Florida should not loosen gun laws

[HAB911]

http://www.tampabay.com/opinion/columns/column-florida-should-not-loosen-gun-laws/2309109

As Florida experiences another mass shooting — this time at Fort Lauderdale's airport — state legislators have introduced bills that would allow concealed weapon license-holders to carry handguns, both openly and concealed, into colleges and universities, public schools, local government meetings, airport terminals and legislative chambers. Supporters of these bills explain that these expansions of gun rights will be limited to individuals trained and licensed to carry firearms, and that the measures will enhance public safety.

We should not be reassured.

The evidence is growing that expanding the right to carry will compromise rather than enhance public safety. Stanford University researchers have found that right-to-carry laws "are associated with substantially higher rates of aggravated assault, rape, robbery and murder." An FBI study of active shooter incidents found that just 1 of 160 incidents was stopped by an armed civilian. In addition to research, recent experience tells us that right-to-carry laws can be perilous. Last summer, when five law enforcement officers were shot and killed in Dallas, police Chief David Brown said that policing where open carry is legal is "difficult at best." When multiple people are walking the streets exhibiting their guns during an active shooting, confusion as to who the perpetrator is may impede the response of officers and may endanger them and the armed civilians who happen to be in the area.

Still, the gun lobby continues to promote its agenda of permitting guns on campuses and at government meetings, disregarding the risks of verbal conflicts escalating into lethal ones. The risks don't end there: Guns on campus may increase the number of suicides, injuries due to accidental discharges and the theft of firearms.

The gun lobby argues that the training received by Florida licensees justifies the expansion of concealed and open carry into places like airports. In reality, the training required of authorized permit holders in Florida is seriously inadequate.