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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (June 1, 1994)
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Deion’s p those -r<4-v» r ; up for /e’ll see ;le it out ith their * playoff 3 an es- ith good vill pro- But I Dulled a Braves. ...Neon I know? a simple trades ; me. f lead anley, iver A.P)-The heir first eep mak- mselves. straight time in w a one- ninute of Martin ancouver te to go, nd that ive in his 3 playoff k to 16 ottled up by the ce faked nseman ap Steve into the sad stand ired on a third pe- ngers up when he pass and the left [cLean’s ' a check snseman the puck send the lot Van- st half of m made against ;r, Mark ves and Wednesday ♦ June 1, 1994 P; ;e 5 -CAM. OFP1X6 \ awauitT wf V ^ . Vu5LAT ; N THE '^ T# , /WAf?17VA>£ lVa R''6HT6F« 40 h Gun control protects everyone American society's fixation with firearms increases violence G uns have infiltrated American society on every level. It begins in childhood, when little boys and girls pick up toy guns and re-enact the forced, illegal and unethical takeover of America by white European males. “Cowboys and Indians” is much more than a harmless game, because it teaches children that guns are fun, that they are toys, and that they are something everyone should have. Guns are not any of those things. One of the most recent statistics on guns, quoted in the Houston Post, states that bringing a gun into a home increases the chance of the inhabitants suffering a gun- inflicted wound by over 50 percent. In an April 18 story on suicide, Newsweek reported that a study of depressed teenagers showed the single difference between adolescents who shot themselves for no easily apparent reason and those who did not was if their parents kept a gun in the house. The National Rifle Association (NRA), though it has lost the support of almost all mainstream, moderate supporters, continues to argue for NO GUN CONTROL. This group wants all guns available to any one at any time, as well as all types of ammunition — even “Black Talons,” the so-called cop-killer bullets. This ammunition is so dangerous that U.S. law enforcement agencies stopped endorsing the NRA. The vote on the bill to outlaw these bullets was incredibly close after heavy lobbying by the NRA, and passed only after extensive campaigning by Congress members in favor of the ban. The idea that this minority group of people, no matter how vocal and fervent, wants to preserve this danger to me, my family and my friends because of some flawed legal arguments makes me furious. The claim that the Second Amendment to the Constitution guarantees private citizens the right to keep and bear arms is completely unfounded. The writers of the Constitution did not intend this right for the private citizen, but for civilians in the state militia. Dr. Jon Bond, a political scientist at Texas A&M University, said that past Supreme Court interpretations of the Second Amendment all agree that it was originally, and meant to remain, a states’ rights issue. The framers of the Constitution almost certainly did not include this clause because they wanted every single man, woman and child to have a gun at their immediate disposal. Another overused argument against gun control is “protection.” This idea makes absolutely no sense. If someone comes into your house and points a gun at you, there aren’t too many things that you can do. The intruder will probably not give you a chance to get your gun and load it. Most intruders do not knock first and yell, “Hey guys, get your weaponry ready, I’m coming in to threaten your life.” Let’s assume the unlikely possibility that you do have the gun nearby and it is loaded. News flash — if two people point a gun at each other, one of them is VERY likely to be injured or killed. The vast majority of intruders just want money or goods. However, being faced with the barrel of a gun pointed by some pajama-dressed NRA member will inspire any scared thief to act in violent self-protection. Since you are the one who is half asleep and in shock, the intruder will probably shoot you first. Then all of the guns in the world won’t do you, or your family, any good. For the sake of argument, let’s go ahead and assume that you do shoot someone. Now you’ve won, right? What happens when your spouse and small children see the bloody corpse? Do you explain that it is OK to take a human life to protect an old television and a few dollars? Or do you dismiss the intruder as subhuman, and therefore, okay to kill? Who knows, they might have hurt someone in your family, right? It was self-defense, right? The rationalizations go on and on until you can finally convince yourself that it was okay to kill another human being. You were the judge, jury, plaintiff, and defendant in this person’s life. You played God. England and other countries provide us with examples of modem societies where even police do not carry guns. Their crime rate is breathtakingly lower than ours. Secure in our “right,” we have gun detectors in everywhere, from