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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (July 27, 1988)
Page 2/The Battalion/Wednesday, July 27,1988 wsmmBBBmmaBaamm Shoot-outs are dead We have all heard the statis tics. The thou sands of deaths and injuries in this country cbmpared to other countries that have some sort of gun control laws. Oswald shot John Kennedy with a gun he bought by mail or- ^ m " m der from the National should have no limits on handgun acces- sablity: 1) gun control laws are unconsti tutional, 2) people need handguns for protection and, 3) if guns were illegal then only criminals would have guns, or take care of the crime problem and gun control will not be needed. I’ll begin with the myth that gun control is uncon stitutional. Jill Webb Rifle Associa tion’s (NRA) magazine. Sirhan Sirhan used a .22 caliber pistol to kill Robert Kennedy. James Brady was left perma nently paralyzed when he was shot with a gun that cost 30 dollars. The drive-by shootings, the shots fired by drunk, an gry or hate filled people are all made more probable by the accessablity of guns in our society. We at least need a seven to 14 day re taining period to do a background check on everyone who goes to buy a handgun. This would serve two pur poses. It would see if the buyer has a criminal record or a history of mental instability. It would also ward off the “impulse” buyer who wants to get a gun in a moment of passion, to harm himself or herself or others. Even such conser vative approaches to gun control are op posed by the NRA, which has one of the most powerful lobbies in Washington. Even though Jerald Vaughn, director of the International Association of Chiefs of Police called the NRA “one of the most potentially dangerous organiza tions in the United States today” and most other police organizations and ci vilians support some kind of gun con trol, the NRA is still able to spread its misinformation. Opponents of gun con trol say there are three basic reasons we The second ammendment states “A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.” As Robert J. Spitzer wrote in the June issue of America, “The Supreme Court has ruled that the Second Amendment safeguards the col lective right of citizens to be protected by an armed military, not the individual right to carry any type of gun . . .” The fact that we do not have a sweeping gun control act is not because of constitu tionality it is because of the political clout of gun control opponents. The Su preme Court has consistantly upheld gun control laws. Second, handgun owners often say they need their guns for protection. There are 120 million privately owned guns, and 75 percent of gun owners say self-protection is at least part of the rea son for having firearms. But the owners of the guns are not killing the burglars; they are killing innocent people. In a re cent study in Washington state, it was found that for each gunshot slaying for self-protection in a gun owning home, there were 43 suicides, homocides or ac cidental deaths by firearms. To break that down further, when someone was shot with a firearm, 84 percent of the time it was a suicide, 10 percent were slayings during an argument, three per cent were accidents, and just over two percent were for self protection. Of those, .05 percent were slayings of bur glars. Other than suicides, 55 percent of victims were family members, and 30 percent of the victims were friends and aquaintances. Obviously, the price our society pays in innocent lives is not enough to justify “self-protection.” Finally, gun control opponents say that if we made guns illegal, then only criminals would have guns. This is a catch phrase that does not have nuch basis in truth. Most organizations do not want to make guns illegal. The seven to 14 day wait to get a background check only makes it harder for individuals with mental problems and felons to get handguns, not other people. Also, continuing the same thinking, some say that we should crack down on crime, and the need for gun control will disap pear. I’m all for cracking down on crime, and part of doing that is taking away criminals’ guns. Also, the cost that society pays for handguns is not just re flected in the crime statistics, it is also part of the suicide statistics as stated above. Gun control opponents cry out for tougher penalties while they fight prevention. They speak about how ter rible the killing is, while they cherish the instruments of death. People have to take w ritten and prac- d river’s lb His wi of Ha They have to because we knowtk automoble is dangerous if not used B^> S 'sponsibly. We should have thesaineB ssl ol law s and exams for guns, whidiiBRay more dangeious. m<>ie .messable.iHe w country is paying for the N'RA’s) an<l e gam la with lives, and n is timewc: “i 1 !" 1 facts, looked at the death anninejj V( , and began to pass some laws to mflin certain that guns are not avaUBet i fkay j Jd ( Jill Webb is a senior secondary ec d own tion major and columnist for Thei aHe talion. itycan /h Protesting in a parking lot is a today thing to do It is a bit distres sing to see what has apparently be come of the art of protest in this proud country, a country founded on the spirit of dis sent. had guys calling and say, ‘Hey, you want to go out for pizza or burn down the ROTC building?’ ” I’ve looked over the protest schedule, and nothing sparked my interest. One needs only to look at this week’s Democratic National Conven- Lewis Grizzard There was a “die-in” Monday morn ing at 11 to promote the understanding of AIDS victims. We should feel great compassion people afflicted with that disease, but a “die-in” isn’t exactly how I want to start my week. tion to realize the truth of my words. There is something called a “Desig nated Protest Site” across the street from the Omni on Marietta Street. You’re not supposed to protest any where else. Tuesday, from 9 until 10:30 p.m., the Palestine Solidarity Committee will be on stage. I’ll have to miss that, too. I x’e- fuse to involve myself with the problems of the Middle East past 7:30. If I do, I have heartburn the next morning. There is even a schedule for protes ters. “O.K.,” the protest director will say, “Nationalists Movement’s time is up. Somebody tell the Legislative Equality for Gays and Lesbians they’re on.” There’s an interesting one Wednes day at 3 p.m. That’s when we’ll hear from the U.S. Congo Friendship Com mittee, a New York-based group that opposes the regime of Mobutu Sese Seko of Zaire. Didn’t he used to be a place kicker at Clemson? Isn’t protesting supposed to be more or less spontaneous? How can you have a schedule for protesters? Do you think the Boston Tea Party had to obtain an. official time? Thursday, the best bet seems to be Students for Jackson at 9 p.m. One thing Students for Jackson want is bil ingual education. I’m against that. Bil- iguals should not be allowed to go to school with normal children. Remember the 1960s. People made careers out of protesting back then, and nobody told them where or when they -could march around with signs. A group seeking legalization of mari juana already had its demonstration. “We like pot, and we smoke it a lot,” they chanted. Do you know what would have hap pened in 1968 if somebody had tried to build a designated protest site? The protesters would have burned it down. My own activist group. Spam-eaters of America, have decided the protests at the convention are being so regulated, we’re not even going to hold a rally. Too bad. A former protester from that era was talking about the way it used to be: “When I was in college,” she said, “I I thought, “We like Spam and we don’t give a damn,” had a nice ring. Copyright 1988, Cowles Syndicate Mail Call Call him Deep Throat EDITOR: Woodward and Bernstein look out! Richard Williams is boldly forging a new path of investigative reporting. His gripping, in-depth analysis of the selection process has revealed atrocities of a magnitude not seen since World War II. Most people would agree with you that the sexual revolution charged some of the views of the judeo- Christian morals and ideals or even “destroyed” them. Which of these ideals is the basis of our Constitution? Is the Constitution in danger? It’s a good thing we still have our basic freedoms, or we couldn’t have this public discussion. May the conspiritorial Board of Regents suffer eternal hell upon earth for its effort to select the President of Texas A&M. Come on, Mr. Williams, turn the page . . . we’re all getting a little “Board” of your monomaniacal columns!! Mark Cahill ’91 Drue Garrett ’91 You say that “even you may be the next AIDS victim.' It’s a good thing we have conscientious folk like you to warn the population about AIDS. Why, next thingyou know, they’ll be trying to tell people that you have to have sex with an AIDS carrier, share a hypodermic needle wi one or something like that to get the disease! Would you believe that some columnists use certain phrases like “you may be the next AIDS victim” to scare people intoangerai AIDS victims and carriers? Thank goodness we have people like you to educate the populace. It’s a mystery EDITOR: We have just one question Why is it that visitors can park in the student parking lots, yet students can’t park in the visitors’ lots? You mean that our administration dollars pay forthe CSS? That’s funny, the budget office told me thatfundinf for student organizations comes from private donations. Gee, though, it’s good to know that you stay on top of things for us. Rob Pannett ’89 Enquiring minds want to know! Dave Mendoza ’88 Rosanna Mendoza ’90 Come on, you Coppers EDITOR: In your debt, Mr. Hyde EDITOR: Since June 1, I have seen at least a dozen people on mopeds and bicycles being pulled over by University Police. Yet we read weekly in the police report about cars being broken into, property stolen, and, most seriously, young ladies being assaulted. Old Ag Hyde, I couldn’t resist the opportunity for some questions and comments ab xut your guest column “Homosexuals, please go home” of July 22. How refreshing to read something written by a calm, rational, unbiased, objective guest columnist! I had a little trouble following some of the logic in your column. Let me get this straight. vVill the President’s Commission on AIDS find the cure the minute they “admit the truth about AIDS?” I’m afraid that I can’t find the connection. You seem to say this is a crucial step. Have you notified Everett C. Koop of this inf ormation? Sounds like the priorities of our police departmental! screwed up a bit. There are some serious security problem around here and they need to be addressed in a more intense, conscientious manner. It’s time for these money grubbing bureaucrats to look past the dollar signs and stm attacking real problems Patrick Hays ’90 Letters to the editor should not exceed 300 words in length. The editorial stall' serves the right to edit letters for style and length, but will make every effort loaP tain the author’s intent. Each letter must be signed and must include the a tion, address and telephone number of the writer. BLOOM COUNTY The Battalion by Berke Breatft (USPS 045 360) Member of Texas Press Association Southwest Journalism Conference The Battalion Editorial Board Richard Williams, Editor Sue Krenek, Managing Editor Mark Nair, Opinion Page Editor Curtis Culberson, City Editor Becky Weisenfels, Cindy Milton, News Editors Anthony Wilson, Sports Editor Jay Janner, Art Director Editorial Policy The Battalion is a non-profit, self-supporting newspa per operated as a community service to Texas A&M and iryan-College Station. Opinions expressed in The Battalion are those of the editorial board or the author, and do not necessarily rep resent the opinions of Texas A&M administrators, fac ulty or the Board of Regents. The Battalion also serves as a laboratory newspaper for students in reporting, editing and photography classes within the Department of Journalism. The Battalion is published Monday through Friday during Texas A&M regular semesters, except for holiday and examination periods. 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