Over the past decade the issue of gun control has been a hot topic. The ability to own a
gun is considered by some a birthright of Americans. However, with crime rates
involving handguns rising each day it has become quite clear. Handgun laws must
become more stricter in order to reduce homicide and crime.
Danial Blackman is one example of a dangerous man who was allowed to carry a
concealed weapon despite prior criminal behavior. In February 1996, the former
candidate for judge in Broward County, Florida, threatened to put three bullets in the
head of a meter maid who had written him a ticket, behavior that should have prevented
him from carrying a concealed handgun but did not. Though he was arrested, Blackman
was not convicted of a crime because he agreed to seek psychological treatment A year
later, Blackman was arrested again, this time for pulling a gun on an emergency-room
doctor who refused to write him a prescription. Only then was his gun license revoked.
In states with lax carry concealed weapons (CCW) laws, hundreds of people with
licenses have committed crimes both before and after their licensure. For example, in
Texas, which weakened it's CCW law in 1996m, the Department of Public Safety
reported that felony and misdemeanor cases involving permit holders rose 54.4 percent
between 1996 and 1997. Charges filed against Texas CCW holders included kidnapping,
sexual assault, aggravate4d assault with a deadly weapon, illegal drug possession and
sales, drunk driving, and impersonating a police officer. Clearly, the Texas Background
Check does not ensure that everyone who receives a CCW license is a responsible or
From Texas to Illinois and California to Delaware, law enforcement officials have
led the charge against this dangerous liberalization because they know that more guns
will only lead to more violence. Thanks to the efforts of our men and women and
...