Letter to the Editor on NIU shootings

Teresa · February 21, 2008, 05:40:38 PM

I have to share this with you. I am sure that there are those of you who think I am somewhat of a radical.
I'm not. And I am not a 100% die hard stanch Republican either. I don't agree with all the Republicans viewpoints. But what I am passionate about is the AMENDMENTS TO THE U.S. CONSTITUTION.
Not the Constitution in some persons interpretation.... or some politicians or "group " who decides that they THINK that what our founding fathers REALLY meant was... blah blah blah....
Poppycock!! The Constitution was written and signed as is..and should stand on its own as such.
If that makes me a radical in some eyes.. then so be it!

I am so tired of seeing the "Gun Free Zones" in all the places of business. Why don't they just add an open invitation saying it is a " free killing zone" for all sick demented individuals

It could read in big bold letters:
"Come on in. If you have any type of murderous malicious intent on this establishment or on the people inside.. feel free to go right ahead and execute your plan. There will be no law abiding civilians armed in here. In fact.. you will be the only one with a gun in this whole place. How great is that for you? Don't worry about having to reload in a hurry.. heck just take your time. There isn't a soul in this place to stop you .. and YOU KNOW IT! So you just kill away.. while the unarmed scared sheep scatter and scramble desperately trying to stay alive."

Am I Pissed??? Ohhhhhh... you have no idea......

This was written by one of our forum members on Down Range and (in my opinion) it is right on.. and says it all. He sent it and of course hasn't received any feedback as of yet.
.

Here is his post:

Here in Northern Illinois we're getting, as you might expect from a liberal big city, hue and cry for more gun control in the wake of NIU. Here's my Letter to the Editor I've sent to the Chicago Tribune, Sun-Times, Daily Herald and my local paper. I highly recommend everyone get their letters in to papers and legislators. Don't let the media win this one!

Calls for more gun control in wake of NIU shootings are naive

I've been horrified twice in the last week. First, I was saddened that our society has produced another sick, twisted individual that committed suicide and took others with him at NIU. Secondly, I'm disgusted by the simpleton arguments that many are using by calling for more gun control after this shooting. Frankly, it scares me even more that people apply this same kind of emotional logic in picking their political candidates, but that's another topic.

The litany of cries is predictable. The letters to the editor I've seen recently include statements like "When are we going to ban handguns? If only the shooter didn't have those we'd be safe" or "Letting people have guns is crazy. People can't handle their emotions...they'll just start shooting" or "Only the police or military should have guns. They'll protect us."

FACT: The "technological genie" of guns is out of the bottle. The idea that you'll ban them and get them out of the wrong hands is naive. Criminals don't obey laws. Remember how well Prohibition worked in the 1920's? And what if we could get rid of guns? A society where the physically strong prey on the weak is not a place I want to live...think Rwanda and machetes if you don't understand what I'm talking about. Ask older people in England if gun control works and they'll tell you about their skyrocketing violent crime rate and roving gangs of young thugs that beat and murder them for fun.

FACT: "Gun Free Zones" like university campuses could better be called "Government-Sponsored Killing Fields". Crazies see these places and know they will be completely unrestricted in creating mayhem. Clamping down with ubiquitous police patrols and metal detectors and checkpoints at every turn only serves to make George Orwell's "1984" society look free and open by comparison.

FACT: Allowing citizens to arm and protect themselves works. 48 states (but not Illinois or Wisconsin) recognize the right of their citizens to protect themselves and their families through concealed carry laws. In every case, the crime rate has not risen, and in fact has fallen after the law was passed. Anti-gun zealots have predicted that "blood would run in the streets" and "people will have shoot-outs over traffic incidents". In every case, they have been proven wrong...these incidents just don't happen. US Justice Department studies show that concealed carry permit holders have dramatically lower crime rates than the general population.

FACT: Armed citizens stop murderers. There is a saying "When seconds count, the police are only minutes away". Police responded within 2 minutes at NIU. While that was a fantastic response time, the mayhem was already completed. Multiple incidents have been stopped by armed citizens, although the media rarely reports this. Look up Appalachian State Law School or the Colorado Springs church shooting for two of many. Israel has stopped terrorist attacks on schools by arming teachers.

Want to stop the mass shootings? Stop publicizing every tiny detail about the shooter. The vast majority of these individuals are convinced they've been wronged, often have a history of mental illness and want to go out in a flurry to show everyone how bad their life was. When we plaster their name and picture all over the media we give them exactly what they want and encourage others to follow in their footsteps

I think this about covers it all~~~~~~~~~

Teresa · February 21, 2008, 05:52:50 PM

I understand that some of you think that issue doesn't pertain to you. I disagree. It is effecting all of us and will continue to do so as long as our god given rights continue to be altered and taken from us.
This issue revolves around me every day. This IS my world. I am smack dab in the middle of the political mess of our 2nd amendment issues. Kjell works closely with the NRA and he and Michael Bane work tirelessly in lots of areas to fight for this freedom that we still have. I am around "gun people" most of my waking hours.. and they are responsible, law abiding citizens. If there is trouble... I would hope for your sake that SOMEONE who had a license to carry a firearm, would be there.

