There is an ongoing debate about the lawfulness and desirability of people carrying hand guns in public for self defence. About 80 million americans live in places that have a similar law to new york. In these places, right now, it is fairly difficult to get a a permit to carry a concealed hand gun in public. Fear plays into this on all sides: the desire to restrict firearms from the public square; llya reuben at brennan center for justice,. M uman’s school of law out of dallas texas as well assistant professor of law s dedman's college of jurisprudentia n yu.