Blog Stage 6: Comment on a Colleague's Work #1

Commentary on Emily Ward's The Lack of Logic Behind HB 375- Commentary 

I think there are some great points being stated here. The argument in this blog is against supporters of The Texas House Bill 375, also known as the "Constitutional Carry Act".

In her first paragraph, Emily points out the irony of gun-rights activists unwilling to pay a fee because this fee pales in comparison to the cost of hundreds or even thousands of dollars for the gun itself. She goes on to point out that those who carry guns claim that they are for self protection and simply because it is their right. Her counterargument to this is that this bill will create a rise in gun owners, which could potentially increase the level of danger. I completely agree with all of this. 140$ and 70$ for getting and keeping a license really isn't that much if we compare them with the actual prices of guns. I also think having a license for a gun is pretty important. It is sort of like having a driver's license, so it shows others that you know how to properly handle these things. House Bill 375 loses the need to have a license when carrying a handgun, so I definitely think it will create some unease.

Emily states that "if this amendment was formed in the modern day I would assume tragedies like school shootings, accidental gun deaths and mass shootings would be taken into consideration". This is in my opinion the best argument here. The right to bear arms (2nd amendment of The Constitution) was created in the late 1700s . The 1700s! A time when things like muskets existed and were considered to be extremely inaccurate and inefficient. Compare those sort of weaponry to what we have today, and we are sure to see a massive difference. Back then, it took a long time to shoot and reload 1 shot. Now, we shoot multiple bullets in mere seconds. The fact that these weapons have become deadlier means that like the blog says, things like mass shootings have become more common, so we really need to take a look at how these laws were formed. I think what Emily believes is that we simply cannot follow something that is in a sense outdated.

The last paragraph talks about what would happen when certain aspects of a gun license are lost. She believes that there could be "handgun carriers as young as 18" because without the license from House Bill 375, the 21 year old age requirement  wouldn't apply anymore. This is an interesting point that I never considered, but after reading got me thinking. Even though people who go to college (ages 18+) are legally adults, I would still consider them adolescent and naive, so I also wouldn't exactly feel safe if they were allowed to carry weapons on campus.

Ultimately, I agree with everything that is stated in this blog post. It seems that the argument here is against House Bill 375 (Constitutional Carry), talking about the potential dangers of allowing open carry without a license. Emily believes that there should at least be some compromise with this bill, and I think this post does a great job in expressing her concerns for safety.