Posted on 08/04/2007 10:30:58 AM PDT by 2nd amendment mama
In the aftermath of the Petit family slayings in Cheshire, we all reached for explanations: How do human beings sink this low? How could this tragedy have been prevented? Why? There are so many nagging questions. They all need to be asked. And maybe some old arguments need to be hashed out again.
Why not a more stringent "three strikes and you're out" law in this state? Connecticut's version is so weak that it's more like "30 strikes and we'll think about it while you strike again."
Why not speed up the criminal trial process for repeat violent offenders? Get them off the streets. It's been proposed many times. Most people agree it should be done. It never happens.
Can't we better monitor the probation process?
Can't we do a better job of predicting -- figuring out which non-violent criminals are about to turn violent?
Are home alarms really effective?
How about dogs?
But somehow all of these ideas pale before the barbarity of this particular crime.
That is why one old question is worth asking again. It is this: What if the Second Amendment is for real? Is it possible that it should it be revered, just like the First Amendment?
Sam Ervin said, "The Constitution should be taken like mountain whiskey -- undiluted and untaxed." Maybe that applies to all of the Constitution.
Is it possible that the Second Amendment is not a quaint and antiquated remnant of a world that will never return, but an idea as relevant and sound today as when it was written?
Is it possible that we are not talking about the right of the government to form a militia when there is no standing army, but the right of the individual to defend himself, or herself, against both tyranny and lawlessness? Maybe we are talking about the right of self-defense -- the right of the individual to take up arms against a government that wants to oppress, be it foreign or domestic. And the right of the individual to defend himself against criminals, brutes, and barbarians when local police seem unable to stop them.
Might the Second Amendment matter almost as much as the First?
I think the answer is yes.
And just like the First, the Second is practical, newly relevant, and far wiser than the watered-down alternatives.
I don't think George Bush wants to impose martial law on his fellow citizens. But he has diluted habeas corpus. And he has enlarged Big Brother. You have to stop and think about a government that wants to control the thoughts and behavior of its people.
Should such a government be permitted to disarm them as well?
And whereas the reform of the criminal justice system along some of the lines suggested above (a real "three strikes" law and faster trials for violent offenders) would not have saved the lives of Jennifer, and Hayley, and Michaela Petit, a gun might have.
I don't say it would have.
I say it might have.
Had Dr. William Petit had access to a gun and known how to use it, he might have been able to dispatch the two perpetrators, who were armed with only an air gun and ropes.
Moreover, the three victims here were women.
What if Mrs. Hawke-Petit had been trained in the use of firearms? Suppose she had been able to get to a gun after her husband was beaten into unconsciousness by the invaders? Or when she was forced to take one captor to the bank to fetch him money?
It's worth thinking about.
Women and children are now the major targets of predators in our society. Government is not protecting them very well. Many professional women who work in cities know this and take courses in self-defense. A gun may be the only realistic self-defense against the sort of criminals we are talking about here.
And if a few women took care of a few thugs in cases like this; if a few stories like this one ended in a different way -- with a woman blowing one of these brutes to kingdom come -- it might be a deterrent. Lives upon lives might be spared.
A friend of mine said: "The gun nuts are back."
They are.
And they are right.
Mind you, we are talking about arming people who are trained and know how to use a weapon.
No one should have a gun who has not been trained.
Just as one gets training in handling a boat, motorcycle, or car, one must learn how to use and safely store a gun. (The National Rifle Association maintains an extensive national network of programs in firearms training and education.)
And, obviously, no one would be forced to own a gun.
A second caveat: Encouraging citizens to arm themselves is no "answer" to crimes like the Petit murders.
An "answer" does not exist.
But it is one of several remedies when we are faced with palpable evil.
All possible remedies should be on the table:
-- Various reforms of the justice system, like a real three-strike-law for predatory offenders.
-- Better psychological treatment for troubled youth.
-- Religious training, in both love and self-restraint, especially when people are young.
-- Prison programs that both retain the hard core and educate the educable.
-- More and better home alarm systems.
