I’m a Responsible Gun Owner? Seriously? -- I had never handled a weapon before I went to obtain certification that would allow me to carry a concealed Glock on campus. Not to worry. After little training and a 10 minute test, Texas considered me ready to carry a gun.

These two points are items the for and opposition talk over each other without listening to each other. Gun rights activist want to argue that their owning guns isn't a problem because they are essentially good law following citizens. Gun opponents aren't arguing that point most of the time. Their concern is the negligent behavior of gun activists.

You see from the article about CHL and no impact on crime that owning or not doesn't change criminal behavior. Maybe it changes the impact or likelyhood of victimization, but for every story of someone defending themselves with a gun there is probably one of a person getting killed with their own gun (sometimes by their two year old kid). Or, even worst, harming someone else incidentally.

Then there is this: http://www.shootingtracker.com/wiki/Mass_Shootings_in_2015

I'm going to go out on a limb and say most of those guns were legally purchased. Opponents just don't believe that giving everyone a gun solves this problem. Quite the opposite, they believe gun proliferation is the root of the problem. They aren't attacking CHL holders as a class. They are attacking gun ownership entirely, most of the time.

So, now that you understand the concern you can stop responding with the CHL holders are good people...you know, road to hell / good intentions and all. If you honestly want to change people's minds, you'll have to address the concerns about gun related violence. If you just want to sit at you computer and poke holes in other people's comments, they wrote while taking a shit, then please by all means continue.

/r/texas Thread Parent Link - nytimes.com