Take the time to listen to these 2 videos form Glen Beck.
Thanks..

frawin · February 22, 2008, 07:47:48 AM

Teresa, we are a family that likes guns, both of our sons, and grandsons like to hunt with their Dad/Grandpa and our daugher does too! I like to "tag along" with them. I don't carry a gun, as I don't feel like I am good at it. I do love to go to the rife range with them and do like to shoot there. In fact, our 11-year old grandson got a beautiful tom turkey last spring and our 9-year old grandson got a 9-point buck this winter. Frank mostly hunts birds and we think they are very good eating. Pheasant, chukkar, and quail. Dove are good as well, if they are prepared correctly.

We feel if some of these take our guns away, the criminals are going to get guns anyway. There's always a way to get them, and the people who use them for recreation aren't going to have them. There may come a time when we may need them for protection. We are NRA people too!

mlw

Ole Granny · February 22, 2008, 09:34:52 AM

Our grandsons enjoy the shooting range and have met many older gentlemen who are very helpful while becoming good friends. Shooting develops concentration and respect. The first bagged pheasants were such a thrill. Usually they go with their grandfather to the shooting range but all of us go out to the field. Competition between the boys leans toward perfection. Younger one always wanting to surpass his older brother. It is a good thing.

frawin · February 22, 2008, 09:50:49 AM

When our boys were growing up in West Texas, they had a 4-H shooting group. They met at the shotgun range, shot clay pigeons. They really enjoyed it. I believe they still have that going on. It taught them safety, as well as shooting skills.

mlw

Sarge · February 22, 2008, 11:38:53 AM

During WW II the Japanese had plans to invade the US, but it was scrapped because the commanding General knew that his troops would be met by people armed with much more than just pitch forks and shovels. During WW II the British begged the US populace to send them guns for their defense as they had none. The revolutionary war was started when the British entered Concord to disarm the Colonial populace. The 2nd Amendment has nothing to do with hunting or target shooting. The founding fathers never dreamed that there would be any opposition to hunting, but they did know that they never wanted the US citizens to be subjected to government oppression. Having the God given right to own a firearm and protect yourself, family and property is the difference between being a citizen and an subject.

Teresa · February 23, 2008, 01:36:29 AM

Thank you for that Sarge.. You are exactly right!

Preventing School (and anywhere else) Mass Murders
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Some people will be shocked at the tone of this article. They should be.
If we listed all the shootings in schools and churches, and any other "gun free" area, this document would still be downloading!

It would be quite a list. Well, we have what? Three school shooting in the last couple of months. We can only speculate why these events happened. Being good, we cannot fathom what goes on in the mind of evil. And make no mistake my friends, there is in fact evil out there. But lets see if we can solve this problem of evil men targeting the weak.

What did these places and events all have in common?

1). Guns were specifically not allowed on the premises by official policy or by law. Some locations have specific legal prohibitions, while others rely only on "company policy".

Murderers will ignore signs telling them something is prohibited. Clearly, if the state prohibits guns on campus, the good people will obey and leave their guns at home. But quite clearly these signs did not dissuade the killers. Think about it. The only people obeying the law and the signs were the good people...the victims.

What is the reason behind the "No Guns" policies? Many in authority seek control above all else. They want to control things and people walking about armed cannot be controlled as easily. Obviously they lose control when the sign-ignoring, armed killers come.

2). Those inside were unarmed and totally helpless. The terrorist would call these gun-free places, "soft targets". Notice how none of these terrorists ever picks a gun store, or a police station, or even a shooting course?

3). The police were called to each one of these events. But unless the police happen to be exactly there when the shots are fired, and have the mental perspective and courage to run to the sound of the guns for the sole purpose of locating and killing the gunman outright, the delay in response will be several minutes under best case scenario. And once there, even with the extensive "Active Shooter" training in police circles, the over riding goal is to control and capture, rather than to locate and kill the gunman, that being the only real way to prevent the death of innocents..

4). The events were eventually resolved by the police presence, but not without some victim deaths. Repeatedly we see that in the majority of these events, the killing is done fairly quickly in the beginning moments of the event.

5). There has been some discussion about arming teachers. As the late great Col. Jeff Cooper said, "One is no more armed because he possesses a pistol than he is a musician because he owns a piano".
In such events, teachers and principals will be useless unless they have self-selected themselves to cultivate the very opposite of what their job is. How many teachers or principals have the internal strength to pull a trigger on one of their students? How many would do the things we would do? I'm sure there are some, but they are certainly not in the majority..

