I have to say that I'm not sure how I feel about this. On the one hand, I certainly am not a fan of guns; I can't imagine having one around the house 'for self-defense.' But I live over the river in relatively safe North Arlington. (Arlington County Cops seem to be more fit, better loong and better paid than DC cops; but there's a running joke that half of them are 'afraid of the dark.' When there's any kind of incident, literally 4-5 cars appear out of nowhere.) Anyway, here in VA I think you can even carry a concealed weapon, and college student Seung Hui-Cho can get his hands on 2 guns, go practice, then go on a killing spree. (Some pro-gun whackos actually said that if some of the other students or faculty had been packing heat, then they could have shot Seung; that whole idea just terrifies me.)
Meanwhile in DC, it's illegal to have a handgun, yet it seems like 2-3 people are shot every week. Enforcing a gun ban in such a small jurisdiction with VA and Maryland bordering it seems ridiculous. Still, I'm not a big believer in 'more guns make you more safe.' I'd prefer a country where no one was allowed to have a gun besides law enforcement... though there have been a few times during the Bush Administration when I thought maybe it was time for a revolution...
1 comment:
Well T., I guess I'm a pro gun whacko then. I believe a lot of the problems with Campus shootings is that these zones ARE gun free (Well except for the asshole shooting the place up). That's like an open invitation to anyone who is a psycho with an agenda! "Hey let me go here and kill people, because nobody can defend themselves"! Gun Free zones become nothing more than Easy Target zones.
You see T. the problem with most gun laws, especially the one that was stricken down, is that they have the unintended consequence of punishing law abiding citizens. No matter how many laws are on the books restricting citizens rights to bear arms, Criminals will always get their hands on guns. That is the nature of criminals. Honestly though, has the DC gun ban had any effect on shooting related violence in the city? From the news I'm getting, it hasn't had one bit of an effect on shooting rates.
As far as being afraid of your fellow citizens carrying concealed weapons, DON'T! Almost all weapons permits require extensive training, an even more stringent background check (both criminal and psychological), and testing. Plus you get the added bonus that if something should happen (no system is ever full proof), it's all but guaranteed that punishment will be harsher and swifter!
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