Gun Control, Carolina-Style

Special to FreeRepublic ^ | 20 April 2007 | John Armor (Congressman Billybob)

[Congressman Billybob]

I live in western North Carolina, an area of the country in which there never has been, and never will be, a shooting like the one this week at Virginia Tech. There are plenty of guns in western Carolina. There are two universities and a college, where potential victims like those at Tech, can be found by the thousands.

But, we have a different culture, here. To my experience, more than half of all households in Carolina own multiple guns. More than a quarter of all the local trucks and vans on our highways are carrying guns, mostly handguns. And the people in Carolina who own those guns know exactly how to use them.

Only a small fraction of the gun owners here have taken any formal training in handling guns. Most of them have, however, grown up all their lives using guns. They all know the basic rule: do not aim a gun at anyone unless you intend to shoot them.

Some of the gun owners in Carolina are military veterans, where they received the most thorough training in using weapons, that anyone can get. The New York Times has mentioned, disparagingly, that rural men and women are more likely to join the military than those from suburbs or cities. The Times suggested falsely that rural youths have “nothing better to do,” and that’s why they sign up in greater proportion. No, it’s patriotism and pride; but those concepts are a tad foreign to the Times.

The bottom line is this: if any gunman started shooting students anywhere in western Carolina, he would never get to shoot more than 50 people, 32 of them fatally. The gunman himself would be dead before then, probably shot with a tight grouping by an armed civilian, even before any police could arrive on the scene. And, I suggest that our police would not hold back, fail to communicate, wait for orders.

The civilian shooter who would end the carnage in our part of the country could as well be a student as a teacher or other adult at any of our institutions. And if it turned out that the civilian shooter who dropped the murderer like a sack of feed, didn’t have a permit for his weapon? Well, the Sheriff of the appropriate county out this way would issue him a permit, and apologize for the delay. Any District Attorney who sought to prosecute the shooter who saved lives would be out of a job, as soon as the next election rolled around.

Let me explain the dynamics of “gun control.” I’ll do this in terms so clear that even Senator Barbara Boxer has a chance of understanding it. People who decide to shoot other people don’t give a cr*p about laws against murder. Obviously, they don’t give a cr*p about any laws on something as trivial as possessing a gun.

Therefore, ‘gun control” laws which makes it harder to buy, carry or use a gun, will have zero influence on those intending to murder their fellow citizens. If Senator Boxer wanted to find out how easy it is to get guns illegally, she should talk to police who are experienced in the weaponry available for cash on the barrel head, near any California high school, especially but not solely in the rough sections of town.

“Gun control” the way it is conceived and practiced by the likes of Senator Boxer means taking guns away from law-abiding citizens, and guaranteeing the criminals that they can ply their trade in a free-fire zone. Gun control, properly practiced, means take a wide stance, use both hands, “aim small to miss small,” and squeeze, don’t pull, the trigger.

Because a majority of the citizens in western Carolina practice that kind of gun control, that is why there never has been, and never will be, a shooting disaster here like there just was at Virginia Tech. A small story in a small newspaper, which the national press totally failed to notice, proves the point.

The Union Leader in Concord, New Hampshire, reported on 17 April a shooting the night before at the Uptown Tavern, Fifty people were present when one customer pulled a gun and started shooting. Nine shots were fired, the last two going into the shooter, from another customer who was carrying a weapon. No one was killed.

Now, that’s gun control.

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About the Author: John Armor practiced in the US Supreme Court for 33 years. John_Armor@aya.yale.edu He lives in the 11th District of North Carolina.

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[Congressman Billybob]

I understand that a short version of this will be published by the Washington Examiner, but I'm not sure of that, yet. This is of obvious interest to y'all.

John / Billybob

[SF Republican]

Fifty people were present when one customer pulled a gun and started shooting. Nine shots were fired, the last two going into the shooter, from another customer who was carrying a weapon. No one was killed.

Now, that’s gun control.

SWEET

[2ndDivisionVet]

This is the way the whole country was, when I was born (and I’m not yet 50 years old). So sad....

[Utilizer]

I have long appreciated your commentaries, and this is definitely being saved for future reference, mate! Great one!

[Born to Conserve]

I was on a college campus today — gunfire broke out. Really! Nobody seemed alarmed or called the police.
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Some colleges have tennis courts, this one has a pistol range!

—Harrisburg Area Community College — Pa.

I guess it’s true what they say about Pa. — Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, with Alabama in between.

[SirJohnBarleycorn]

<< there never has been, and never will be, a shooting like the one this week at Virginia Tech. There are plenty of guns in western Carolina. There are two universities and a college, where potential victims like those at Tech, can be found by the thousands. >>

With all due respect John, I challenge you to walk into a typical 9 am college class in Cullowhee or Boone, and find out if any of the students sitting there in class just happen to be packing at that moment in time.

I submit that chances are low anyone is.

[Brad’s Gramma]

Let me explain the dynamics of “gun control.” I’ll do this in terms so clear that even Senator Barbara Boxer has a chance of understanding it.

BWWWWWWAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!! She's such a loser.

BTTT for some COMMON SENSE!!!!!

