So why don’t you? When this nation was founded our forefathers clearly laid out the foundations for a well-armed militia, and provided for the personal self-protection of its citizens. Then the states took some of it away and now in order to carry a sidearm, you’re required to process through the government and leave an information footprint. Fun!
This country was founded on militia: Farmers with hunting rifles going toe to toe with the British, softening up the ranks before the regulars stepped in. The Swiss, the world’s most famous neutral power, have one of the most highly trained and well-armed civilian militias in the history of the world…just in case.
I was trained by the U.S. government to defend myself responsibly to complete my duties as an airman. Now, with all that training I’m not even allowed to carry a sidearm to defend myself in the one place I spend 90 percent of my time? After all I was willing to sacrifice in defense of freedom, you’re going to pull the rug out from under me? That’s not fair. What happens if an actual killer comes to my school? Should I throw a stone and pray it hits them in the eye? I’m not a Hobbit, I don’t get a +6 to throwing small objects because of my dexterity bonus.
As a VFW, I feel safer in the presence of firearms. That’s one thing that they drill into your head in basic: your weapon is your life. Going onto a campus and knowing that I’m undefended, in a sea of undefended people…is a terrifying thought. To point out an obvious pun: it’s easy to feel like a duck in hunting season. Easy pickin’s for some emotionally disturbed person wanting to pick on unarmed innocents to feel better. You rarely hear about a lone teenager going into a police station or military base and shooting it up. Why? Because those places are full of guns and they’d be dead in about five seconds. They prey on the weak and defenseless! So why are we mandated to remain weak and defenseless?
My only other option is to learn some form of martial arts, which could easily become worthless with more legislation and then what…would I simply be banned from school? Even then…I still couldn’t defend myself against a crazed, gun-toting lunatic.
With well-trained and armed students, (I’m looking at you, veterans) any more massacre-style incidents would be quickly quelled. The majority of sane and responsible gun owners in America don’t pose a problem to society at large. Many people carry firearms throughout the average workday, this doesn’t mean that your neighborhood supermarket, mall, bus, gas station, or place of employment, etc are on the verge of becoming the O.K. Corral. Considering how many people have weapons, the amount of violence in the U.S. is surprisingly low. The amount of responsible gun owners in the U.S. far outnumbers the amount of irresponsible ones. Canada and the U.K., which have much more stringent gun laws, have much higher crime rates, and Australia’s attempted ban on firearms resulted in a crime wave as criminals rejoiced that their prey was now defenseless. People are much less likely to commit a crime against you if they know you’re armed.
I’m of the school of people that believes that the U.S. government should issue you a firearm and a box of rounds for your 18th birthday as well as require a day of mandatory training in addition to providing additional rounds and training on a yearly basis: all the while focusing on safety and responsible gun ownership. I’m also for the ability to write gun locks and gun safes off your taxes.
The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife has had to start up a new series of classes to train new hunters, because young people in our society are not being trained to shoot or hunt- which means certain animal populations that used to be under control are wreaking havoc in our ecosystem.
We have moved away from a society that took its second amendment rights very seriously and into one that is essentially gun free- the only problem is that criminals and psychopaths haven’t.
Regardless of what you think of me or the other people lobbying for gun rights, if some psycho wants to bring a gun on campus and kill people, he can and all we can do is pray, while we wait for a police response.
“With well-trained and armed students, (I’m looking at you, veterans) any more massacre-style incidents would be quickly quelled.”
Okay, let me repost this from the comment thread in the news section, since nobody answered there:
Please explain what the protocol is for concealed weapon carriers in a VT type situation. You’re in class, suddenly you find out that there may be one or more shooters loose in the building (maybe you hear shots fired, maybe someone comes in the room and announces it). You don’t have any way to know how many shooters there are or what they look like. You also know that there may be any number of other good-intentioned concealed weapon carriers just like you. But you have no way of knowing how many or of distinguishing them from the bad guys. Do you draw your weapon? What do you do when you see someone drawing or visibly carrying a weapon — do you shoot them, aim at them, or wait until you see them overtly threaten someone (maybe you, maybe someone else)? What does a bad guy do when he sees you and your weapon aimed at him? Not aimed at him? What does a fellow armed citizen do when they see you and your weapon aimed at them? Not aimed at them? What do you do about the fact that you’re in a crowded building surrounded by panicked people and your hands are shaking?
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Good article, Greg! Nice to read that someone on the Emerald staff has a different opinion than “guns are yucky!”
I am 23 years old, and a graduate of the UO. I do not own a gun (and probably never will), but I understand and defend the right for people in our country to carry guns, and to do so responsibly. Your stake re-claims everything I believe about the 2nd amendment: that it is, primarily, to serve as a deterrent to violence; and only secondarily as a form of defense.
@WarmFingers: Hypothetical “what-if” scenarios are useless – you are trying to make a point on subjective issues that may or may not be a reality. Explaining what to do in a scenario like this is equally as subjective – those responsible gun owners, with the correct training, will know what to do.
Well written, but where do you get your stats on crime rates in Canada and the UK?
And, 20/20 did a special in which they placed 5 armed young vets like you describe in a room with one crazy shooter, and not one of them was able to accurately shoot their weapon, or tell the good guys from the bad guy.
It’s not as ideal or easy as gun supporters would think it is.
Although there are responsible gun owners in America, there are many irresponsible ones, too. And it’s not worth an abused wife being shot to death, or some crazy guy shooting up a school, just so the gun zealots can carry their weapons. The risk outweighs the benefits for the few that want guns.
Are you part of a militia? No. Do we need a militia in this modern America? No. The Constitution was not written with today’s weapons or society in mind. It’s like going back to the Old Testament to make our laws today, it doesn’t relate nearly as much. Unless you don’t eat pork, and expect women to never cut their hair or wear pants.