Journal #4

Tim Landgraf

English 1000

14185295

Journal #4

Summary: This article talks about the drop in crime in Chicago as well as the citizens using concealed carry to feel more secure. To start, an 86 year old man was able to stop a burglary at an AT&T store and wait for the police to come all because he had a legal weapon on him. Crime like burglary, motor theft, and even the homicide rate dropped in Chicago. It has been estimated that there will be about 100,000-200,000 concealed carry permits and citizens that are carrying weapons with them. These are law-abiding citizens that are using this advantage to be more safe and protect themselves and the people around them.

Synthesis: The article contradicts the last one because it explains how crime rates have gone down, responsible citizens do not abuse their power to carry a weapon with them, and there is a lower homicide rate. The last article wasn't sure if the citizens in the states and cities that instituted less concealed carry laws would be responsible enough to carry a weapon around. The article believed that there would be more crime and homicide. This article shows statistics on how the crime rates went down and that criminals are lenient on performing crimes nowadays because they do not know who is packing or not.

Critical Thinking: What I liked best about this article is a quote from one of the Chicago policemen. “It isn't any coincidence crime rates started to go down when concealed carry was permitted. Just the idea that the criminals don't know who's armed and who isn't has a deterrence effect. The police department hasn't changed a single tactic-they haven't announced a shift in policy or of course-and yet you have these incredible numbers” (paragraph 4). I like that average citizens are capable of carrying a weapon and are able to protect themselves and the people around them. An alternate viewpoint to look at out of this is how many crimes are people actually preventing and how many criminals actually think twice about performing a crime because they are unaware of who is carrying a concealed weapon. I think this is an important viewpoint because this is one of the reasons why you carry a weapon, for your protection and the protection of people around you. But if you are able to prevent crimes by just making the criminals think you are packing, that is the best way to stop crime.

Questions: Some other questions may arise with this conflict. Will policemen still perform their duties or think that citizens will just be able to protect themselves now? There will still be criminal activity in the world and cops still have to perform their duties and protect the citizens around them and not expect them all to carry a weapon and protect themselves.