Handgun Licenses

Austin American-Statesman -- Sun. Sept. 1, 2013
Category: Gun control
Level: State
This article is concerning an enacted policy.

Impact on individuals/families:
Easier renewal processes and shortened training hours required to obtain or renew a concealed handgun license could lead to lessened gun safety knowledge. The reduction in required training could negatively impact families and their general safety.

My views on the policy/issue:
"Guns don't kill people, people kill people."
I believe this statement to be true, however, I also believe that people should be required to take the necessary classes and training to be safe and knowledgable gun carriers/owners. The issue here is not that training should be required, because it is. The issue is that the training requirements are being reduced, and in a world where people act irresponsibly and accidents happen, I don't see much of a benefit from reducing the training required of those seeking to obtain or renew a concealed handgun license. If we reduce the requirements, we are increasing the chances that a gun will be mishandled or used in an irresponsible manner. Accidents happen all the time; children get ahold of unsecured weapons, misfires occur, people obtain gunshot wounds while cleaning their weapons. Just recently, a gun went off in the backpack of a kindergartener. All of these incidents and more occurred while training hours were set at 10-15 hours, what are the benefits of setting training hours at 4-6 hours? It is impossible to prevent all accidents, but doesn't having more knowledge combat at least some of those accidents?
This very directly affects individuals and families in that we all become more vulnerable. The easier it becomes to obtain a gun and a carrying license, the more likely it is that people will not take it as seriously, leaving more room for accidents and mistakes as well as a desensitized feeling about weapons.