I'm almost entirely a very liberal Democrat, but gun laws are one place that I remain strictly right-wing on. I'm an avid shooter and gun owner, and I support concealed carry, self-defense, and defense of the home and property.
That said, I think we could do with some much stricter laws and punishments regarding firearm crimes. Especially when it comes to the illegal carrying of a concealed weapon, which is a charge that could be placed on many of the people who end up in "escalated arguments" like this one. Fact is, the people who will go through the time and effort to get a concealed carry license and learn how to properly use their gun (and especially the kind who will not take their weapon into a "gun free zone") are usually sensible and cautious enough not to draw their weapons and escalate an argument themselves.
I'm also really, really not comfortable with the "gun free zone" idea. If someone wants to actually cause harm with a weapon, they really don't give two shits about not being allowed to carry them into a restaurant or store. You can even find a testimony online (which I'll gladly provide should anyone ask) of a woman in a mass shooting at a restaurant during the 90s, who had attempted to fight off the shooter and protect her elderly parents but remembered that she had left her gun in the car because it was illegal to carry it into the restaurant. All she could do was hide or run.
Some would suggest that "gun free zones" should be maintained in areas like school campuses because of the supposed risk of arguments escalating into gun battles like it seems to be here. Well, first off we need WAY more information before we can decry this incident as two students with concealed carry permits ending up in a gun battle on campus. But what's preventing these arguments from occurring in places where they ARE allowed to carry their weapons?
