HOUSTON, Texas (CNN) -- A Houston man is on a mission to fight crime but the way he wants to do it is sitting well with everyone in his community. He hopes to raise enough money so that he can provide guns to everyone in his neighborhood.
Fight fire with fire is the idea behind Kyle Coplen's quest to keep crime at bay in his Southwest Houston neighborhood.
"Criminals don't have any interest in dying in your hallway and we should exploit that fear in order to deter crime," said Kyle Coplen.
Coplen, a University of Houston grad student, says fighting crime should no longer be left to the professionals. He sees well-trained gun owners as an untapped resource like a secret weapon of sorts.
In fact, his beliefs are so strong, he intends to raise enough money to arm 100 law abiding citizens in high crime areas with shotguns, like Sharpstown.
"Over the course of the year, we are going to do a policy analysis and see what the crime rates actually do as result," Coplen explained. "Of course, it largely depends on us getting the word out that these areas do exist that way the criminals will know."
He's even created a non-profit, calling it "The Armed Citizens Project." The project is being launched as the national debate over gun control takes center stage in our nation's capitol.
DISCUSS: What to you think of Coplen's idea? CLICK HERE to tell us.Some Sharpstown residents have serious doubts about the plan. Others believe Coplen is on the right track.
"Probably the best weapon for home defense," argued Guy Compton, who agrees with Coplen.
