The benefits of a CCW permit and a good reason to get one

I have been doing a lot of speaking to groups about the need to carry a concealed weapon and the benefits of obtaining a CCW permit. There are many different reasons to carry a weapon for self-defense, and most people I talk to have their own personal reason from events in their life that led them to the decision to carry a weapon.

One common answer I get is, "I want to be able to carry a gun when I go to Kansas City, or some other big city." Although this is a good reason to carry a gun for protection in the big city, I always like to remind everyone that crime does not just happen in the big city. Although there are more people and therefore more crime, anywhere there are people, there is a potential for danger and a need to protect yourself, your family, or those around you.

I feel that in Missouri, CCW laws have improved over the years and are very favorable to those who want to obtain their permit. I also like to remind people that even though we have laws with penalties for breaking them, you cannot count on a government law to protect you against someone who does not care if they break that law.

Almost every mass shooting that has taken place in recent years took place where guns were not allowed. In fact, most of those shootings were surrounded by law abiding citizens that were following the law and because of this, did not have a gun to protect themselves. You cannot assume crime will happen to someone else, somewhere else, and definitely do not assume that it will only happen in the "big city."

How many people had heard of Columbine before the shooting took place? What about Killeen, Texas? If anyone has heard of Killeen now, it is mostly because of the shooting that took place in 1991 at Luby's Café where 23 people were killed and 27 others wounded. The state of Texas may not have been to blame for the mad man that did the shooting, but it was because of the laws that day that Suzanna Hupp left her gun in her car and was unable to react when the shooting started.

Over the years Missouri has improved our CCW laws in several ways. Recently, the age requirement has changed from 23 to 21 and now to 19. Someone who is in the armed forces can get a CCW in Missouri at 18 if they are stationed here, and their spouse can obtain one as well. It has always bothered me that we could send men and women in the military to other countries and ask them to fight for us with a weapon, but when they come home we tell them they are not old enough to have a gun! If you are old enough to die for your country, you are definitely old enough to obtain a CCW permit.

Missouri has also taken away the criminal charge for carrying a firearm in restricted places for those who have a valid CCW permit. I believe part of being in a free country is having the ability to protect yourself and your family and not just rely on the government to do it for you. Besides, if they cannot manage their own money, do you really want to rely on them to protect your children?