Open carry laws make it particularly hard to secure public events because the visible presence of firearms creates a dangerous ambiguity. Law enforcement can’t easily distinguish between a person legally carrying a weapon and someone preparing to commit violence. This ambiguity slows down response times, heightens the risk of mistakes and can turn routine security situations into potential crises. It unequivocally makes it harder for law enforcement to do their jobs, and it puts them at greater risk of harm.
… [V]isible guns at gatherings can intimidate participants, escalate tensions and even deter people from attending altogether, undermining the safety and openness of community spaces — especially when open carry can be, and has been, used by extremist groups as a tool to intimidate others at protests or public gatherings.
[Utah] students as young as 18 can openly carry guns on college campuses … and the state also allows concealed weapons on Utah’s campuses.
[M]ost Americans — including conservatives and gun owners — actually feel less safe when more people are carrying guns in public. [The gun] industry has a singular solution for this fear: Just buy a gun.
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Abundant, visible, guns make the assassin’s job easier.
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‘[A]sk yourself what somebody was doing carrying a large hunter’s rifle around a university campus.
… Did Utah’s weak gun laws kill Charlie Kirk? We can’t say that. But weak gun laws probably made his death more likely. Kirk’s admirers will do his legacy no favors if they continue to oppose gun control. Better that they join the rest of us in working to prevent the next Charlie Kirk from meeting the same awful fate.’