Guns prevent innocents from becoming victims

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Proper training and licensure are essential for carry-laws to be safe and effective. 

In a world filled with murder and death, we are only as good as our personal protection.

Americans should be permitted to carry guns in both private and public places in the name of safety.

We see robberies, murders and general crime as a common topic in the news all the time: a gas station was robbed, a woman was assaulted, or a gunman killed 20 in a mall. We hear of these tragic occurrences, but the outcome of these events would be drastically different if victims and bystanders were able to carry guns under an open-carry policy.

Pushing the responsibility of firearm-related deaths onto the gun and not the gunman is the equivalent of a student claiming, “My pencil failed the test, not me.”

This year, Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn is partnering with Washington CeaseFire, an anti-gun group, to create a “Gun Free Zone Campaign,” reported by the Washington Times. Businesses in Seattle would sign a pledge and put a “Gun Free Zone” decal on their storefront windows. This would not only deny permitted law-abiding civilians with guns from entering the premises, but would also inform any would-be criminals that this particular establishment is otherwise unprotected.

For those who believe that our protection comes from the police and the military, that’s fine, but when a shooter appears and there is no on-duty police officer or solider in sight, how will they be protected?

An article by WSBTV.com reported a 53-year-old woman was attacked in her own home one morning in Duluth, GA., in May 2011. Her attacker was armed with a knife and caught her just as she was getting out of the shower. She was then forced into her room where she was able to get ahold of her .22-caliber handgun and shot her attacker nine times. The attacker died and the woman survived with minor injuries.

The Associated Press reported a story of how a 14-year-old boy in Phoenix, Ariz., saved the lives of his younger siblings in June 2012. The boy was at home babysitting when a man broke into the house. Fortunately, the boy heard the intruder breaking in and took his siblings upstairs where he grabbed his parent’s handgun. When the intruder broke through the door and pointed a gun at the 14-year-old, the boy fired and shot the intruder, potentially saving his and his siblings lives.

An off-duty police officer in Ogden, Utah saved the lives of many when he took down a gunman at Trolley Square Mall. The police officer, Kenneth Hammond, was having an early Valentine’s Day dinner in Feb. 12, 2007 when the shooting occurred. As soon as he heard the gunshots Hammond drew his weapon and confronted the shooter, who was successfully brought down, according to the Salt Lake City ABC affiliate.

All of these incidents could have taken a profoundly different turn if the victims did not have guns for self-defense. Regardless of the fact all were not in public areas, if they did not have guns they all could have ended up on the wrong-side of the barrel and in graves.

We as a nation should have the option and right to carry a gun at all times, given the proper credentials. Potential carriers should be required to pass a test that shows they know how to handle the equipment. Furthermore, they should also be required to possess a permit, similar to a driver’s license, which proves that they have the skills, training and mental stability necessary.

Carrying a gun for self-defense purposes is a precautionary measure. If anything, civilians being able to carry guns freely in public areas would make shooters and robbers think twice before trying to commit a crime.

-Marissa Mararac is a junior communication communication major from Tacoma. She can be contacted at 335-2290 or by [email protected]. The opinions expressed in this Column are not necessarily those of the staff of The Daily Evergreen or those of Student Publications.