Questions answered by Lamar Paris, County Commissioner
The Q & A this week will be regarding the concealed gun carry article in the NGN last week. This column is due early Thursday morning, so there has only been one day of emails that I have received to respond to at this time. I stayed up till 1:00 am answering all of them. Each one had a slightly different response and all were very interesting. I look forward to receiving several more later in the week.
Q. I am a female and walk often in Meeks Park alone. Some of the trails are remote and I always carry a weapon and have a permit. Why would you want to keep me from carrying a weapon in the park when if Meridith Emerson or Kristi Cornwell had carried weapons, the results of their walks may have been different?
A. I received several emails with this general theme and I basically agree. While the article in the newspaper certainly did not address all of my issues, common sense is and always has been a big theme of mine. The issue of greatest concern is in the actual sporting event arena itself where the kids are actually playing, whether it be inside the ball field at Meeks Park or inside a gym at a basketball game (public gathering). A non-confined or uncrowded area is an entirely different situation. I would not be against permitted conceal carry when there is or could be a true safety issue. Walking in the woods or on back roads or remote trails would certainly qualify as potentially dangerous areas with different common sense guidelines.
Q. I am for permitted concealed gun carry in any location, however, I do have a question regarding the fact that there are no certifications or training involved with a gun carry permit.
A. There are two main issues here. I simply can not agree with the concept of a permit allowing anyone to carry a weapon anywhere, anytime. There should always be common sense exceptions.
However, I share the same concern of the fact that currently no training or certification is required to obtain a permit. If training and certification were required to obtain the permit, a lot of people would have many of their concerns addressed, including me.
Q. Could there be two levels of concealed gun carry permits?
A. While that might be complicated, it also makes some sense. If someone just wanted to a concealed carry permit to take in their car and on their person when they were in certain isolated and potentially dangerous areas, no certification would be required. But if they wanted to conceal carry in other more specific crowded areas, it would require special training and certification.
Q. As a retired law enforcement official I think the current laws are adequate just like they are and to try to increase the areas where guns are allowed I think could be a dangerous precedent. I spent hundreds and thousands of hours taking training throughout my career just to remain sharp and able to understand when and how to handle a weapon in a life threatening situation. I have a real concern of an untrained individual having a weapon at a public sporting event with or without kids in a deadly force situation.
Interesting quote from one email. “I also believe that a lot of people with carry permits do not understand the liability that they take on when they carry. It is a personal liability they should be trained about, as it can change the rest of their lives with a single mistake. Most do not realize that the single round expended can be a high dollar legal issue after the dust settles.”
will continue with responses next week or either have a follow up article. Thank you for sending in your comments, both pro and con. I had no idea how fascinating and interesting a discussion this was going to be. While several have disagreed with all or part of my stance, they have all been very respectful and I really appreciate that and I am learning about new issues with just about every email.