Brett Mellin’s theory in Concealed weapons permits allow for safe environment (SN 9/2), if carried into effect, would alienate people from each other due to the fear it brings and place everyone in serious danger. Being human, we often run on our emotions. When that’s the case, instead of solving our problems with words or sadly — in some cases with fists — now we will seek the easy, irrational relief of using guns and having to regret it afterward.
As for Mellin’s statistics of Washington, D.C., and many other high-crime areas, the issues there are the worsening economy and most of all the lack of interest from the government in the form of necessary funds to the police and programs to improve neglected areas. When comparing the U.S. to all the gun-banning industrialized countries around the world, all of their gun-related crimes — and crimes in general — put together would be fewer than similar crimes in the U.S.
