The ability to cary concealed weapons deserves your vote

I would like to use this column to bring light to a topic that rarely gets media
exposure from the internal point of view, that of the right to own guns –
and more specifically – to legally carry them concealed for defense.
As you have probably heard, Michigan has just become the 32nd CCW ‘shall-issue’
state. This will take effect on July 1. Perhaps you have also heard all of the
usual horror stories circulating about the perils of CCW, such as accidental shootings,
fire fights over parking spots, increases in crime, or that police officers oppose
it. Why do people need to carry guns anyway?
First of all, I want to make it known that the laws and courts of this nation
have upheld that no law enforcement agency has any noted duty to provide protection
to any citizen. That’s right, you can ask any police officer and they can
tell you that at no time are they required to use lethal force to protect the
life of any person, though they sometimes do. What does this suggest? I take it
to mean that the responsibility of self-protection rests on the citizen, especially
when the Second Amendment covers that right very well, among other things. Let’s face
it, with as many hard-working police officers as there are out there, they just
can’t do the job alone, and most of them admit it. You have no doubt heard
the expression, “There’s never a cop around when you need one.”
A criminal is a businessman. Unless he is a crack-crazed psycho killer, he will
operate just as any businessman would, undertaking only the best-planned ventures
with the highest chance for success. Thugs pick weak prey. They wait until you
go into the darkest alley around, where they know there are no cops, and that
is when you will be mugged, shot or raped.
Of course, what does a criminal fear more than a policeman? The sight of a .38
coming out of a would-be victim’s purse…a policeman is trained to use
restraint; citizens are taught to shoot as soon as their life is threatened. These
incidents happen in the blink of an eye, when it is most advantageous to the attacker(s).
There is little or no time to react – a gun is almost always the best defense,
even if it is merely brandished at the criminal.
The only part of the CCW law that I am not content with is the amount of training.
This is not to say that most citizens are poorly skilled, in fact most are more
competent gun handlers than the police! It is just my opinion that the art of
marksmanship and threat management needs to be practiced often, like playing a
violin – the eight-hour mandatory course does not achieve this.
No, CCW holders are not Rambos running around with itchy trigger fingers, or shooting
people over fender benders. They are responsible, everyday people who carry unbeknownst
to everyone around them. In Florida, for example, out of 160,823 permit holders,
only 16 of them have had their licenses revoked due to irresponsible use between
1987 and 1993, while the homicide rate fell 40 percent.
Right now, several anti-gun groups are trying to overturn this bill by putting
it on the ballot so we can vote on it. They are trying to make it sound like Michigan
does not want this ‘dangerous’ law. But the voters of Michigan have
already spoken by re-electing so many pro-gun legislators, and swamping the others
with letters to support the bill. We have been trying to pass it for years in
light of the success of CCW in other states. Those people trying to overturn the
new law are a vocal minority, one of whom is our State Attorney General, Jennifer
Granholm, whose sworn duty it is to uphold Michigan law, no matter what that may
be.
However, it is against Michigan law to put a bill up for referendum that contains
fund appropriations, such as those in the CCW bill. Wayne Country Prosecutor Mike
Duggan, with the aid of a law firm will attempt to strip these funds out with
a legal suit, and push the petitions through. Granholm’s office will be legally
bound to defend against this suit, though I doubt she will try very hard. It is
therefore our responsibility to make sure we keep her on her toes. The media will
not likely shed any light on this – but she cannot be allowed to shirk her
duty. Please be aware of what is happening in our state, and inform politicians
of your opinions with e-mail – it’s easy!
For more information on these stats, see the FBI Unified Crime Reports, and John
R. Lott, Jr’s study, “More Guns, Less Crime,” (University of Chicago,
1997). These are the two most definitive sources on the subject, and you really
need look no further. Stay away from stats published by lobby groups.
I welcome criticism. In can be contacted at Barr1ap@cmich.edu.
Adam Barrett is a Livonia sophomore and a member of the Michigan Coalition
for Responsible Gun Owners.