Why do so many on DU seem to be against concealed carry? [View all]

[justanidea]

First and foremost, I don't mean this thread to be a snarky callout. I am genuinely curious as to why some here on DU seem so opposed to concealed carry.

Full disclaimer: I have a license to carry here in Pennsylvania. I do carry from time to time.

49 out of 50 states allow concealed carry. There are about 6-8 million active concealed carry licenses in the U.S. Most states require some sort of firearms safety course and background check prior to being given a license.

Now I am not one of those who think concealed carry will solve all societies ills. I do not think that every mass shooting can be resolved by some hero with a gun. I do not think that if you just give everyone a gun, we will live in a peaceful utopia. That is a silly position to have. However I do believe that if a person wishes to carry a firearm for self protection, they should be able to.

Several states keep stats on their license holders. Texas has carry laws typical of most of the states. Each year the publish an annual report on crimes committed by license holders. They include a wide range of crimes in their report, not just ones that involve firearms. In 2011 there were over 500,000 active carry licenses. A total of 101 crimes were committed by license holders. Even if we assume each crime was committed by a different license holder, that still means the percentage of license holders committing crime is about 0.02%

Now can I go to google and look up some rare cases of license holders doing wrong? Sure. I can read about a guy who shot his own dick off, or a guy who left his gun on the toilet at Walmart, or read about Zimmerman.

The fact remains however that these cases are the exception, not the rule.

If anything one reason to be ok with concealed carry is the fact that license holders rarely abuse their right to carry. The number of folks who safely and properly exercise their right to carry vastly outweighs the number of those who abuse that right.

So why do so many on DU seem to be against it? Some are adamant about concealed carry, insisting it is a scourge upon society. Others just calmly list it as something that needs to be done away with, with no explanation given.

So to those who oppose concealed carry: I ask why.