Bearing arms can protect against shootings

Written on March 27, 2012 by in Columns

At the behest of many readers, I am taking this week to examine the issue of gun rights on campus. On March 5, the Colorado Supreme Court overturned CSU’s rule, which prevented students with concealed weapons permits from bringing their firearms onto campus. 

Across UW, talk of this victory is spreading. Conservatives are now asking why Wyoming—a state whose history was forged through the right to bear arms—is being outshined by a much less conservative state.

UW students are able to carry firearms on campus, so long as they receive permission from the University of Wyoming Police Department, pursuant to Wyoming Statute 6-8-104. As common practice, UWPD does not give out these permissions. Improperly parked bikes do, of course, take first priority.

An inability to defend yourself is the very real and unfortunate consequence of states placing the ability to interpret law in the hands of a bastion of liberal thinking idealists—aka public college. It seems like any individual with common sense would have realized by now that campus security forces are woefully inept at protecting students from the all-too-common mentally disturbed shooter.

For reasons of sensitivity, I will forego recounting all the defenseless students who have lost their lives while waiting for campus security to save them. But, if you were given a choice during a shooting of: a) being armed or b) waiting for campus security to save you, which would you choose?

If you answered ‘b,’ you are undoubtedly a liberal. This is because of liberals’ greatest flaws: an inability to learn from their past mistakes and a fear of all they cannot control.

One requirement that comes with subscribing to belief in a liberal utopia is to ignore real and present dangers. In the case of gun rights, it is easier for liberals to ignore such events as Virginia Tech and Columbine rather than to take proactive measures to solve the problem. I have often wondered why the liberal mascot was not instead an ostrich.

One friendly suggestion for liberal policy makers might be honoring the 2nd Amendment. When was the last time any of us heard of an armed student being killed by a mentally ill shooter?

Liberals are terrified of what they cannot control such as churches, private business or Sarah Palin. The western U.S., being predominantly conservative, has a lack of liberals. Because our culture as gun owning, God-fearing and patriotic Americans is not conducive to liberal comfort, they tend to seize control of that which makes them squeamish. Shooting a firearm is about as far from the liberal comfort zone as one can get—no pretentious or unrealistically ideal conversation is involved.

It is no surprise that the same liberals who feel their health care, tax rate, light bulb usage and children’s education are all best left in someone else’s hands would be willing to leave their immediate security to someone other than themselves.

Clark Lenz

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44 Comments - Leave a comment!
  • Simon

    Clark,
    The word “utopia” encourages the reader to assume that this wonderful, crime-free place does not exist. However it does exist and it has names such as Western Europe, Canada, Japan, Australia and New Zealand. All of these rich, developed, democratic countries/regions have much stricter gun laws than the US, and much lower gun ownership. Do you know what this leads to? Lower gun homicide rates! I know ‘lower gun ownership’ leading to ‘lower gun violence’ is quite a radical thought but take a moment to think outside the square and you may get it.
    In future articles, instead of telling your readers how something won’t work, do some research and see if another country is actually making it work as you type.
    Regards,
    Simon

    • Zack

      Simon, before making such a condescending comment, perhaps you should also do some research. You say that Canada, and Europe is this gun-free “utopia”. That is pretty naive. Have you considered the over-all crime rate in Europe? Have you considered the violent-crime rate? Clearly not. The more Europe locks down on guns the higher these other crime rates sky-rocket. Europe is a “utopia” for criminals. They can go from house to house without fear of anyone being able to defend themselves. European thieves have become incredibly brazen, breaking into occupied homes and robbing in daylight because they have no fear of resistance. Maybe you should take a moment to think out of the very small square you seem to be stuck in where each action has only one consequence… Maybe try reading a book

  • Sam Rubino

    Hi Simon,

    You’re wrong on multiple fronts, and let me explain why.

    Firstly, it’s true that the countries/regions you mentioned have much stricter gun control laws than we do. However, you’re assertion that “lower gun ownership” will lead to “lower gun violence” in the U.S. is evidence of the sad and misguided stigma that surrounds responsible gun ownership. If stricter gun-control laws were implemented in the U.S. (or we ignored the 2nd Amendment completely and made gun ownership illegal), we would be limiting the legal purchase and possession of firearms by law abiding citizens who likely want a gun for personal defense, home protection, or recreational purposes. We would NOT, however, be limiting illegal weapons trafficking across our boarder, nor would we be stopping criminals from buying, selling, or trading any of the hundreds of thousands of un-tracked firearms that circle the country today. The fact of the matter is that guns are a part of our country’s heritage, and they will always be around. By making it difficult (or impossible) for responsible citizens to obtain firearms, we will shatter the already fragile illusion that is our day-to-day safety.

    Additionally, you’re comment ignores the fact that our world is getting more and more dangerous by the day, and there is certainly NO such thing as a utopia in any corner of the globe. I’m afraid that home-grown acts of terrorism will become the go-to battle strategy for our enemies, and relinquishing our guns will absolutely make our citizens more vulnerable. If attacks are carried out on our soil, it will be the folks with concealed weapons who will take down that mall shooter or run to the aid of children when they hear shots at a local school. With respect to this article, it will be those with concealed weapons who can stop a campus shooter dead in his tracks. Make no mistake: we are our own first line of defense.

    Lastly, those who call for stricter gun laws in the face of a clear and adamant 2nd Amendment do so in ignorance of our country’s foundational principles. We are the United States of America because farm boys, school teachers, preachers, and shoe repairmen took up arms (their own, personal weapons) against a tyrannical government that cared more about wealth and power than the well being of its citizens. When they won the war, they crafted the Constitution, which was intended to be the supreme law of the nation for the rest of its existence. In this document they put the “Bill of Rights”, or ten basic provisions that were necessary to ensure a free society. These were not “gifts” from the government, but rather, they were human rights that were never to be taken away. Most importantly, included within these rights was the one that protects all the others: the right to keep and bear arms. This provision was put there for private citizens, not the National Guard or the U.S. Armed Forces, because private citizens made up the militias. And those militias (or today, responsible gun owners) were/are necessary for a “Free State”. Without them, we’re just like Western Europe, Canada, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand: helpless and unarmed. Even scarier is that there are people in this country who want to move in their direction! These are the police states of the near future, and you can bet on that.

    All in all, thanks Clark for crafting such a strong and succinct article! We need more people to stand up and fight for our personal liberties at school, especially gun rights. Not only is it a matter of individual freedom, but it is also a matter of safety. As for Simon, ask a buddy to take you out shooting and learn what it means to be a responsible gun owner. You’ll be surprised at what you hear, and you’ll likely change your attitude about personal gun ownership.

    God bless you and our country,

    -Sam