[CrazyIvan]

At the birthday party of a fellow rural friend he showed everyone the folding stock Mini-14 he had given himself. I commented that I still had the old shotgun that I used to guard the homestead. Some big city liberal sneered at us and told us we were nuts to be armed because there is so little crime in the country. We promptly informed them that they had a problem differentiating between cause and effect.

[AnAmericanMother]

I'll give you Boone (too many liberals there) . . . but Cullowhee, I'm not so sure about.

We do a lot of camping very near there, and I have seen pickups on campus with rifles in the rear window racks. It wouldn't surprise me if somebody in class had something in their backpack.

[PeteB570]

My middle child is looking at going to Boone in 18 months.

She has her rifle in my gun rack but if she gets an apartment she’ll take it with her - and she knows how to use it.

21st Birthday - a hideout .38? Hmmmm, time to start “window shopping.”

[calex59]

With all due respect John, I challenge you to walk into a typical 9 am college class in Cullowhee or Boone, and find out if any of the students sitting there in class just happen to be packing at that moment in time. I submit that chances are low anyone is.

I bet the chances are greater today that they are packing than they were last week at this time.

[AnAmericanMother]

You know, for a hideout gun I might prefer a PPK in .380. Most concealable pistol (in a reasonable caliber) that I have, and it’s DA with a hammer block so you don’t have to worry so much about a whoops or leaving it hammer down on an empty chamber.

[Star Traveler]

You said — “I live in western North Carolina, an area of the country in which there never has been, and never will be, a shooting like the one this week at Virginia Tech. There are plenty of guns in western Carolina. There are two universities and a college, where potential victims like those at Tech, can be found by the thousands.

But, we have a different culture, here. To my experience, more than half of all households in Carolina own multiple guns. More than a quarter of all the local trucks and vans on our highways are carrying guns, mostly handguns. And the people in Carolina who own those guns know exactly how to use them.”

Well, as I understand it, they also know how to handle and use guns in Virginia, too. I don’t think there’s a shortage of the same kind of people there, and I don’t think they are ignorant about them. [I’m not from Virginia, by the way...]

I looked carefully at your article, and unless I missed it — I *do not see* where you have addressed the issue of having “guns on campus” at these universities in North Carolina.

Are you saying that on your universities that people *are able* to have their guns in the classrooms and in the dorms, and thus, once the shooter got inside those classrooms, or a dorm building, that someone there would (or could) have taken him out? That’s what I would like to know...

Regards,
Star Traveler

[Star Traveler]

If so, then here’s something for you —

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1820535/posts

And *this one* is an absolute “keeper” below (copy it...) —

http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=OTIwYzMyZmQ1YzQ1MDNmZTMyYzQ1Y2U3YTU4YzNmNGE

Regards,
Star Traveler

[Congressman Billybob]

I do not know whether Western Carolina University, UNC-Asheville, or Brevard College have policies like Virginia Tech to “bar” guns on campus. Those “bans” of course apply only to those who choose to obey that “law.”

What I do know is that the roads past and through all those campuses are filled with vehicles carrying CB radios and guns. And the people in those vehicles, whether police and fire officials or not, would not hesitate to step in with guns drawn, if need be.

John / Billybob

[Congressman Billybob]

I doubt there are many, if any, students who are “carrying” in class. But I have no doubt that the roads outside are filled with vehicles, many of the people in them “carrying,” whether legally or illegally.

John / Billybob

[Star Traveler]

You said — Those “bans” of course apply only to those who choose to obey that “law.”

Of course, that’s true. But, in all the cases where we’ve heard about these kinds of shootings, it hasn’t come out with a “good ending” where someone decided that they were not going to obey the ban. In about all the cases, it turns out that the legal and legitimate gun owner has obeyed the law. And *thus* — that’s the very problem. Either you’re going to start a movement which say, “Hell no, we won’t obey!” — or — you’re going to have to get the laws change.

And, I don’t think the “disobey the law” route is going to work very well for the gun owners, here.

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But, at Virginia Tech there were all sorts of others who were very willing to “rush in” and take care of the situation. As you know (and all other who have read), it was all over by the time anyone from outside could “rush in”. So, that really doesn’t do much good.

In fact, one of the spokesperson for changing the laws in that regard is a woman whose parents were killed in a Luby’s restaurant (I believe in Texas). She *did have* a gun, but she obeyed the law and left the gun out in the vehicle. The problem was, even though the vehicle was just right out in the parking lot — she couldn’t get to it and back again — before her parents were both dead.

And so, that’s the *nitty gritty* of the situation here...

Regards,
Star Traveler

[saganite]

As a fellow Western NC resident I can confirm your assumptions about guns in the home. In fact I just went to the range yesterday and worked out with my .22 for warmup and .45 for fun.

My daughter went to Appalachian. She’s coming over for dinner Sunday and I sure intend to ask her if she knew of any guns on campus when she was in attendance 4 years ago. She’s a pretty good pistol shot by the way.

[Huber]

John,

Your estimates are way off, probably based on old data. We’ve moved out of NC and are living in Virginia now.

[tarheelswamprat]

Good article - well said!