Legislators in half a dozen states, including Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, Indiana, and Nebraska, are considering measures to roll back requirements that gun owners obtain permits and training before carrying concealed weapon despite new and increasingly vocal opposition from law enforcement organizations who say allowing more people to carry weapons would add to an already-troubling spike in gun crimes, reports The Hill. Gun safety groups point to studies published in academic journals and by the National Bureau of Economic Research that show states that weaken firearm permitting systems subsequently experience an increase in homicide and violent crime rates.
Gun rights supporters point to their own studies to make the case that guns are most frequently used outside the home, with an NRA spokesperson highlighting a study showing three-quarters of defensive gun uses occurred outside of a gun owner’s house. “It is going to promote lawlessness. I think that there will be people who carry weapons concealed for the purpose of being vigilantes. I think that it is not very well thought out for very high populated counties such as Hamilton County,” Hamilton County (Ohio) Sheriff Charmaine McGuffey said in an interview. “To vote for people to be able to concealed carry without a license, without any training, without any documentation, it makes it exponentially harder for law enforcement to prevent gun crimes.”