From: [tom brunetti] at [satalink.com] (Tom Brunetti)
Newsgroups: talk.politics.guns
Subject: Just One Life, 3 of 3
Date: 21 Jul 93 13:49:33 GMT

This message was from DENNIS SANTIAGO to ALL
originally in conference ANEWS(Fido
and was forwarded to you by AGATA
                    ----------------------------------------
Op Ed Piece: Still No Solutions In Place to Save "Just One Life"
(Part 3 of 3)


Post-Killeen Analysis

Killeen, Texas created a different form of response.  Following
this incident, grass roots public sentiment demanded the
exploration of substantive options which would increase the
interdiction capabilities of the public to respond to a random
irrational attack.  The public outrage no effective method exists
to guard the public against the excessive loss of life at Killeen
resulted in the advancement of a concealed carry weapons (CCW)
weapons permit bill, Texas H.1976 patterned after similar
legislation in Florida and Oregon.

The basic concept of this public policy approach is to provide
people with a means to legitimately defend themselves during the
brief time period between when a life threat emerges and the
arrival of authorities.  In the case of Killeen, Dr. Suzanna
Gratia was almost in position to stop the attacker thus cutting
short the murder process.  One of the victims of Killeen, she was
within fifty feet of the handgun that could have saved both her
parent's lives and the lives of others.  It was in her car parked
outside because she obeyed the law that prevented her from
taking it with her into Luby's Cafeteria.  Both of her parents were
shot before her eyes.  Her mother as she shielded her dying
husband's body.  The lost opportunity to have saved more than
"just one life" is undeniable.

Bear in mind that the right of legitimate defense is a
fundamental principle of Texas law; however, at Killeen there was
no way to get to this right without first violating some other
intervening regulatory statute.  The same condition exists in
California both in terms of the existence of the right of
legitimate defense and of structural impediments.  Creating a
well structured pathway to this right was the objective of
H.1976.

As of this writing, H.1976 has been killed by Governor Ann
Richards despite popular support from both the public and the
Texas legislature.  Governor Richards' stated position for
opposing this public policy alternative stems from a lack of
confidence in the individual responsibility of the people of
Texas; a concern that does not seem well founded given the
positive experiences of similarly structured CCW laws in other
states.  The net effect is that Texans aren't any safer against
irrational random attack at this time either.  At least their
grass roots solution was targeted at the problem at hand.

Post-San Francisco:  What Now?

It's California's turn again.  Third time around for us if we
count the early warning we got years ago at that MacDonald's in
San Diego.  Are we ready to start dealing with this yet?  The
people of Texas, like the people of Florida and Oregon before
them, have at least been open enough to consider all
alternatives.  It's time California was bold enough to do the
same.  After all, if it can save "just one life", it's worth it.
Isn't it?


***************************************************************


Dennis Santiago is a Southern California resident and
businessman.  He directs the "Crime Deterrence Modeling Project";
a private effort to adapt US strategic deterrence policy analysis
methods to deal with domestic issues.

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