Guns and Crime

This morning in the Tampa Tribune I read a letter to the editor, which stated that because Floridians are allowed to carry a concealed weapon on their persons, crime has been substantially reduced in the state of Florida. I don't know where the writer got his statistics; actually, there were no quoted statistics, just this bold statement. If this is true, I don't understand how legally carrying a gun in your pocket helps decrease crime. Do we have extremely timid criminals in Florida? Do they tremble at the thought that maybe everyone they see over the age of 25 is carrying a gun that might kill or wound them? Does this make the bad guys second guess their decision to rob, rape and hijack?

I'm not against someone with a permit wanting to carry a concealed weapon nor am I an NRA/Second Amendment proponent of arming every citizen. But to say that everyday people packing concealed weapons is the reason for decreased crime is just too outrageous. The writer is basically negating the vital work of each community's police force, as well as community leadership, intervention programs for kids-at-risk, and the many citizens who participate in neighborhood watch operations.

I hope the 729,000 Floridians with concealed weapons (the letter writer's lone statistic) are willing to kill if they decide to pull their gun from a jacket pocket or a handbag...because a long time ago a police officer told me that you should never pull a gun on a perpetrator unless you're willing to kill him.