How Firearms could impact the Election
To get a concealed carry license in Ohio a person must get a certification. This certification requires a 6-hour class and 2 hours at a range after completing that time you can then get your license from the local sheriff’s office. The issues surrounding concealed carry and 2nd amendment rights have always been debated during election time, Vinton County sheriff Ryan Cain discussed how gun rights may play a role in this 2020 presidential election as well as the current guidelines in place.
Q: How does the issue of gun rights play into the election?
Ryan: I do believe it’s going to affect it. People are very serious about the right to bear arms. Whether it’s for sport shooting or defense, and any other reason. Guns play a pretty fundamental role in in American history. So, I do believe that it’s very serious and one of the biggest topics regarding the election. I believe it’ll be a considerable of one of the biggest topics of the election, one of the biggest influences would be because it’s just such a huge part of American history and the right itself to protect yourself.
Sheriff Ryan Cain believes guns are not the issue, instead people are.
Q: Do you think these issues may take a backseat to recent social justice events?
Ryan: I don’t think they will because this all comes down to the hate in people’s heart. It’s the intent, the people, the dark spots of people’s hearts. That’s where we need to focus and try to fix.
Q: Has there been a change in people with concealed carry recently?
Ryan: I don’t think it’s increased a whole lot, it’s pretty steady. It’s been steady the whole time. All the people have been coming back and getting the renewals, but you constantly have a flow of new applicants that are constantly coming in. We see a very steady crowd of I’d say about 65 to 100 people through our office every week regarding their concealed carry, whether new applicants or renewals.
Q: Do you think any changes need to be made regarding the rules to carry a firearm?
Ryan: It’s such a tricky thing, and it is a mess but I think there has been too much focus on guns and not enough focus on how do we fix people. If we were to remove guns, theoretically, do we think that those people would not have the intent to kill the person they intended to kill for whatever reason? It would be knives that we start saying, well we got to get rid of that you can’t have knives in your house anymore because that’s just too popular it just becomes something else. More and more items like a ball bat are in technically, then there’s got to be the question if that was the case, hypothetically. Do they start calling ball bats blunt objects? It really is the hate in peoples heart, the intent to do this kind of harm to other people for whatever the reason. It’s not so much the guns there will always be some product to exercise that hate on someone else.
