Recently I had the opportunity to attend a corporate event. At the event I watched a presentation by a security expert about the issues facing corporate security. The individual referenced recent changes in gun laws, particularly in Arizona, which would increase the risk of workplace violence. The two laws passed by Arizona were one which eliminated the requirement to have a permit to carry concealed, and another which allows CCW holders to lock their firearm in their vehicle at work.
What the expert failed to mention however, is that it is illegal to carry a firearm concealed anywhere a firearm is prohibited, such as a school, post office, or voting place, and also any place that posts that concealed weapons are not allowed, such as a place of business or a bar or restaurant. Also, he failed to mention that it is illegal to have a firearm locked in your car at your place of business if the business specifically prohibits it. The simple fact is, the expert was wrong.
Just because Arizona changed their law does not increase the probability of violence. If the law were not changed, the pre-existing law would not be a deterrent to a person committed to causing harm. As it is, it is against the law to murder someone. But that does not always deter criminals from committing murder. Laws do not exist solely for the purpose of preventing crime, because no law can prevent crime if someone is committed to breaking it. Laws exist so that punishment can be metered out to those who break the law. The use of a firearm to commit a crime is a felony. So why do we need laws that deny law-abiding citizens the right to carry? We don’t. We all know that it is the criminal who breaks the law and the law-abiding citizen who obeys the law. So laws that take rights away from the law-abiding citizen only harm the law-abiding citizen and do nothing to the criminal.
Extremus
