By James D. Cool

Have you ever thoughtfully considered just how we got to where we
are regarding the gun issue? Our nation was founded and evolved as a
uniquely free society during the same time period that modern firearms
were invented and became readily available due to the industrial
revolution. Combine those two events with our founding fathers'
genuine fear of tyrannical government along with a need for protection
on a dangerous frontier and you have the answer - a modern society
with an estimated 250 million guns.

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Reasonable people can debate if
it would have been better if guns had never been invented but they're
here and will "never" go away. Any future banning attempts
(especially handguns) would mean that only criminals and terrorists
would have them as they will obtain them on the black market, smuggle
them into the country or manufacture them in underground shops.

Gun control advocates like to publicize that in 2005 there were
300,000 cases of firearms related crimes but only 143 cases of
justifiable homicide by armed civilians. However, they egregiously
fail to include hundreds more justifiable "woundings" by armed
civilians; the perhaps thousands of incidents where the mere
"showing" of a firearm prevented a serious crime; or the untold
number of crimes that were prevented because the perpetrator
"thought" the victim might be armed. This is similar to protection
provided by the United States Secret Service. How many assassination
attempts are prevented each year? No one knows for sure. The mere
presence of the Secret Service makes the difference.

Recent shooting tragedies have renewed an irresponsible call by some
to repeal the 2nd Amendment. However, be reminded that other
Amendments to our Constitution bring similar tragedy. Vicious
criminals are freed everyday because of "technical violations" of
the 4th (searches), 5th (self-incrimination) and 6th (right to an
attorney) Amendments. As a result, thousands of citizens are later
murdered, raped and assaulted. We as a nation hold those three
Amendments so sacred we are willing to pay that price. The 2nd
Amendment should be no less sacred. Remember the old adage, "if the
2nd Amendment applies only to flintlocks, then the 1st Amendment
applies only to quills and lead type."

Some further argue that our founding fathers never envisioned our
society of today when it comes to firearms. Perhaps they are correct
but they certainly never envisioned the current level of violent crime
either. The 2nd Amendment was not included in our Constitution to
protect hunting, target shooting, collection or even self-defense.
Those rights were assumed. An accurate knowledge of history reveals
that the real purpose of the 2nd Amendment (as the U.S. Department of
Justice has stated and the D.C. Court of Appeals has recently ruled)
was to guard against tyrannical government. That's why it states
"the right of the PEOPLE (not the right of the militia) to keep and
bear arms shall not be infringed". "The people" in every other
Amendment means just that - individual citizens and not some vague
"collective group". Thus, every Amendment and the Constitution
itself rests on the 2nd Amendment.

Those who disagree with the 2nd Amendment are free to work within
the political process to change or even abolish it if they can but
don't "cheapen" the Bill of Rights with false interpretations.

The recent Virginia Tech incident also shows each state needs
responsible handgun carry laws. You don't always have to kill, wound
or even shoot at a perpetrator. The mere showing of a weapon might
have forced the shooter at Virginia Tech to alter his plan. Many
assailants "cower out" or take their own lives very quickly when
confronted with someone who can shoot back. It would be absurd to
allow every college student to be armed but responsible students
(those over age 21 including veterans, former police officers, trained
ROTC cadets, etc.), as well as adult university employees and
professors should have that option. One armed civilian might have
made a big difference to at least one family that day. And when it
comes to handgun crime, keep in mind that many in law enforcement
believe a sawed-off 12 guage pump shotgun (easily concealed) is just
as much or even more lethal at close quarters than any handgun or
assault rifle.

The true villian is our changing culture. I was able to wear my
Roy Rogers cap guns to elementary school but now you can't even draw
a picture of one. Are you old enough to remember when you could get
on an airplane without going through "any" security? If every gun
could be eliminated tomorrow within the borders of our country I
believe we would be even more unsafe. Why ? Because vicious
sociopaths younger, bigger and stronger than you or I will use
anything (including knives and impact weapons) to further their
criminal acitivity. Murders, assaults, burglaries and rapes would
rise substantially. If an intruder breaks into your home and you have
no choice but to fight for your life do you want to fight with a club,
a knife or a gun? I choose a gun. It's the great equalizer and
the intruder knows and fears that!

Several years ago I was invited to the Atlanta office of the FBI to
view an exhibit of Holocaust photos. The exhibit began with a photo
of a small Jewish store in Warsaw, Poland. Subsequent photos showed
Jewish citizens with big yellow stars sewn on the front of their
clothes. The photos became progressively more disturbing and the last
photo showed naked bodies being removed from an oven at one of the
Nazi death camps. However, in the middle of the collection was an
amazing photo of a ragtag group of about fifteen Jewish men and boys
taken during the 1943 "Warsaw Ghetto Uprising". They had obviously
assembled very quickly and were standing and kneeling there on the
street with an odd assortment of weapons; a few shotguns, a rifle or
two, some pistols and revolvers and even a captured German belt-fed
machinegun. As a group of community leaders arrived at that photo,
everyone became extremely vocal at the courage displayed by those men
and boys. I then stated in a loud voice so all in the exhibit area
could hear; "good reason for the 2nd Amendment folks." You could
have heard a pin drop.

Many believe that our country is the most dangerous in the world
because of guns. I believe I can disprove that many times over, but
one thing is for sure: as a Secret Service agent I traveled and
worked in twenty eight countries on five continents and I wouldn't
trade what we have for anything!

Those adult students, employees and
professors at Virginia Tech did not have the opportunity to adequately
defend themselves. I don't have all the answers but I would dread
living in a nation where I also lost that right.

James D. Cool
U.S. Secret Service (retired)
U.S. Marine Corps (Vietnam veteran)