The Dec. 24 News Tribune featured an Associated Press story on the National Park concealed-carry firearm rule change, which affects northern Minnesota's Voyageurs National Park. Some current and retired Park Service employees stated they feared the "impulse killing" of wildlife and the possible danger to humans.
Here's the tired old Chicken Little theory dusted off and displayed every time a citizen's natural right to self defense is enhanced by advancing concealed-carry laws. Yet the sky has not fallen. Nearly all 50 states have now passed concealed-carry laws and none have repealed the laws. Some date back to the 1800s, indicating a high level of satisfaction.
The logic is simple. Theconcealed-carry population is selected from the least impulsive segment of society, those lacking criminal records. Having jumped through the extensive hoops of background checks and usually having to attend training classes, recipients of the concealed-carry certificate do not take their certified status lightly. If they had not broken any laws before obtaining the permit, they are even less likely to do so afterward. On top of all the other societal disincentives to lawbreaking, they now have the threat of losing their valued concealed-carry permit should they offend the law. And it is a valued asset.
My observation is that the concealed-carry permit holders tend toward the graying part of the age spectrum. They're usually males, but a growing number are women who have passed their physical prime and who feel vulnerable in these increasingly tumultuous times. Many now report feeling less vulnerable. "Refuse to be a victim" is how it's sometimes summarized. If given a choice, I'd seek out a concealed-carry permit holder to camp next to and sleep better for it.
KEN LINDBERG
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