-- More cops visible in more neighborhoods.
-- Dobermans.
All of these approaches have merit.
So does self-defense.
None of these options "fix" a society that can produce human beings who torture and kill the defenseless for sport.
No one step or program can plug every hole in America's justice system, or its soul.
But there are times when a gun in the hands of a potential victim may save a life.
Let's admit -- since the murderers, and druggies, and psychos, and thieves already have guns -- that arming the peaceful, law-abiding, decent, and productive people, whether in a school, or a private home, or on the way to a parked car, is an option that also has merit.
--------
Keith C. Burris is editorial page editor of the Journal Inquirer.
Good thing you have a viscous dog, scary kitties and a mean midget to protect you.
I have an M1 carbine that will fire out of battery.
I dont shoot that thing much for fear i could have a similar KABOOM.
Of course that 30.06 has a lot more boom than a 30 carbine.
PS I had some awesome beef tostadas today that mad me think of your kick ass enchiladas!
20mm?
Hell, thats all you need for light anti aircraft fire! L0L
Great article.
Thanks for posting.
I need all the protection I can get.
The midget doesn't do much, though.. he's weak.
It may be a dietary problem.
I hit the abuse button on that one when I read it .............the Moderator evidently didn’t seem to think the comments from Popocatapetl to Eaker about you and your kids was out of line......or maybe the abuse button is broke or I did it wrong........could be my fault . Abuse button is tricky I suppose.
Real world POS who suggests harm to ones wife and children......
Yep, I'd lay five bucks on "your fault".. ;-)
I'm at $5500. Almost half way there.
Not sure how I'm gonna reload for that beast. I've got an old hydraulic press that my FIL used to use for pressing bearings on tractors. Might work in a pinch for seating and crimping the drive band.
Thank you my friend.
I also hit the abuse button, but requested that the post not be removed so all could see what an ass he is. Insulting a man’s wife & children to get a point across is just wrong & cowardly.
Yep Yep Yep........Blame is mine !
“Guns rarely make a bad situation better, but they can make an o.k. situation very bad, and quickly.”
Trust your government to keep you safe.
Idiocy.
Dude, if you fed the midget more than once a week maybe he could be a mini-body guard.
Thus you imposed the wrath of Humblegunner upon me ....thinking it was all my fault............:o)
Wimmin !
Stay safe Mom !
BTW was yesterday Allegras Birthday ?!?!?
I missed it.........had something really nice to give her (that my story anyway).......!!
Thanks, I hate to hit abuse. But, some posts are just plain stupid.
Spoil yer own midgets.
Me, I raise tough, starved and feral midgets.
Midget pampering can do you no good.
Big dump trucks full of gravel going 70 mph scare me, but I try not to pull out in front of them or keep them behind me when I drive.
Driving at 75mph in eight lane traffic scares me, but I drive really carefully.
Using my radial arm saw or my table saw can be dangerous, but I read and follow all safety directions and use guards and featherboards.
Guns are easy to use safely as long as you know and follow the safety rules. Like all other tools, they are sometimes just right for the job. Know how to use any tool safely and effectively, and there is no reason for fear.
Oh, that makes me want to cry!
Beef up all the structural members, and use a couple of 20-ton aircraft jacks, it should be no problem. Oh, you might want the press to be remote-controlled, and in an underground bunker...
It’s been quite a while since I played with stuff like that, but I don’t remember a crimp on the 20mm and 30mm shells I got to play with. I do remember quite a crimp on the .50 cal stuff, but I never got to shoot any of it.
(I did test & eval work on the GAU-8 30mm cannon in the A-10 back in the late 70’s, and picked up after a couple of aircraft accidents.)
“My guns don’t bark, don’t poop, dont need to be fed or taken for walks.........and they’ll sit peacefully on my night stand all night long.”
If I could only find a husband like that.
Damn. The Moderator removed the post. Now folks cannot see what an ass Popocatapedtl is ~ as I stated earlier - Insulting a man’s wife & children to get a point across is just wrong & cowardly.
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