Date published: 4/18/2007
We must be able to defend ourselves
The tragic shooting at Virginia Tech clearly demonstrates a number of realities unfortunately ignored by many people. We allow our government to disarm law-abiding citizens, and then we're horrified when a criminal commits a heinous crime against defenseless people?
Just a few hours after the shooting, reporters were telling the White House spokesperson that we need greater gun control. The first thought always is to blame the guns, not the criminal who committed the crimes.
The following truths should be recognized, and law-abiding citizens should clamor for their right to defend themselves everywhere.
If only one faculty member or student had been carrying a concealed weapon, the massacre might well have been stopped.
Criminals commit violence against those who are either unwilling or unable to defend themselves.
The police cannot protect us; in fact, the courts have ruled that police are not even required to protect us. We are left to our own abilities to defend ourselves.
Guns save more lives every year than you will ever hear from the press or government, and they could save many more.
There should be a national "right to carry" law for law-abiding citizens of legal age. Concealed-carry permits issued in one state should be recognized by all other states. Restrictions on locations where guns can be carried--such as churches, restaurants, and colleges--should be removed from the laws.
It's time for a change of public attitude. Even if you took away the guns of every law-abiding citizen, as New York and Washington have done, criminals will always have guns and use them against those unable to defend themselves. The answer is not more gun control, but less gun control. Let people defend themselves.
Disarming citizens effectively takes away your constitutional right to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." If you can't defend yourself, you certainly have no right to life.
Michael Crum Spotsylvania
Date published: 4/18/2007
We must be able to defend ourselves
The tragic shooting at Virginia Tech clearly demonstrates a number of realities unfortunately ignored by many people. We allow our government to disarm law-abiding citizens, and then we're horrified when a criminal commits a heinous crime against defenseless people?
Just a few hours after the shooting, reporters were telling the White House spokesperson that we need greater gun control. The first thought always is to blame the guns, not the criminal who committed the crimes.
The following truths should be recognized, and law-abiding citizens should clamor for their right to defend themselves everywhere.
If only one faculty member or student had been carrying a concealed weapon, the massacre might well have been stopped.
Criminals commit violence against those who are either unwilling or unable to defend themselves.
The police cannot protect us; in fact, the courts have ruled that police are not even required to protect us. We are left to our own abilities to defend ourselves.
Guns save more lives every year than you will ever hear from the press or government, and they could save many more.
There should be a national "right to carry" law for law-abiding citizens of legal age. Concealed-carry permits issued in one state should be recognized by all other states. Restrictions on locations where guns can be carried--such as churches, restaurants, and colleges--should be removed from the laws.
It's time for a change of public attitude. Even if you took away the guns of every law-abiding citizen, as New York and Washington have done, criminals will always have guns and use them against those unable to defend themselves. The answer is not more gun control, but less gun control. Let people defend themselves.
Disarming citizens effectively takes away your constitutional right to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." If you can't defend yourself, you certainly have no right to life.
Michael Crum Spotsylvania
Date published: 4/18/2007
