The argument over the right to bear arms, and the requirement in society to control guns, has reached the highest point since the incident at Columbine High. There has been shock over the mass shootings. In the cities, there is intense disappointment and sorrow at the mutual killing among teenagers tied to the drug trade.
In this paper I will discuss opposing views from Douglas Weil's, "Legalizing Concealed Weapons Does Not Make Society Safer" viewpoint, and from Don B. Kates' "Legalizing Concealed Weapons Make Society Safer" viewpoint. Douglas Weil is research director at the Center to Prevent Handgun Violence and Don B. Kates is a criminological policy analyst with the Pacific Research Institute in San Francisco.
Following my syllabus directions, I will cite two facts presented by each author. I will begin with Douglas Weil. "On September 10, 1997, five men licensed to carry concealed handguns got into a fight outside a Pittsburgh saloon after exchanging hostile looks.
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Natasha Bedingfield, The Veronicas, Kate Voegele!
John LottAll of the men fired their weapons and ended up in the hospital." (Weil 1) he added, "Earlier this year in Indianapolis, two women were unintentionally shot when a concealed handgun fell out of a man's pocket at a crowded Planet Hollywood restaurant." (Weil 1)
Next I will cite two facts presented by Don B. Kates. "On April 3, 1984, three Arab terrorists trying to machine gun a Jerusalem crowd killed only one victim before being shot down by Israeli civilians. The next day, the surviving terrorist said his group had planned to gun down other crowds of shoppers, leaving before police could arrive. They had not known that Israeli civilians were armed." (Kates, Legalizing 2) "On July 18, 1984, an unemployed security guard shot 31 unarmed adults and children in a San Sedro, California, McDonald's, before being killed by...