Kori Vaudrin

Karina Desai
Mrs. Henry
4th Period Service Learning
15 March 2016
Concealed Weapons Should Be Illegal To Carry
Con: Concealed weapons should be illegal to carry.
Opening Statement: (3 min)
KARINA
Our three main points are that permitting concealed handguns increases crime, it encourages
criminals to carry guns, and carrying hidden, loaded handguns in public create unnecessary
risks of intentional or accidental shootings. According to the Law Center to Prevent Gun
Violence, "members of the public who carry guns risk escalating everyday disagreements into
public shootouts, especially in places where disputes frequently occurin bars, at sporting
events, or in traffic."With concealed-carry laws, criminals could be more inclined to pack heat
and be quicker to shoot. Permissive concealed carry laws violate the shared expectation that
public places will be safe environments free from guns and gun violence. An Apr. 2010 poll of
registered voters across the United States found that 57% feel less safe after learning that
concealed guns may lawfully be carried in public.
Argument #1: (2 min) 1st Rebuttal
Permitting concealed handguns increases crime.
http://concealedguns.procon.org/

KORI

Example #1: States that passed "shall-issue" laws between 1977 and 2010 had a
2% or more increase in the murder rate, and at least 9% increase in rates of rape,
aggravated assault, robbery, auto theft, burglary, and larceny.
Example #2: According to a Texan study, Americans own more than 300 million
firearms- almost one gun per person. When you contextualize these figures, it is easy to
see why the shooting at Roseburg happened so easily; and why a mass shooting is no
longer a rare occurrence. Our society is oversaturated with guns.

Example #3: Between May 2007 and Mar. 11, 2014, at least 14 law enforcement
officers and 622 other people were killed nationally by private individuals legally allowed
to carry concealed handguns.

Argument #2: (2 min) 2nd Rebuttal

KARINA
Concealed carry encourages criminals to carry guns.
http://connectusfund.org/8-significant-pros-and-cons-of-concealed-carry
Example #1: Criminals will always have guns at one point or another, but one of
the reasons that they bear arms is to protect themselves from potential victims who are
also armed. A survey conducted by the Political and Social Research, with incarcerated
felons as respondents, showed that 75% of criminals carry a gun because of the
possibility that a victim is also armed.

Example #2: It is obvious conceal and carry does not protect the carriers or stop
bad guys, unless you consider Trayvon Martin a bad guy. But there is a more deadly
side to conceal carry. Since 2007, conceal carriers have been responsible for 494 U.S.
civilian deaths, 23 mass shootings and the death of 14 law enforcement officers,
according to data compiled by the Violence Policy Institute.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/martha-rosenberg/think-concealed-carry-makes_b_3479380.html
Example #3: The Concealed Carry Law is only good if responsible and lawabiding citizens receive the permits. But what are the guarantees that such individuals
will continue to abide by the law under all and any circumstances. But the worst thing
that can happen is when people with malicious and criminal intent are given the right to
carry handguns.

Argument #3: (3 min) Open Forum

Example #1: The crime rate in America has gone down in recent years. KORI
Commentary: According to Stanford research, researchers have found that the right to
carry has increased aggravated assault in the U.S. and crime has risen by 8%. Stanford law
professor John J. Donohue III stated "The totality of the evidence based on educated judgments
about the best statistical models suggests that right-to-carry laws are associated with
substantially higher rates" of aggravated assault, rape, robbery and murder.
http://news.stanford.edu/news/2014/november/donohue-guns-study-111414.html

Example #2: Law abiding citizens have the right to protect themselves.
KORI
Commentary: There are a lot of people in America that actually do not have a lot of
common sense. Do we really want to have a bunch of hotheads running around in society with
concealed weapons? No. People will start to think that because they are allowed to carry a gun
with them, they have to be heros. Whenever people start to act like they are heroes, thats when
things are very likely to go wrong. They will be looking for trouble and the so called decreased
crime rate will definitely shift and increase. People do have the right to protect themselves, but

they can use things such as pepper spray, tasers, pocket knives, and batons. This will protect
people and anytime they are facing criminals, they should call the police who are always willing
to come to their rescue.
Example #3: The right to carry concealed guns is guaranteed by the second
amendment of the Constitution.
KORI
Commentary: Second Amendment rights have limits. The entire Second Amendment
states: "a well regulated Militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right
of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed." It does not mention
concealed handguns.

Closing Statement: (2 min)

KARINA
Public safety should be left to professionally qualified police officers, not private citizens with
little or no expert training. Some states, such as Georgia and Maryland, do not require any
training before receiving a concealed carry permit. Concealed carry should be illegal because it
increases crime, turns confrontations into lethal incidents, and encourages criminals to carry
guns. Weapons that are concealed, as opposed to open carry, often result in injuries and
fatalities that would not have happened had the gun been obvious. That's because the
participants in the confrontation, argument, or fight may have increased the hostility level based
on the assumption that all that could happen would be a pushing match or fist-fight, and that
one party could always walk away. Instead, one party pulls out a hidden gun and tragedy
results.