I was reading the Southwest Virginia Blog this morning and saw an interesting post by Amy Kovac about students at Virginia Tech trying to get permission to carry licensed firearms on campus. Ms. Kovac seems to be of the opinion that she’s safer if nobody around her is carrying a gun. The premise of her post seems to be that it’s better to let the police handle violent criminals. This is a fantastic idea, but criminals don’t always feel the need to cooperate in this sort of situation. Interestingly enough, criminals like to commit crimes when they think the police will not be present. In her post, Ms. Kovac linked to the comment section of one of her previous posts where a retired police officer disagreed with her. His well written comment is worth reading in its entirety, but here is my favorite part:
The Roanoke Times: Campus Watch: Safer with a six-shooter?
Should college students be armed? Let’s try a little thought experiment. You are sitting in your American Government class at Ivy Covered U. One hundred yards away down the hallway, a loon with a gun is approaching, intent on shooting your professor, and likely, anyone else about. With which of these statements do you agree?
(1) I would want to be armed myself, or have other capable people around me be armed to protect my life and the lives of others.
(2) I want everyone but the crazed gunman to be disarmed. All those people with guns are dangerous!
These are, you see, your only options in a deadly force situation, and that is why we carry handguns. Not to attack people, but because they are useful in saving lives in close range, deadly force encounters. Of course, if you’d wholeheartedly choose the second option, you’re pretty much hopeless in terms of logic and reasoning.
Mike, gets it right. The question isn’t about no guns or everyone having guns. Right to carry is about giving law abiding citizens the right to defend themselves when there are no other options.