Guns have as much capacity to save lives as they do to harm them. Many citizens think that people who have guns are dangerous. However, firearm violence is triggered not by the weapon, but the delirious people who use them for gruesome violence. The U.S. should allow more citizens to carry firearms in public places because those who have guns carry the means of protecting themselves and those around them.

If the social stigma of carrying guns in public was lessened then people would be able to protect themselves more. Citizens who are able to carry guns in public have a higher possibility to stop violent acts such as rape or robbery, according to www.medscape.com, because they have the knowledge and training. Crime rates in 2000 dropped when citizens were allowed to carry guns in public, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Moreover, homicide and other violent crimes have dropped in Chicago and other countries by 22% says washingtontimes.com. When people are able to bring guns out in public and can use the weapon properly, the chance of their demise will drop because they can protect themselves from dangerous situations and prevent any harm that could come to them.

If teachers were able to bring a concealed gun to school, many violent acts could come to an end quickly since there will be many teachers with firearms. There are not a lot of schools like Claremont where a police officer can come by and watch over the school. In other states, police are not close by and it takes time for them to respond to a situation and in that amount of time the assailant could already accomplish their goals of destruction, according to usnews.com. For example, in a school district in northern Texas, school teachers are allowed to carry guns because police response times are slow and continuous checkups are almost impossible, according to homicidecenter.org. Since teachers have had the ability to protect themselves and students, the crime rate in that Texas school district has not made it to the top ten for most crimes, according to huffingtonpost.com.

Some argue that those who carry guns usually do not know how to use them properly and stress about the mental health issues of some people. The dangers of having a firearm include harming oneself and other innocent people in the area. And some gun owners have been noted to accidentally kill people in a misfire, so people believe that guns are not to be trusted and want them banned. However, according to the Christian Science Monitor, less than 1% of deaths happen from accidental shooting. Since mental health issues were involved in the shootings across the nation, many people are concerned about the mental state of gun owners. But the most important problem is that gun owners lack the responsibility of keeping their guns safe and away from other people. Before being issued guns, citizens should go through a training process for keeping their guns safe. And police departments should create a squad of reliable officers to make a monthly check up of licensed gun owners, making sure that their weapons are secured and are only accessible to the owner.

In light of recent events with public and domestic attacks, for example, when a man with a knife jumped over the White House fence and managed to get inside the most secured building in the country, people are concerned about their safety. This incident shows that those who only rely on security and police, but not themselves, are in danger. Police give people reassurance, but when it comes to depending on someone, it should be yourself. Having guns and knowing how to shoot them is the best defense that a person in the U.S. can have.