Op-Ed: Gun Control Does Not Stop Violence

By Matthew Thomas Gross
The (OSU) Sentinel

Everybody's first reaction to the massacre at Virginia Tech was one of shock and sorrow, but, for some, what followed that initial reaction was an angry and ridiculous call for more gun-control. If you, dear reader, were one such person, who believes that tragedies like the one at Virginia Tech would be stopped by taking guns out of civilians' hands, you need to think again.

...You may be personally against carrying a weapon, and perhaps you even think the police are sufficient enough to protect you, but some of us do not agree. Some of us aren't willing to be murdered, raped, and robbed. Some of us know that calling 9-1-1 won't save us. Some of us are aware that pepper-spray, knives, and other inferior forms of defense have atrocious failure rates, and that pistols are the only effective way to increase our chance of successfully defending ourselves. Some of us don't want our families to suffer eternal anguish because they lost us to a senseless act of violence. Some of us refuse to be victims.

If you think for some reason that concealed carry on campus, or any other place for that matter, would lead to Wild West shoot outs and blood running in the streets; think again. Studies from the Independence Institute and the Hoover Institute suggest that concealed carry permit holders are 840 times less likely to commit a crime than a randomly selected non-permit holder and 300 times less likely to commit a gun crime than a non-permit holder.

And remember, in order to obtain a license to carry a concealed weapon, one must undergo an FBI background check, have never been convicted of a felony, and receive firearms training. In short, the last person you should be afraid if is somebody with a concealed carry permit.

You may think that civilians with concealed weapons violate your "right to feel safe," but the fact is that you are safer when good people are able to arm themselves.

Click here to read the entire op-ed in The (OSU) Sentinel.