our airports to our elementary schools. Only one fact rises above everything: Guns KILL. Period. You, your family, your friends, and a few criminals. This is not a game, and no one gets a second chance. Elizabeth Preston is a junior English major ELIZABETH PRESTON Guest Columnist Editorials appearing in the Battalion re: the views of the editorial board. They do necessarily reflect the opinions of oti Battalion staff members, the Texas A< student body, regents, administration, faci or staff. Columns letters express , tf Contact the opinion editor for informa: on submitting guest columns. ’ " The Battalion Editorial Board Mark Evans, Editor in chief William Harrison, Managing editor Jay Robbins, Opinion Editor Presidential challenge Bowen must deal with change, growth Dr. Ray Bowen officially assumes the office of President of Texas A&M University today, succeeding Dr. William Mobley. Bowen, the 21st president of the University, takes the reins from Dr. E. Dean Gage, who has served as interim president since Mobley vacated the office. Gage has done a com mendable job in leading Texas A&M through a very trying year. He has represented the University ad mirably in the face of such controver sies as the NCAA sanctions against the football pro gram, multiple in vestigations of the Board of Regents and administration, nation wide attention focused on a professor’s claim that he turned mercury into gold, and other scandals. These past nine months have been the most difficult time for the Univer sity in recent memory, and Gage con stantly worked to maintain A&M’s in tegrity and reputation as a world - class institution. For this we extend him our thanks and best wishes for the future. Bowen, who earned his bachelor’s and doctorate degrees in mechanical engineering from Texas A&M, will not find the job to be any easier. He faces the challenge of keeping A&M unified as it continues to grow as a diverse, multi ethnic community. Mobley, who was pro moted to chancellor last September, wants Bowen to fo cus on undergrad uate programs and research issues to make A&M an even stronger uni versity. Student Body President^ Brooke Leslie says Bowen should concen trate on hiring good in structors and make teaching a priority. In addition, he will have to work to ensure the integrity of the athletic program and boosters and deal with changes in leadership and training in the Corps. We welcome Dr. Bowen back to Texas A&M and wish him the best as he assumes this important position. Children today forced into JAY ROBBINS Opinion Editor A nne Rice, the author famous for her fantasy horror novels, recently told Vibe magazine: “We will not face the fact that kids are maturing three years earlier than we did in the past... [T]hey want into adult life ... They don’t want to play with dolls, they don’t have time. I don’t know Rice’s qualifications for making those generalizations, other than the fact that she once was a child and is now a parent. Probably that’s more than enough to gain a limited perception of today’s kids. Regardless of who said it, that quote brought to mind an interesting question about today’s society. Does “adulthood” begin earlier in life than it used to? Probably not, but that answer might easily appear to be different. Todays typical grade-schoolers already know more about computers than their grandparents ever will. The risk of AIDS has necessitated detailed sex education for almost every child old enough to understand that the stork doesn’t deliver new babies to the back door. The widespread drug culture includes 12-year-old pushers and addicts in the fourth grade. Catch phrases like “children having children” and “children killing children” label this category of social concern for the politicians. We hear on the nightly news about criminals who should be in junior high classrooms rather than jails. A year ago, right here in Bryan, a 15-year-old student stabbed a classmate to death following an altercation at a track meet. Police have arrested a different 15-year-old, along with an adult, in connection with last week’s murder of two A&M students. Everyone’s horror, amazement or disgust at these new aspects of modern childhood centers around the fact that children are behaving like adults. But “behaving” is the operative word here. Children don’t have to “want into adult life” — they’re automatically thrown in whether or not they are grown up enough to handle it. Due to changes in the basic makeup of American society, children’s level of personal responsibility has increased drastically over the course of one generation. They must remember to adult world, responsibility “Just say ‘No’” when they’re confronted with drug deals in school restrooms. When even timid, naive sexual experiences spread deadly diseases, they have to maintain the self-discipline to abstain, or find the guts to buy contraceptives. Many kids go home from school to lock themselves in an empty house while both parents finish the workday. Others babysit younger siblings while their single parent goes Children's