In light of Donald Trump being named the presidential-elect, the National Rifle Association has a new push for their Right-to-Carry camping.
With both houses of Congress dominated by Republicans, the idea of unrestricted concealed weapons isn’t unlikely.
According to the NRA website, the Right-to-Carry Movement started in 1987 when Florida enacted the “shall issue” Right-to-Carry. Now, 42 states in the United States have Right-to-Carry laws.
In 2015, 12.8 million Americans had concealed-carry permits according to the Crime Prevention Research Center. This number will only continue to grow and Black Friday is only proof of that. This year on the Friday after Thanksgiving, The Trace reported the FBI completed more gun background checks than on any other day in U.S. history.
Those who support the Right-to-Carry campaign believe it’s their right due to the Second Amendment. The Second Amendment may be argued over, but it’s hard to agree with the freedom of guns knowing the damage they have caused in the United States within the past year.
On June 12, 2016,  50 people were killed and another 53 were left injured after a man shot up theOrlando, Florida Pulse Nightclub. This was the deadliest reported mass shooting in the U.S. In 2016,  alone there has been 446 mass shootings that involved four or more people being injured or killed according to the Mass Shooting Tracker.
The Harvard Injury Control Research Center reported, “gun availability is a risk factor for homicide, both in the United States and across high-income countries.” The same study also says more guns lead to more police homicides.  
In the U.S., gun availability is a problem. It has heavily contributed to the 142 school shootings that have taken place just since 2013.
According to Mother Jones Magazine, more than 80 percent of mass shooters attain their guns legally. Making concealed carry weapons more accessible may help with citizens personal feeling of safety, but it may also increase shootings.
The specific Right-to-Carry law the NRA wants to pass includes forcing non-concealed carry states to recognize concealed carry state’s permits. The NRA’s website says that the law should allow the “right to carry concealed handguns when away from home without a permit, or with a permit issued by a state to an applicant who meets requirements established by the state legislature.”
The easiest defense for concealed carry weapons is they are used for self-defense. However, the Violence Policy Center has released new reportsclaiming that private citizens rarely use personal firearms to stop crimes or kill criminals. It also states “private citizens use guns to harm themselves or others far more often than to kill in self-defense.”
Although America has the right to bear arms in its constitution,  we have to understand there are limits on everything. Laws and rules are what keep our world from chaos.
After the slew of shootings in 2016, it’s nearly universally understood there is a problem with firearms in the U.S. Many people believe the current U.S. stance on gun control is not working and that there are only two extreme options for change, which include getting rid of guns or allowing them without limits.
Until we can see real changes in the statistics of what personal firearms are used for, changes shouldn’t be made. There needs to be more research done on the subject before the government jumps to any conclusions.  
The NRA may have positive intentions, but there could be dire consequences to their actions, which America is not ready to handle. Hopefully, Congress will take their time in making such a potentially harmful decision.