By: José Niño

Is Constitutional Carry a dangerous policy?

Constitutional Carry refers to the idea of lawful individuals being allowed to carry a firearm without a permit. Basically, it’s what the Second Amendment stipulates. Alas, virtually all governing bodies have deviated from this standard in the last century.

But as long as red-blooded Americans are willing to fight back, these lost liberties can be restored. Constitutional Carry’s success over the past two decades showcases how Americans are far from giving up in their fight to restore the Second Amendment. Ever since Alaska passed Constitutional Carry in 2003, 15 other states have joined in passing this legislation. This marks one of the Second Amendment movement’s most dynamic success stories. And it’s the product of pure grassroots work.

Most individuals not acquainted with the concept will inquire about the safety effects of Constitutional Carry. After all, many people were on the fence with Constitutional Carry’s predecessor — licensed carry — throughout the 80s and 90s. There were several concerns about laxer gun laws potentially causing a rise in crime. With time, however, these fears have largely been allayed as it has become clear that relaxed gun laws do not make crime skyrocket.

In fact, quite the opposite has occurred. America has experienced declining crime rates across the board in the last 50 years and has maintained this trend even when gun ownership has increased and gun laws have been loosened. With Constitutional Carry now on the books in 16 states, many have wondered if this policy has had an effect on crime.

In a piece titled “Half Of America’s Safest Cities Are In Constitutional Carry States”, Cam Edwards of Bearing Arms revealed how cities in Constitutional Carry states are among the safest in the nation.

He drew from information on WalletHub that looked at over 180 cities and measured how safe they were. Of the 10 safest cities studied, five of them were located in Constitutional Carry states. The website factored in violent crime rates, law enforcement per capita, and other safety characteristics to determine which cities are among the safest in America.

The following 10 cities were ranked the safest by WalletHub:

  1. Columbia, Maryland
  2. South Burlington, Vermont
  3. Plano, Texas
  4. Nashua, New Hampshire
  5. Lewiston, Maine
  6. Burlington, Vermont
  7. Salem, Oregon
  8. Virginia Beach, Virginia
  9. Raleigh, North Carolina
  10. Gilbert, Arizona

Arizona, Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont all have Constitutional Carry. Texas and North Carolina are strong pro-Second Amendment states. Although crime is a complex subject, one cannot say definitively that gun control is the answer to stopping crime. According to WalletHub’s rankings, cities like Baltimore (155), Los Angeles (172), Newark (150), and Washington D.C (160). are ranked as some of the least safe cities of the 182 studied. More importantly, they’re situated in areas where there’s stiff gun control.

America has witnessed a notable change in gun policy in recent decades at the state level. All states have some form of licensed concealed carry legislation active, while some states have pushed the envelope by embracing Constitutional Carry. In light of more Americans having options to carry, there has not been a surge in crime as many fearmongers routinely predicted.

Perhaps having a lawful population that is able to arm itself and carry firearms is a cost-effective way of promoting public security. Too bad such a concept is lost upon busybody gun controllers.

José Niño is a freelance writer based in Austin, Texas. Sign up for his mailing list here. Contact him via Facebook, Twitter, or email him at [email protected]. Get his e-book, The 10 Myths of Gun Control, here.