Juana Garcia/ The Cougar
Gov. Greg Abbott’s new permitless carry law should not happen due to the recent increase in mass shootings.
Despite the fact that mass shootings in the state of Texas have increased by 65 percent in 2021, Abbott has proposed that under permitless carry, any person the age of 21 or older can carry a handgun with them in public. This plan should not materialize in order to prevent more shootings.
The outline of permitless carry is simple: one can carry a handgun without a license in public in the state of Texas, as long as they are at least 21 years of age. In June 2021, Abbott signed the unlicensed carry bill, making it a law starting Sept.1.
This law will put so many of us in danger, considering it is already extremely easy to get a gun in this state.
We take the mentality that guns bring us freedom and that they are part of our identity to the extreme. With a society that prioritizes guns so much already, making unlicensed carry legal is unnecessary and poses a big safety risk.
Being able to carry an unlicensed handgun in public will only make it easier for gun violence to occur. Although there are many factors involved in gun violence, one of these factors is the leniency of gun laws, as states with relaxed gun laws are 15 percent more likely to experience gun violence. If one is allowed to carry an unlicensed gun in public, we risk losing more innocent lives to shootings, something our country is very familiar with.
Furthermore, men who own guns are 8 times more likely to commit suicide by shooting themselves. Guns give people more opportunities to hurt others and themselves, so they shouldn’t be able to get a gun super easily. Texas needs to make sure gun owners have good mental health for their own protection as well as others’.
According to a 2020 poll, more than 50 percent of Texans want stricter gun control. This plan is a step in the wrong direction and will only make our citizens feel more unsafe.
Humanity needs to become a bigger priority in this state. This means that stricter gun control is necessary. Our government should listen to its people and make them feel safe, rather than allowing a law as dangerous as permitless carry.
Sumera Siddiqi is a liberal studies freshman who can be reached at [email protected]
