A constitutional carry law in Florida would violate my rights| Opinion
I would like the gentlemen and women of the Florida Legislature to take my disdain and discomfort and fear of guns as seriously as you take those who want to saturate our public spaces with firearms.
What about my right to feel safe? I don’t feel safe around guns on civilians. Last year, the top three states with the most deaths from gun violence were as follows: Texas, California and Florida.
Guns are for military and law enforcement. I understand and support the right to have a firearm for protection in your home or car, or a hunting rifle, but we no longer need a well-regulated civilian militia — we have an army.
We do not need to strap these on our bodies and tout them around in public spaces where others are not comfortable either seeing them or being around them. If constitutional carry means open carry, there must be a delineation.
Can you really tell me a tried-and-true test to determine if the armed person in front of you at Target with a weapon is a responsible gun owner, or a crazy with a gun just waiting for the right situation to trigger them?
We have radio talk show hosts who say the killing of children at Parkland was a farce. We live in the most volatile time. Walking around with a gun on your hip in a hot-button world is a very bad idea. How many road rage deaths this year alone?
A peaceful state where we leave crime to law enforcement instead of a bunch of vigilantes, is my right. I have rights, too. I am 67 years old; I have been all over the U.S. and beyond and never have I felt the need to be armed.
Owning guns is your right. Living in a safe space without guns is my right. Just keep them to yourselves, in your home or your car but not my public space.
The majority of us don’t want to see guns displayed in public and we don’t want masses of concealed weapons in our communities. We don’t want our kids or grandkids around guns. We feel less safe.
We chose not to own guns or have them around us. And that’s our Constitutional right; our interpretation of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
Candace Swain is the mother of five and grandmother of five. A 35-year resident of Tallahassee, she is a small business manager.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: I have no need to see constitutional carry enacted in Florida | Opinion
