Name Essays (791 words) - Gun Politics In The United States

Name Professor Course Date Annotated Bibliography; what are the effects of the "open carry" law in Texas MADIGAN, TIM. "Open-Carry Law a Dilemma for Texas Merchants." Fort Worth Business Press, vol. 28, no. 8, 29 Feb. 2016, p. 16. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=truedb=bwhAN=113559094site=ehost-live. Tim's article appearing in the Washington post looks into the impact of the enacted law in Texas that permits open carrying of firearms unless they are in establishments that disallow it by means of posting such prohibition on their premises. Tim notes that concealed carrying of a weapon had been legalized since 1996. However, since the recent passing of the law permitting open carrying, Tim observes that businesses are coming face to face with the impacts of the controversial gun law. As such, the business' owners are having to decide if they will allow open carrying within the precincts of their establishments, or not. With occasional pressure from clients, the businesses are opting to disallow open carrying within their businesses. Such businesses include restaurants and supermarkets. Tim raises concern about the law especially for failing to define exact places where open carrying should not be permitted at all. For instance, he observes, the mental hospitals are not exem pted from the open firearm carrying. Moreover, open carrying is permitted in the public colleges and other public institutions and only the private establishments to disallow it. Tim demonstrates the kind of confusion that has emerged amongst the public owing to the divisive law. Patrik Jonsson Staff, writer. "Texas' Big New Gun Law: Is the State a Model for Modern Open Carry ?. " Christian Science Monitor, 31 Dec. 2015. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=truedb=aphAN=112032141site=ehost-live. While not explicitly in favor of the Texas' gun law that now allows for open carrying, Jonsson feels that the law could actually be a model for the rest of America. Texas has about 800,000 people licensed to own guns. He observes that the law is not necessarily a lax one as portrayed noting that it is uniquely strict and presents a regulation model. He further notes that Americans, even though they have had a considerable obsesses ion with guns, they are also increasingly warming up to the idea of gun ownership especially in the face of increasing mass shootings. According to Jonsson , the law does require the open carrying gun owners to be licensed. Furthermore, prior to licensing, the gun owners have to show competency in regard to safety as well as passing shooting tests. Moreover, they must be 21 years and above and also have had no psychological problems prior to gun ownership. These views are indicative of the polarizing nature of the gun-law debate in the Texas and the rest of the USA. Story Hinckley, Staff. "University of Texas Approves Campus Carry: How the State Forced Its Hand." Christian Science Monitor, 17 Feb. 2016. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=truedb=aphAN=113062886site=ehost-live Institutions of higher learning are amongst the areas that have been greatly impacted by the law. On the same issue of the firearm carrying law, Hinckley notes that it has negative ramifications for universities as they are not exempted. The University of Texas and other public campuses are left with no option but to approve the "campus carry" requirements. He observes that this law will take effect regardless of the protests by the universities' stakeholders including students and university staff who felt that it was inappropriate to allow firearms in the colleges. Quite worrying is the prospect of having guns in the classroom and other university buildings where weapons have traditionally been disallowed. He observes that the private universities, under the law, are the only ones who have been given the discretion to apply the law or not to. To demonstrate the general opinion of stakeholders in the higher education sector, the writer notes that the majority of private le arning institutions have opted to disallow guns in their institutions. As such, if allowed to, most public c olleges will certainly want to be gun-free. Works Cited Patrik Jonsson Staff, writer. "Texas' Big New Gun Law: Is the State a Model for Modern Open Carry ?. " Christian Science Monitor, 31 Dec. 2015. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=truedb=aphAN=112032141site=ehost-live. MADIGAN, TIM. "Open-Carry Law a Dilemma for Texas Merchants." Fort Worth Business Press, vol. 28, no. 8,