Gun Control
After Virginia Tech, there have been many questions about which direction our nation should be taking on the issue of gun control.Let me throw in one perspective of the issue that will most likely be ignored in the coming debates and legislation:
Brent Tenney says he feels pretty safe when he goes to class at the University of Utah, but he takes no chances. He brings a loaded 9mm semiautomatic with him every day. “It’s not that I run around scared all day long, but if something happens to me, I do want to be prepared.”
Read the full story here.
Thats right. Utah is currently the only state in the union that does not allow colleges and universities to ban the carrying of a concealed handgun on campus, as long as you hold a permit that allows to to do so in public. As of right now, 38 states hold legislation that bans weapons at schools, the rest allowing schools to decide for themselves.
Many of you will think of this as crazy but as far as I'm concerned, had a professor or another student been carrying a legitimate concealed weapon in the classroom on April 16th at Virginia Tech, I highly doubt as many people would have died that day. On top of that, Cho Sueng Hui wouldn't have had the pleasure of selecting targets at his own will, including himself.
I will even reference a case where such a thing did happen. In 1997, a teenager shot two students to death at Pearl High School before an assistant principal chased the gunman down outside and held him at bay with a .45-caliber pistol he kept in his truck, ending the rampage.
Bottom line: There are over 84 million responsible gun owners in this country right now who obey the law and accept the role of protector in desperate situations. Lets not add them to the list of victims from this tragedy by stripping them and the rest of us of our rights.
“If government can’t protect you, you should have the right to protect yourself,” said Utah Republican state Senator Michael Waddoups.
I agree, your views on this?
posted by Carl Soderberg at
9:51 AM
4 Comments:
I think 9mm parabellum is a wuss round. If you are going to carry, get a .40 S&W or .45 ACP for the stopping power!
Presenting the idea that others having firearms on campus is simply ridiculous. How does allowing more weapons into the school environment supposed to help? All a measure like this is going to do is create more violence.
Maybe instead of trying to protect our "right" to prance around with deadly weapons, we should look into why the response times at Virginia Tech and Columbine were so horrendous. Had proper measures been taken, maybe 33 people wouldnt have had to die. The answer, however, is not adding additional weapons into the mix, unless it is those of responsible and trained law enforcement officials...I do not trust you or anyone else as a "responsible protector" with a gun in public.
Are you proposing that guns cause violence? Maybe you weren't aware that in the city of Washington DC there is more gun violence than any other city in the United States proportionate to population. Oh and did i mention that Washington DC is the only city in America where possession of a firearm is unlawful. It is a fact that if there are more guns in the hands of law-abiding citizens, there is a lesser crime rate.
Take New Zealand for instance; If one is in the military, they take their weapon home with them. In the middle of the night, someone breaks into their house and oh my gosh, suddenly they are riddled with machine-gun fire. There is little to no home invasion in New Zealand.
Also, did you know that in the state of Connecticut, in order to carry a concealed weapon, one must be extensively checked by the FBI, CT State Police and local police as well as take a course with the NRA and pay a few hundred dollars. Someone who goes through this extensive process to acquire a firearm is highly unlikely to commit a crime and have their ability to own and possess a firearm revoked.
The fact of the matter is that if someone other than Cho had a concealed weapon on them at Virginia Tech, the situation could have been mitigated much sooner and with a lot less casualties. When the government is not able to protect us, it is our job to protect ourselves and that is the role of the second amendment of the United States Constitution.
I don't think everyone should carry a gun. I think as Carl suggests that the current gun laws are OK and if someone wants to meet the demands and training to carry a gun, they should have that right. Obviously we all would like complete peace and harmony and 100% trust in our fellow man- The reality of life on earth and in America is much different. Everyone has to make their own choice as to how to protect themselves and family in a crisis. I think that's called FREEDOM.
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