On November 1, 2019, House Bill 2597 went into effect in Oklahoma, allowing residents free access to carry firearms with no training or permits at all, proving that you don’t need a 1982 Delorean to travel back to the wild west. The passing of this legislation put Oklahoma in the company of sixteen other states who also have Constitutional Carry laws for their residents. 

Do more relaxed gun laws help to make the world safer, or do these policies create an atmosphere conducive to violence within our fragile system? 

The bill allows Oklahoma residents the right to carry firearms openly or concealed on their person or in their vehicle. Previous rules identified settings where citizens could lawfully own and use a gun for self-defense at home or with a permit out in public. 

Many states issue concealed and Carry permits after residents have undergone required firearms training, a background check, and coursework. We’re all familiar with gun-slinging scenes from the fictional tales of days old when lawless individuals would take to the streets serving justice on their terms. 

Although fictionalized, these stories aren’t a far cry from the historical accuracies of the wild west, an area that predates the more structured and civilized system we’ve come to know and expect in modern America. With strong local and state governments and a federal government working to ensure the safety and well-being of United States citizens, arming civilians with zero training or wherewithal regarding weapons is a dangerous game that lends to fatal outcomes.

Constitutional Carry policies seem to take on a similar approach operating under the mindset that citizens are less likely to harm one another if everyone is armed, but that’s not precisely how violence works within our society. Everyday citizens are not equipped to make split-second, life-altering decisions. Most violent criminals are not likely to be thwarted by the potential of someone else having a gun. 

Statistics show that violent crime within the United States is on a downward trend year after year. If society was more dangerous than it was a decade ago, there might be an argument for an expanded law enforcement presence, but that’s not the case. 

Given all of that, the justification for arming untrained, undereducated Americans with dangerous weapons is not there. The potential adverse outcomes of accidental shootings, rash (negative) decisions in moments of fear, and possible last-minute crimes of passion outweigh any potential benefit of arming the general public. Citizens who wish to carry firearms in public need to be willing to be responsible enough to undergo the necessary training and education that it takes in order to safely do it.