Lourdes Vega
August 30, 2024
“With great power comes great responsibility”. The renowned Marvel says that applies not only to Peter Parker but also to us, American civilians. Having been granted the privilege of the Second Amendment, many have the right to keep and bear arms. Nonetheless, that same equality that allows almost everyone to own these firearms can turn in the blink of an eye into a lethal danger. I disagree with the legislature’s decision to adopt the constitutional carry because more often than not, many abuse of great power, and for such a sensitive concept, no one can be “unreasonably overly cautious”.
It is not the gun that causes deaths; instead, it's the intentions that the wielder harbors. No laws can restrict a person who possesses an arm to pull the trigger, yet there should be regulations like background checks that can avoid the penetration of a bullet hitting the wrong individual, a senior citizen, a young adult, or even an infant. According to the Washington Post article, On the brink of ‘permitless carry ' legislation, Texas is abandoning common sense on guns, it states, “More than 3,100 Texans are killed each year by gun violence, a statistic that has been on the rise since 1999. According to the Center for American Progress, 687 Texas women were shot and killed by a domestic partner between 2007 and 2016. And since 2015, some 200 Texas children have accidentally shot someone with an unsecured firearm — almost half of them fatally.” If we narrow down the statistics to children, that is 200 children yearly in 2015, we are in 2024 now, and there has been an increase in the fatality rate in recent years caused by school shootings. I will admit that each had their unique circumstances, yet the fact remains that the constitutional carry law came into effect in 2021, and these unfortunate events only became more common after its implementation. As reported by the US News article, School shootings by state, just in 2023, there had been 346 reported school shootings nationwide, with Texas accounting for 23 of them, having the most casualties. With that being said, a connection can be made. To further illustrate, The Washington Post article, On the brink of ‘permitless carry' legislation, Texas is abandoning common sense on guns, states, “This bill, to me, is a restoration of the belief in and trust of our citizens,” Republican state Sen. Charles Schwertner said Wednesday.” Trust is not simply gifted, especially within this context; trust is earned, and that can be easily obtained with training classes that teach how to wield the double-edged sword that the gun is. If no permit or license needs to be granted for a tool such as an arm that shoots deadly bullets, then shouldn't that same standard be applied to the driving of a motor vehicle? Although the two scenarios have their differences, they have the same circumstances; each can cause lethal repercussions, and each can have a beneficial effect. To drive to school or even to protect the family, to get a license or to get a gun permit, and finally, to get a driving license or to take classes to handle a gun.
At the end of it all, the same logic and precaution should be applied to all privileges. Trust is earned, and then the power is granted, which consequently comes with responsibilities of the same degree. The duty to take classes to learn how to wield a gun, the willingness for a background check, and finally the license and permit that certifies a person to prove all the morally correct work that has been completed.
Work Cited
Provencher, Donna. “On the Brink of ‘Permitless Carry’ Legislation, Texas Is Abandoning Common Sense on Guns.” The Washington Post, 7 May 2021,
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/05/07/brink-permitless-carry-legislation-texas-is-abandoning-common-sense-guns/
“School Shootings by State | Best States | U.S. News.” News, Rankings and Analysis on Politics, Education, Healthcare and More, 17 December 2024, https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/articles/states-with-the-most-school-shootings.