Concealed carry

The Pioneer Press had a story today looking back at the effects of the concealed carry law (story here). All in all, this law has had little impact on anything. Far fewer people than expected applied for permits, and not everybody is even carrying when permits are granted. Neither side has been vindicated.

I always found this debate tiresome. Personally, I see no need to carry a firearm, even though I live in the 'hood. I have never been in a situation where a gun would have helped, nor can I imagine ever being in a situation. If somebody wants to mug me or assault me, they are going to do it regardless of whether I have a gun or not. I don't think I have been deprogrammed to an extent where I could shoot to kill another human being, so why bother trying? So I really didn't care that this law was passed. I knew the status quo would remain for the most part. That said, the law could still use some tweaking. People who have been convicted of domestic assault or other crimes of violence (including DUI) should not be granted a permit. Let the law-abiding citizens who believe this will do them some good carry; it's mostly harmless. It's not harmless when people with past records of idiocy are granted permits.