing to pay that price anymore.

Cris Larson

Everett