Posted by
Adam Armer on Sunday, February 17, 2008 2:28:55 AM
Adam Armer for State Representative 2008
I want to be very clear on this issue. Defending my life, and the lives of my wife and children, is a God given right, period. The second amendment protects this right. It is clear to me that if the state of Illinois protected that right, then maybe the recent shootings would have rendered less loss of life, and been less of a tragedy. That being said, we live in Arizona where our governor, in the wake of Virginia Tech, vetoed a bill that would allow security on a university campus to carry firearms. I am concerned about how much it will take to get some people to wake up. The times that we live in, are in many ways more dangerous than those of the lawless west. Senate bill 1214 is a sign that some of us do get it. This bill would give those of us with CCW permits the right to carry on school campuses. There are those who argue against the bill, saying that all these gun toting people scare them, or that these occurrences do not happen frequently enough to change the laws. Well in my opinion, once is enough. Who is to say where and when I can defend my life.
This bill would allow those with conceal permits to carry on campus. One passion filled argument I here from the left is; they would feel less secure knowing that all those guns were around them. Now, what our friends on the left do not understand, is that those CCW permit holders tend to be more law abiding than average. I was speaking with a retired NY city police officer friend of mine, when he revealed to me that only 1/10th of 1% of CCW holders commit any type of crime. There is no debate, these shootings end the instant a law abiding citizen or peace officer confronts the terrorist with a firearm. So as far as this argument goes, I do not think it is wise to base law on emotion, rather than fact, logic, and security.
I have heard it be said that these tragedies happen so rarely that there is no need to change the current law. Simply put; since when, is just one life not worth defending?
Fueled by passion, a lack of understanding, and a lack of clarity, those on the left wish to restrict firearms from the rest of us. This would leave only the criminals and the government with guns. This is a scenario in which I am not comfortable. No one should be able to restrict the right to carry firearms. For it is not just a restriction on firearms, it is a restriction of self defense and the 2nd amendment.