Guns don't kill people, people do. The American dream is being able to work and achieve whatever makes you happy, whether that's owning your own business, joining the military, or staying home to raise a family, but the only way to achieve your dream is to do it without living. in fear that your dream will be taken away from you. In recent years, mass shootings and attacks on schools have unfortunately become a common tragedy. Those who have been victims of public shootings or other life-altering events at the hands of a criminal, as well as anyone else who has watched news coverage of the tragedies, live somewhat in fear, but if concealed carry laws were adopted, then living in fear would be greatly reduced, as would crime rates. According to Mike Miller, author of What Happened to Chicago's Murder Rate After Illinois Upheld Concealed Carry and Why it Matters, "three to four crimes are stopped by handgun compared to those committed in the United States each year" (Miller). People would feel much safer knowing that they would be able to defend themselves if necessary. When we think or hear about guns, most of us jump to the negative effects and stories we have heard. The only stories we hear about guns are how a person's life ended because of it, but we never hear how they save a person's life. It's important to remember the phrase commonly used when discussing concealed carry: "Guns don't kill people, people do." However, guns are an effective means of protection and states should not pass stricter gun control laws because they are ineffective and create additional problems in today's violent society. Allowing citizens to own guns helps protect them for many reasons. There are simply instances today where...... middle of paper ......rry Guns in public comments. Time, March 4, 2013. Web. April 23, 2014.Evanovich, Janet. Three to become mortal. New York: Scribner, 1997. Print. “Fact Sheet: Guns Save Lives.” Gun Owners of America. Np, September 29, 2008. Web. April 27, 2014. May-Hayes, Gila. Concealed carry for women. Np: np, and Print.Miller, Mike. "What happened to Chicago's murder rate after Illinois upheld concealed carry and why it matters." Independent journal review. Np, April 2, 2014. Web. April 30, 2014.Peterson, Eric. “The Consequences of Gun Control.” Oklahoma Wesleyan University. The Keating Center, April 18, 2013. Web. April 28, 2014. Sadovi, Carlos and Peter Nickeas. “Cops: No charges for man with concealed carry permit who shot gunman.” Chicago Tribune. Np, April 5, 2014. Web. April 29, 2014. “Second Amendment.” Cornell University School of Law. Np, and Web. April 23. 2014.