How can we prevent the next one? (And there will be a next one)

1). Understand that your safety is your own responsibility. Carry a weapon...everywhere. Company Policy says you can't? Hide your gun better. Law says you can't? Tough choice isn't it, but I'll point out some dead people who would love to be live outlaws.

Can't have a gun under your circumstances? Then carry a knife and learn how to use it offensively. Spend money and get trained with your knife. Buying another competition 45 will do you no good if you cannot carry it with you 24/7/365. Are there metal detectors? Carry something deniable as a weapon but easy to stab with. You need to be armed. If the rules prevent you from doing so, find a way around them. Sometimes to survive, you have to think like a criminal.

A knife may not be an equal to a shotgun, but you have a choice. You can die on your knees defenseless, asking yourself why you obeyed the sign, or you can die killing the crazy gunman. You might even prevail against him.

2). Make those who pass these stupid "no gun" laws responsible for their decisions. The parents and family members of the victims should sue the pants off of the institutions who support such stupid policies. Sue the Jewish Center. Sue the school. Sue the principal of the school, the board of education, the police chief, the mayor, the governor, everyone. I'm certain there are plenty of pro-gun attorneys here. Put your skills to use. If these people do not understand morality and the Constitution, perhaps they will understand poverty.

3). Teachers and principals aren't interested in CCW, push for an armed cop at the school during all school hours. If this takes some extra tax money, consider it cheap insurance. In police circles, the job of a "school resource officer" has always been characterized as a cushy job suitable only for those who don't want to work on the streets. This needs to change and change right now.

If the city has money to fly the mayor around, and work incessantly on perfectly good streets, they can put a police officer on duty at every school during school hours. And by the way, we need an armed and trained officer who will run to sound of the guns, not some fat donut-eating slob three weeks from retirement. You pay the tax that employs them and the customer is always right.

Take a page from the Liberals. MAKE NOISE!!

4). Many of the kids were actually corralled by the school officials into rooms ready for the gunmen. This lock down concept is again the product of "controllers". A locked door will not dissuade anyone who wants to get in. As your kids get older teach them that rules are relative. My kids have always been told to ignore orders if the orders seem stupid. Not rules specifically.. but orders.
How easy is it to break down a door and kill a classroom in lock down? Make sure your kids have standing orders to run like hell if they hear shots in a school. Promised them that they will not get in trouble. Teachers would also be better served by telling the kids to run. One teacher mentioned that they cannot "lose control of the classroom like that". I told her that when the bad guy kicks the door in and begins shooting she will have already lost control. Teach the kids about cover, and how to RUN!

Also as they get older teach them about ferocity and how to put a man down for good with what they have. Teach them how to bludgeon a head with a chair or a sack of quarters. Teach them how to stab a pencil into the gun man's eye. Their safety is eventually their own responsibility as well as yours.

Carl Harrod · February 23, 2008, 10:52:29 PM

I don't remember all of the details as to how it came about, but you can remember the outrage and concern when it was decided to allow airline pilots to carry handguns. This was supposed to allow them a way of protecting themselves and their passengers. I can easily draw a comparison between those pilots and a teacher who wishes to protect their students. I am not suggesting in any way that it should be mandatory for teachers, but there should be an opportunity for those who are willing to take on that responsibilty

sixdogsmom · February 23, 2008, 11:30:51 PM

Perhaps it is time to take a close look at the things youngsters see nearly every day. All the death and destruction, blood and gore they are exposed to in the name of artistic freedom and freedom of speech and entertainment. It is an adult responsibility to see that kids are not exposed to that sort of thing on a daily basis. Their brains, physche, and character aren't developed enough to handle that sort of thing. And what parent in their right mind would purchase games of such violent nature for their children. Then they wonder why they have no ability to feel anything for other people. The ONLY thing is their own popularity. Too bad, so many are exposed to so many bad things so early on life, and would consider actions such as school shooting as being cool. I cannot recall even a single school shooting in my own school days; we certainly had plenty of weapons available. So there has to be some basic difference from that time to now. I would challenge the mental health community to work dilligently on this problem, as there is something we are doing wrong in modern times. Perhaps it is the lack of religious training, yet I don't think that is the whole answer. And no, I really don't want to live in an armed camp, nor do I want to see that in the schools. But I suppose if that is the only way-----?

Teresa · February 24, 2008, 11:55:57 AM

You are right... What our children are exposed to in so many areas, is a big part of the decline and ruination of our world.
It saddens me like you can not believe. I see how my grandchilden have to grow up so fast and already ..at the age of 1 and 6,
they are exposed to more negatives than I was at the age of 17.
Unfortunately, to survive... they are also going to have to be prepared to defend themselves in many ways and in many forms. It is only going to get worse.