Would Paris attacks been different if French citizens had concealed carry?

CHICAGO (FOX 32 News) - Shortly after the savage massacre in Paris, American politicians were claiming the toll could have been lower if France did not have restrictive gun laws.

The claim outraged some, but the debate rages on.

Presidential candidate Donald Trump declared Paris would have been "much, much different" if some victims had been packing. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich tweeted, "Imagine a theater with 10 or 15...concealed carry" guns. "Evil men have to be killed by good people."

But some reject the premise.

Anti-gun activist Colleen Daley said those who fire back at attacking gunmen have accidentally hit hundreds of innocents in recent years, including in one notorious incident at New York's Empire State Building.

“Eight other individuals went to the hospital. Those individuals were all shot by New York City police officers,” said Daley. “What we do know factually is more guns in those type of situations lead to more tragedy.”

The chief sponsor of Illinois' Concealed Carry law, though, thinks the murderers counted on the Paris victims not being armed.

“And most of the time these terrorists and these crazy people who do these shootings, they know that they can go there and not be shot back at,” said Rep. Phelps.

FOX 32: You think it might well have saved some lives in Paris?

“It could have sure, if people had guns. If the good guys had guns, then fewer good guys would have died,” said Greg Pestine.

“That more people had guns that would have probably been more bloodshed. Because in the confusion of the attack, people would not have known who were the good guys or the bad guys,” said Keith Allen.

FOX 32: Do you think it would have made any difference in Paris?

“No. I don't think it would have made any difference at all. And I'm not a believer in the concept,” said Jeff Coney of Evanston.

Among the concealed carry skeptics that FOX 32 ran into on the street was one who recalled that supporters of Illinois' concealed carry gun law promised it would reduce gun violence in Chicago. Instead, the number of shootings has risen dramatically.