level of responsibility has increased drastically. They don't have to "want into adult life" — they're automatically thrown in whether or not they are grown up enough to handle it. off to the midnight shift. Instead of attending seminars on how to better take care of their children, parents now teach their children to take care of themselves. Responsibility for yourself can become quite a heavy load to bear —just ask any college student. No wonder so many youths today share the task of watching out for themselves by forming gangs or always hanging out in the same place. With overall economic decline and social evolution rampant in modem society, even the most sheltered child might find the difficulties of life too overwhelming. Social ills affecting children, like juvenile crime and the epidemic of drug abuse, breed and thrive in that environment. When responsibilities are significant, the ramifications of irresponsibility swell in magnitude. Adulthood doesn’t begin earlier, but its trial's and pains are visited on America’s children in an ever-increasing proportion. Faced daily with choices based on values and confidence that would make a 40-year-old cringe, children can’t help but make mistakes. Sometimes even the most obvious lines between right and wrong, wise and unwise disappear in the haze. The murders, rapes, thefts, < and general hatred we hear about are the result. A child misbehaving is still a child, without the advantages of adult maturity and experience to serve as a guide. It’s too bad that most children now have to learn the lessons of life by dealing with adult problems, and making adult mistakes. MNMBHHNNNHMHMMNMNHHMNNMMHMNMNHNNMNHHMMNMNMnNMHHBMMMi Jay Robbins is a senior English and political science major Prison system needs reform There is little doubt that we have a serious problem with crime in America, especially with how we deal with those committing the crimes. Recent studies by the Federal Department of Corrections have put the recidival rate, or percent of convicts who will commit another crime and return to prison, as high as 85 percent in some cases. Why then, is this system still intact? The first prisons in America were wretched places. Emphasis was placed on catching and trying lawbreakers, and each warden ran things in whatever way he saw fit. Any convict who broke any of the many rules was punished swiftly. Beginning in the ’60s, courts began to dictate how every prisoner must be treated, and every precaution must now be taken to insure that none of the prisoners’ civil rights are violated. Did you know that the administration cannot punish a convict simply for refusing to work, and any inmate can damage a guards career simply by making allegations? Reforming a convict under the present system is ridiculous. Even convicts don’t believe that you can reform someone who doesn’t want to be reformed. Under the current system, we take prisoners, lock them up for X number of years, then set them free and expect them to become productive members of society. I believe that we have to make prisons a place that people will do anything to avoid and if sent there, will make sure they never return. I realize that prisons are only a small part of a larger social prob lem, but each part must be fixed in order for the whole to get better. I have identified four areas that I feel could greatly improve our prison system. We have to set up a new system or alternative for some non-violent offenders and drug offenders. It makes no sense to parole violent offenders to make room for someone sentenced for possession of drugs, or tax fraud. These people should still be pun ished, but in other ways. Second, when someone breaks a law, they should have forfeited all but the most basic rights. I do not condone police brutality but it has gotten to the point that the prisoners have more rights than the average law abiding citizen. This should include a limit to appeals — for instance two appeals after the initial trial — to be completed in a certain amount of time. And finally, increase use of the death penalty. In my opinion, if you commit premeditated murder, you should receive the death penalty if convicted. If you knew that you would be trading your life for their life when you pulled the trigger, the death penalty would be a deterrent. While these things are be no means comprehensive, I do believe they are a good start. It is time for law-abiding citizens to fight back against criminals and the system that coddles them. If enough people start voicing their opinions, perhaps politicians will begin really making changes rather than just talking. Tim Miller College Station 1 1 ""-T" ^ T-'V * The Battalion encourages letters to the . . Address letters to: editor and will print as many as space allows. Letters must be 300 words or less The Battalion - Mail Call and include the author's name, class, 013 Reed McDonald and phone number. "* Texas A&M University We reserve the right to edit letters for College Station, TX 77843-1111 length, style, and accuracyi Fax: (409) 845-2647 •
