No reason to feel safer with shall issue law

My response to “Gun-rights advocates energized in Legislature” (Feb. 13 story) is to question why Iowans need to carry concealed weapons in public? The only reason is with the intention of harming or killing another person, the sole purpose of a handgun.

Allowing Iowans to carry concealed weapons puts justice in the hands of citizens rather than keeping it in the hands of trained police officers. When citizens are able to carry concealed weapons the difficulties for law enforcement double: How do they know who is a criminal (or mentally unstable, as in Tucson or Virginia Tech) without the right to carry and who is a person with the legal right to carry?

The last thing I want is for a police officer to be confused as to who is allowed to carry a gun during a time sensitive crime. Allowing the average citizen to carry a concealed weapon increases the chances of an innocent civilian being shot.

Does a four-hour training requirement for receiving a license to carry provide enough training to the gun carrier on how and when to use deadly force? If the intention of the “shall issue” law is to make citizens feel safer in public, it has done just the opposite for me.

Sarah Hall

Cedar Rapids