Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, January 22, 1995 TAG: 9501240032
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: D-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: LARRY PRATT
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Such would have been the case for Marine Lance Cpl. Rayna Ross of Manassas had she not bought a firearm. In 1993, Ross was stalked by a former boyfriend who had already assaulted her with a knife and gun on two separate occasions.
The situation escalated to the point that Ross and her 1-year-old child were chased out of their apartment. They had to stay with friends, often moving to a different place every night.
Ross finally bought a firearm. Three days later, her tormentor broke into her home at 3 a.m. dressed in a black jumpsuit and armed with a bayonet.
She shot him dead; the local prosecutor later called it a ``justifiable homicide.''
Fortunately for Ross, this final encounter with her nemesis occurred in her home, where she can legally own a firearm. Had this stalker attacked her outside of her home, chances are she would have been unarmed.
In Virginia, the current concealed-carry law is not working. Judges in several counties routinely deny decent people their right to get a concealed-carry permit.
And thus, state Sen. Virgil Goode of Rocky Mount has introduced The Personal Protection Act to remedy this situation. His bill would force officials to grant a carry permit as long as the applicant can pass a background check. Del Frank Ruff is introducing the same legislation in the House of Delegates.
The numbers clearly show that Virginia needs a good carry law. Every year, more than 192,000 women use a firearm to defend themselves against sexual abuse. And about 500,000 citizens defend themselves with a firearm every year outside of their home. Decent people need to protect themselves outside of their home when the police are nowhere to be found.
Anti-gun doomsayers predict that if every honest citizen has a gun, people will be shooting each other in the streets, and crime will skyrocket. Not true.
Florida liberalized its laws in 1987, and now more than 258,00 citizens have permits to carry concealed guns. Only 18 of them have used their gun to commit a crime, according to Florida statistics.
Not only are honest citizens not using their guns unlawfully, they are creating a huge deterrent against crime. Florida has seen its homicide rate drop in the years following the law's passage - a 22 percent drop in the state while the national rate has risen 14 percent during the same time period.
Clearly, armed citizens are not hurting Florida. Word is getting around that citizens are armed. That means criminals will think twice before assaulting innocent citizens.
Even if guns were completely banned, criminals would get guns. The question is, when a criminal threatens you, and police are not there to protect you, will you be able to protect yourself and your family?
Larry Pratt is executive director of Gun Owners of America in Springfield.
Keywords:
GENERAL ASSEMBLY 1995
by CNB