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Permission to defend yourself

Monday, April 30 at 12:01 AM

This Speakout has not been edited

By Brian Kelly, Denver

I want to respond to Annie Dawid’s article of 4/22/07. It is typical of the misguided logic of the antigun faction in this country.

First of all there is no such thing as a semiautomatic machine gun. An autoloading weapon either fires one round per trigger pull, making it semiautomatic, or it fires repeatedly with one trigger pull, in which case it is automatic.

Second of all to say the Second Amendment permits weapons of mass destruction is ludicrous beyond belief. We all now what weapons of mass destruction are -- nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons, none of which are permitted by the Second Amendment. Shame on your hysteria Annie! The massacre at Virginia Tech is the latest in a continuing series of bloodbaths that have been occurring for years. Each time one occurs, there is a renewed outcry to further restrict firearms. And sometimes new laws are passed, sometimes not. In each case of further restrictions, it is the law abiding gun owner who pays the price. Outlaws by definition do not obey the laws. The guns are out there and have always been out there since firearms were first conceived. A person who wishes to use firearms for other than legal purposes will find a way to obtain them. There is tremendous traffic in illegal guns and purchases, not only in this nation, but all over the world. A person who wishes to perform a mass murder will find a way to do it if guns are unavailable to him. There are many ways to do it, such as a homemade propane bomb. Shall we ban propane now too? This event was horrible and shocking. Many promising young lives were ended.

Many other lives were permanently traumatized. Instead of further restrictions on guns, how about less? How about allowing concealed carry on campuses.

Suppose there was at least one person legally carrying a concealed weapon in the area where the massacre occurred, and this person drew his weapon and killed the shooter as soon as it started. Far fewer people would have been killed and injured. Yes, some would have been killed, but not 32 people. And taking a longer view, it may have acted as a deterrent to this lunatic and possibly he might not have done it.

I used to count myself among the antigun faction. But years of living in a neighborhood transitioning from bad to better taught me that there are entirely too many incidents where waiting for the police to show up would have resulted in a crime being committed with little chance of solution. I believe that a person must be prepared to take immediate action to prevent crime or carnage. If you are not prepared you could wind being yet another victim.

The assault weapons ban was a feel good, do nothing piece of legislation.

While restricting a number of weapons, it did not cover countless others. And it did not address most firearms at all. It was useless but it looked good on a politicians voting record to the antigun people.

In order to be safe, a law abiding citizen must have the option of protecting him or her self, either by taking defensive action, chasing the criminal away, or holding them at bay until the police arrive and take over. This means things like the "Make My Day" law and concealed carry permits. It does not mean that we all must own assault weapons. A simple six shot .22 revolver is sufficient. I don’t believe guns are for everyone. If you are considering becoming a gun owner, you must decide if you could use one if the time came. If you are not certain you would use it, then you have no business with a firearm because any hesitation works to the criminals advantage and you could wind up being killed.

Those of us who choose to defend ourselves must be permitted to do so. One of us might save your life some day.

READER COMMENTS

I agree with both of you. Now just wait for the gun control freaks to shout at you! Let them put their hands in front of themselves and see how many killer's bullets they stop!

Posted by gary on May 2, 2007 02:33 PM

I agree. I was raised in a house with hunting firearms. I learned at an early age how to use them and respect them. It's not the gun, it's the person behind it who has the responsibility. I was also taught to walk away from trouble if I could.

However, my father taught me that when attacked I should fight to win.

What it boils down to me is I'd rather be judged by twelve than carried by six.

Posted by Dennis Kaeding on May 1, 2007 07:31 PM