Carrying concealed weapons, or CCW, has long been recognized as a source of public danger in communities. Though some states require good cause or safety training for a citizen to obtain a CCW permit, the gun lobby has recently made it a priority to push through harmful legislation that rolls back this important and lifesaving regulation, either by weakening existing permitting systems or not requiring permits at all to carry hidden, loaded guns in public places.

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Weak laws regulating the carrying of concealed weapons have also been linked to increased gun trafficking. According to a September 2010 report by Mayors Against Illegal Guns, laws that deprive law enforcement of discretion regarding the issuance of concealed carry permits are the source of crime guns recovered in other states at more than twice the rate of states that grant law enforcement such discretion.

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False Gun Lobby Claims

Claims that permissive CCW laws lead to decreases in crime—by helping permit holders fight off criminals and sending the message to would-be attackers that any potential victim might be packing heat—are simply untrue. On the contrary, CCW permit holders actually threaten public safety, even when they may be trying to assist in a dangerous situation. During the 2011 Tucson shooting, for example—where the shooter killed six people and injured 14 others, including Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords—an individual carrying a concealed weapon almost drew his gun against a man who had wrestled the shooter’s gun away, thinking erroneously that the man was actually the shooter.

No credible statistical evidence exists to show that permissive CCW laws reduce crime. In fact, the evidence suggests that permissive CCW laws increase the frequency of violent crimes like assault. A 2017 study by Stanford University researchers estimated that adoption of weak ‘shall issue’ permitting laws were associated with a 13-15 percent increase in violent crime rates after 10 years. This research confirms that allowing more guns in public crowds and streets creates more opportunities for injury and death, not fewer.

https://giffords.org/

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