THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, January 27, 1995 TAG: 9501270017
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A12 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Opinion
SOURCE: By RICHARD G. PARISE
LENGTH: Medium: 99 lines
In yet another bewildering display of paranoia and abandonment of common sense, gun-lobby puppets in the Virginia legislature are proposing that law-abiding citizens be allowed to carry concealed weapons. That is, they would be ``law-abiding'' until they sprayed a vehicle with bullets from a MAC-10 for cutting them off in traffic, or gunned down a grocery shopper because a cashier put items on the wrong bill, or wiped out a pick-up basketball player over a disputed foul call.
Concealed-weapon laws are in force in other states. The NRA loves to brag about Florida's concealed-weapon law, but that state has a violent crime rate 56 percent higher than the rest of the country, and the rate is up 16 percent since the law was passed. Here are a few examples from Dade County police files of residents carrying concealed-weapon permits:
``Suspect armed with handgun when arrested for possession of 10 plastic bags of cocaine.''
``Suspect armed with firearm when arrested for battery of his spouse. Permit is still valid.''
``Suspect arrested for aggravated battery with firearm. Victim was shot in stomach.''
``Suspect arrested for aggravated battery with firearm. Victim shot in leg.''
FBI records show that in 1991, only 249 of more than 12,000 Americans killed by handguns were justifiable homicides. Compare that meager 2 percent to the risk of having emotionally unstable people skulking around with loaded, high-power weaponry.
The nation's police strongly oppose such legislation. They are rigorously trained in using firearms and are far more alert to potential danger than the average citizen. Yet police killed in the line of duty rarely even fire a round at their assailant; in fact, the police officer's own firearm is often used to kill the officer.
A man carrying a concealed weapon recently opened fire inside Washington, D.C., police headquarters, killing a policeman and two FBI agents. Would an average citizen carrying his own concealed weapon fare better than highly trained law enforcement officers? The idea is absurd.
Even more alarming is the situation in which the ``law-abiding'' gun owner acts out his Clint Eastwood/John Wayne fantasies in public. Picture a shooting in a crowded mall or restaurant, with several would-be heroes firing hundreds of bullets from semiautomatic weapons in the cause of justice. Imagine the problems of police arriving on the scene having to figure out who the real crooks are as opposed to the heroes. The mind boggles.
The potential of victims carrying concealed weapons would only increase the number of them killed before robbery or other crime. If carrying concealed weapons became widespread, it would only be sensible for an assailant to simply shoot his victim rather than run the risk of getting shot himself.
Americans have demonstrated in poll after poll they do not want laws allowing concealed weapons to be carried. In one state, 70 percent were opposed; in another, 76 percent were opposed; in another, 66 percent; and in still another, 61 percent. Were these ``liberal'' Northeastern states? No! They were Texas, Michigan, Missouri and Colorado, none of them exactly known for anti-gun sentiment.
Why does the gun lobby promote this dangerous and harmful legislation? NRA President Tom Washington has stated, ``An armed society is a polite society.'' If that were true, this would be the safest place in the world instead of one of the most dangerous, and we're not even at war! Would you feel safer walking around malls, business districts, parks - any public place - if you were sure a number of people you were brushing shoulders with carried concealed semiautomatic assault weapons?
Guns, concealed or not, kill innocent people. Some recent news stories:
Two children, 11 and 13, were shot and paralyzed by their mother, who killed herself with the same handgun. The children survived five days without food.
A gunman killed two clerical workers in Massachusetts before coming to Norfolk and firing 23 bullets into an abortion clinic.
A 14-year-old girl frightened her parents as a practical joke, and her father shot and killed her. Her last words: ``I love you, Daddy.''
A 3-year-old shot and killed his 2-year-old sister with his father's rifle.
A man killed another man over a grocery cashier's error in Virginia Beach.
A San Francisco gunman armed with two assault rifles and three semiautomatic pistols sprayed 1,000 rounds in the city, killing a policeman and wounding others before he himself was killed.
A bullet fired into the air in New Orleans on New Year's Eve hit a young woman in the head and killed her.
Most or all of the killers were ``law-abiding'' citizens before they pulled the trigger on a handy gun.
How have we come to this sorry situation? A highly organized group representing arms manufacturers and dealers, but masquerading as representatives of hunters and sportsmen (why do hunters and sportsmen need to conceal their weapons?) controls legislators with gifts of money, wining and dining and threats of being voted out if they don't follow their orders.
The concealed-weapon bills are ill-conceived and dangerous. Innocent Virginians will die as a direct result if these bills are passed. Legislators should show common sense and courage and vote them down. MEMO: Mr. Parise is founding president of Virginians Against Handgun
Violence. by CNB