In Seth Soderborg’s March 9 article (All guns were not created equal, (3/7/2011), he suggests that semi automatic pistols should be banned in favor of small revolvers with a short range and small cartridge capacity. However, former presidents Ronald Reagan, Abraham Lincoln, James Garfield, William McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt were all shot by small pistols with a short range and small cartridge capacity. Former President John F. Kennedy was killed with a hunting rifle, which Soderborg would permit. We must realize that nearly all shootings occur in “gun-free” or gun-restricted zones. The bloodiest shootings have been at places like Columbine High School, Virginia Tech University and Fort Hood, all places where firearms are prohibited.
This is no coincidence. A shooting is more likely to occur in a school than at a shooting range. Making the United States a gun-restricted zone would put us all at risk. No law will ever be able to keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people: It will only disarm responsible citizens.
Soderborg is comfortable with police officers carrying semi automatic pistols. However, we must remember that police officers are human, just like concealed pistol license holders. Earlier this year, a middle school student — the son of a police officer — used his father’s service weapon to kill the vice principal at his school. What is the difference between a police officer and a CPL holder? The only difference is that police officers must take an oath. Would making CPL holders take an oath reassure the public?
Most police officers do very little weapons training after certification. It’s very easy for a private citizen to amass more trigger time than a police officer and thus be more proficient with his or her pistol. We can’t put a cop on every corner, but we have more than enough responsible citizens.
Peter Waszkiewicz
Engineering junior