Got Glock?
The Provo Daily Herald has come out with an editorial that favors so-called open carry of guns. It mostly talks about the God-given right of citizens to arrest each other, but implies that citizens have an obligation to pack heat on the street. The cops are just never there when you need them:The Herald goes further, calling for legislation that would protect citizens who over zealously exercised their right of citizen's arrest and, presumably, their hand cannon:Social scientist John Lott, author of "More Guns, Less Crime," points to Israel as one example of involved citizens. That nation found that it was simply impossible to put enough police and soldiers around to protect Israelis from terrorist attacks. Virtually the whole citizenry is armed.
... the same idea applies to Utah and everywhere else. If the law officers aren't on the scene, average Americans are the law. We have a right, even an obligation, to step in.
It's something the Legislature could adjust. Utah has a Good Samaritan Act which aims to protect people who try to help others in emergencies. We propose that the Legislature pass a "Good Citizen Act" to protect those who in good faith step in to stop a crime.Protecting other people from crime is not only a basic right, it's a sacred duty. It seems right to us that the Legislature should be willing to help those who are willing to help others by removing some of the legal risk.
As a poster notes, check out The Trib's Pat Bagley for a counterpoint.
Note to gun freaks: The photo is not a Glock, but try putting "Springfield Micro Compact 1911" in a headline.
3 Comments:
Speaking of gun-nuts, check out the very funny and excellent Bagley cartoon today. Superior work!
Your posting confuses arguments and changes the meaning of the original article. The indentation regarding ".. the same idea applies to Utah . . ." makes it appear as a quote from me when it isn't. In addition, my statement was with regard to concealed carry, not open carry. The problem with open carry is that attackers can either wait for the person who is obviously carrying a gun to leave the area or to take them out first. With concealed carry in a public place with many people, the attacker simply doesn't know who is able to defend themselves.
That's because the PDH's editor is a card-carrying NRA member who uses his position to advance the pro-gun agenda.
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