Date: Fri, 10 Mar 1995 19:50:39 -0600 From: Scott Bennett To: firearms-alert@shell.portal.com, firearms-politics@cup.hp.com Subject: MEDIA: _Chicago_Tribune_ pans concealed carry bill It's time to get out your letter-writing implements again. We need to deluge _The_Chicago_Tribune_ for an editorial that appeared today, spouting lies and distortions about historical fact, criminolo- gical research findings, and what constitutes civic responsibility. The editorial is appended to this note. Please read it, then write. The Trib's email address for letters to the editor is tribletter@aol.com. And if anyone reading this knows how to contact Dr. Suzanna Gratia, who watched her parents die at Luby's in Killeen because she had abided by Texas law and left her gun in her vehicle, please pass along a copy of this editorial to her. She may wish to respond, too. Scott Bennett, Comm. ASMELG, CFIAG Systems Programming Computer Center Northern Illinois University DeKalb, Illinois 60115 ********************************************************************** * Internet: bennett@netmgr.cso.niu.edu bennett@cs.niu.edu * *--------------------------------------------------------------------* * "The jury has a right to judge both the law as well as the fact in * * controversy."--John Jay, First Chief Justice, U.S. Supreme Court * * in Georgia vs. Brailsford, 1794 * ********************************************************************** F o r g e t t h i s g u n f a n t a s y With so much violent crime in the news, it's natural to imagine how one might react if confronted by an armed robber. Turn over your wallet without complaint? Run away? No, better to pull out that .357 magnum under your coat and give the creep a taste of his own medicine! In your dreams, maybe. But in reality, you very likely wouldn't get a chance to draw your weapon before your assailant had you in his sights. And if you did reach for your gun, that mugger could be scared into doing something he hadn't planned on: firing his. Truth be told, the gun you dream of toting on your belt or in the glove compartment is much more likely to end up shooting you or someone you love than some bad guy. It could also make you highly vulnerable to fits of temper or bad judgment. Remember the Louisiana fellow who blew away a home invader on his front porch only to discover the poor fellow was just seeking directions to a house party down the block? It's for good reason that the training of police officers includes many hours on the use of deadly force. The stakes are worth remembering now that the Illinois legisla- ture is toying with the idea of making it easier for ordinary citi- zens to carry guns. Earlier this month there was introduced in the Illinois General Assembly something called the "Citizens Safety and Self-Defense Law." Sponsored by Sen. Kirk Dillard (R-Hinsdale), the legislation would allow ordinary, non-felon citizens over 21 to obtain a con- cealed weapon permit after paying a $100 fee and showing proof they have taken a gun-safety course. The theory here, as promoted by the National Rifle Association, is that armed criminals will think twice about accosting honest citizens if a goodly number of the latter are prepared to defend themselves with lethal force. Some call it the "Dodge City" approach to curbing gun violence. Similar laws have been on the books in some states for years, but there is[sic] little data to show that legalized "carrying" affects handgun crime rates one way or the other. There is ample anecdotal evidence on both sides--about shootings that erupt out of minor traffic accidents because an irate motorist had a gun; about shootings that might have been stopped if only somebody did have[sic] a gun, as with the slaughter of innocents at a Luby's Cafeteria in Texas and aboard that Long Island commuter train. Those were horrible incidents, yet it is doubtful that different state laws would have produced an armed hero, or that the prospect of one would would[sic] have dissuaded the lunatic gunmen. Putting more guns on the street, especially in the hands of non- professionals, is not the way to go. What's needed is a law to make it harder for jerks to get guns, not one that resorts to the law of the jungle. -- _The_Chicago_Tribune_, 10 March 1995