From: [seth leigh] at [byu.edu] (Seth Leigh)
Newsgroups: rec.guns
Subject: Campus Newspaper prints my pro-gun article.
Date: 7 Nov 1995 21:44:00 -0500

Hi.
My campus Newspaper, the BYU Daily Universe (Unifarce to some ;-), has
printed some editorials and guest columns recently that were decidedly
anti-gun.  After the most recent of these, I called the editor of the paper
and asked if I could write a guest column, and surprisingly enough (to me,
anyways), he agreed.  So, I wrote a short article, and it was printed
today.  I will include the short article at the end of this post.  Keep in
mind that I know there are lots and lots of things which could have been
said, but I only had a maximum of 15 column inches, which is about
equivelant to two double-spaced pages in a word-processor.  This article
took up about 14.5 column inches.  Also keep in mind that I make reference
to the recent article, in which the author had in fact called us "gun
nuts," "gun crazies," and "gun freaks."  He had also implied that all of
us, once we get our CCW permits, will go shoot kids for stealing magazines
and stuff.  The headline given to this article was "Logic, knowledge
lacking among anti-gun advocates."  Wow, powerful title.  The article of
the previous, anti-gun article they printed was "Concealed Weapons a Threat
to Society."  Also, I did not check on the correctness of the figures cited
by the author of the previous, anti-gun article about Florida CCW laws.  I
just used the previous author's numbers, as they hurt his point a lot more
than they hurt my point.  Keep in mind also that I am a computer nerd (and
firearms enthusiast), not a journalist, so please, no flames as to the
style of the article.

Here is my article, as printed in today's Daily Universe:
"The media have invented many new and clever words to avoid offending just
about anyone, any condition, or any behaviour.  I find it highly ironic
then that media reports on gun rights, including a recent Viewpoint article
in the Universe, very often use such inflammatory and derogatory terms for
those who support gun rights as “gun nuts,” “gun crazies,” and “gun
freaks.” In my experience, when people stoop to such childish name-calling
in a debate, it is usually a good sign that they otherwise have no case at
all.

True enough.  In fact, the case of the anti-gun advocates is full of poor
logic, false assumptions, and downright naiveté.  Take the recent anti-gun
Viewpoint article.  The author asked the question, who do the law-abiding
citizens answer to if they use poor judgement in using their firearms?  The
answer to this one is simple.  If you use a firearm, whether in
self-defense or in a crime, your actions are subject to review by the
police, the district attorney, and, if they are deemed unlawful, by a jury
of your peers.   Obtaining a permit to carry a concealed weapon (CCW
permit) involves training in the safe, proper, and legal use of the firearm
you wish to carry.  The assertion by anti-gun folks that CCW holders will
start “pumping some kid full of lead for ripping off a Hot Rod magazine” is
merely emotional flak put up by people who have no real evidence of abuse
by CCW holders.

The author of the previous Viewpoint article stated that since 1987,
Florida has issued over 200,000 CCW permits, and that 17 of these had since
been revoked.  This is supposed to be bad news.  Well, if statistics could
kill, this one would tickle me to death.  17 out of over 200,000 is less
than one hundredth of one percent, and this statistic is supposed to scare
us?.  Note also that the 17 permits were not reported as revoked because
the permit holder actually committed a violent crime with their firearm,
but rather because the holder merely had a questionable background.

The anti-gun people like to paint images of Wild West style shootouts in
our streets, if ordinary law-abiding citizens are allowed to carry firearms
concealed.  Well, where are the shootouts?  33 states have followed
Florida’s lead in passing CCW legislation since 1987, and hundreds of
thousands and probably millions of permits have been issued in these states
since then, but the anti-gun folks still cannot show any evidence whatever
of any Wild West shootouts.  None, zippo, nada.  It just hasn’t happened. 
Should that surprise you?  No, not really.

The anti-gun people like to characterize gun rights supporters as being
paranoid.  Think about this.  Those who support CCW laws proceed from the
assumption that the vast majority of Americans have absolutely no desire
whatever to harm them, and that they will carry a gun only to protect
themselves, and maybe, if someone else is being attacked by thugs, to come
to their aid.  Those who oppose such laws proceed from the assumption that
every armed citizen out there is just waiting for that chance to pump us
all with lead if we smile at them wrong.  Now who is paranoid?

The government cannot, and will not, be there to protect each and every
citizen who falls prey to the violent criminal element.  The responsibility
to protect oneself falls on each person individually, a fact which CCW laws
do not create, but merely recognize.  CCW laws are no threat to society. 
In the end, it is the kind of thinking that the government needs to protect
everyone all the time, and take away individual rights and
responsibilities, which threatens society."

So, there it was.  I was actually mildly surprised that they would run this
article, considering the anti-gun bias of the several previous gun-related
articles they had run.  Another thing that surprised me was the invitation
by the editor to write more articles, which he would strongly consider
running.  Any suggestions as to a good topic?  Keep in mind that I do not
want to write an article that is simply filled with statistics.  It needs
to be a topic that uses good, sound, short logical phrases and arguments
that appeal to people's common sense.  There is simply not the space to
include lots of facts and figures.
-- 
Seth Leigh
email:  [s--h] at [byu.edu]
www:  http://bert.cs.byu.edu/~leigh/
Mac Programmer, RC modeler, Supporter of 2nd Amendment Rights
"They know they'll take away my guns when they pry them from my cold, dead
fingers. They're planning on it!"

For my brother Chad:  Check out The Electronic GunShop(sm):
http://www.xmission.com/~chad/egs/egs.html