Finally, a student with common sense at UCLA!

[pbs911]

http://www.dailybruin.ucla.edu/news/articles.asp?id=34465

It's quite clear that at least a few criminals look at university folk as easy prey, since you're not going to be doing much in terms of self-defense against a 9mm handgun with your iPod or the "downward dog" learned in yoga.

Life dictates that some of us are on campus at night when these robberies occur and when few, if any, police are seen patrolling. What do I do if a guy accosts me tonight with a gun and demands my wallet?

I was always told to do whatever the assailant tells me, and hand over my wallet while wishing I wore Huggies. But what if the person demands, "Now come with me!"? It happened to a good friend of my family, and she's no longer alive.

A common solution presented is to hire more police, since our police perform a critical aspect of delivering justice after someone commits a crime. The problem is that you or I have to be shot, raped, stabbed or mugged for someone to be arrested.

Preventing crime from occurring is a solution I'm more fond of. It's also a daunting task. For police to effectively prevent crime, they would have to be an omnipresent force that never left a would-be criminal without the watchful gaze of an officer.

Of course it's an expensive solution. We could take money out of our dwindling education budget and more jaywalking citations could be issued, but as soon as we start scaling back the police, I'm back to wearing jumbo Huggies.

Pepper spray's an option, unless of course there's a gentle breeze, and then the joke's on me as my eyes swell shut, or the spray is ineffective and now he's angry while pointing a gun at me.

There's the Taser. Tasers can instantly incapacitate someone, if I hit. If I miss, I'm left holding an electronically advanced musket, without the ability to refire.

And then there's the firearm. You know, it's the same thing the assailant is pointing at me.

So let's get rid of guns, right? I've heard the argument that if we ban guns, this guy wouldn't be pointing one at me. After all, a straw purchase, or when someone purchases a gun for someone else, is how Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris obtained the guns they used at Columbine.

Unfortunately, when looking at England, which banned privately owned handguns, the BBC reported on several occasions where there is a flood of illegal guns entering the country, and criminals have access to firearms. We've outlawed most narcotics, but there are still those who "powder their noses."

Right here in California, the feds made a bust of more than 2,000 smuggled fully automatic AK-47s in 1996. If you're an optimist, they seized every weapon and no one's tried since to smuggle illegal arms.

But if you're like me, you'd look over at the guy who just "powdered his nose" and wonder.

So what if I carried a gun too? I've seen Westerns where everyone has a gun and I don't want to be in an ultra-violent society, but as we see with states that allow CCWs, or permits that allow people to carry concealed weapons, this ultra-violent society doesn't exist.

A number of states issue CCWs to anyone with a clean background check (California law enforcement issues CCWs on a discretionary basis.) While the debate rages about how effective CCWs are in lowering total crime, people with CCWs don't make life more dangerous. Over one million CCWs were issued in Florida in an 18-year period, and only 2,888 were revoked due to crime after licensure.

Guns are used in self-defense thousands of times each year, and unlike the police, we can be everywhere for free.

I'm liberal, I'm abortion rights, I support social security, and I want affordable health coverage for everyone.

We should absolutely pursue social means of reducing crime.

But we should not naively assume that crime and murder will stop. As our two fellow students just experienced, we shouldn't have to stare down the barrel of a gun, hoping for aid that doesn't come in time.

Anand is a student in the David Geffen School of Medicine's combined MD/PhD program.

[carnutzzz]

Only criminals carry guns on campus.

[id10t]

They've finally realized that the police are a (mostly) reactionary force, and are under no obligation to assist (court rulings and Katrina, et. al. showing)

[nostatic]

we'll tag team 'em Brian...you hug, I'll blast.

[pwd72s]

Originally posted by SoCal911SC
What's up with all the liberals wanting to pack heat these days?!?

Beats me, because the liberal politicians are hell bent on eliminating the 2nd amendment.

[Hugh R]

I heard some where a liberal is a conservative who hasn't been mugged yet.

[HardDrive]

Originally posted by SoCal911SC
What's up with all the liberals wanting to pack heat these days?!?

Better question: Why do conservatives assume they are the only ones who support gun rights?

Something like 70%+ of the people in this country support gun rights, so obviously large chunks of 'liberals' are on board.

The anti-gun folks are a faction in the Dems camp, and not everyone who supports the Dems is interested in their crap.

I don't currently carry a gun, but I certainly have some firepower at home.

Try and take my Greenpeace teeshirt and they will be prying it from your, cold dead fingers.

[pwd72s]

Hard drive? This is akin to the wood workers union members in Oregon being urged by union leaders to vote for the politicians who also were voting to cut off logging. The union leadership got theirs...$$$$ Wish I could say the same for the membership, many of whom lost jobs when the mills closed simply because of available raw material. Those who lost jobs? Friends and neighbors of mine. Good people all. Their "fault"? Not looking at the big picture of politics...

[86 911]

Bush hates liberals.

[campbellcj]

Originally posted by id10t
They've finally realized that the police are a (mostly) reactionary force, and are under no obligation to assist (court rulings and Katrina, et. al. showing)

Unfortunately, LE also does not have the CAPACITY to assist in preventing or responding to every possible incident, since many our voters prefer to fund just about everything else imaginable other than law enforcement.

[Nathans_Dad]

Originally posted by SoCal911SC
But a gun seems so dramatic and unnecessary. I'm sure most criminals aren't really bad, just misunderstood. A hug seems more appropriate than drawing a gun on them. That's just perpetuating violence.

Guys, we have a winner!! Let's see what he wins, shall we??

DRUMROLL

Ah!! Congratulations. You win an all expense paid trip to your local maximum security penitentary!! There you will be able to hug all the criminals you want and turn them back into well behaved citizens!!!

After you get done hugging all the criminals in the US, maybe we could send you overseas to start on the terrorists too.

[HardDrive]

Originally posted by pwd72s
Hard drive? This is akin to the wood workers union members in Oregon being urged by union leaders to vote for the politicians who also were voting to cut off logging. The union leadership got theirs...$$$$ Wish I could say the same for the membership, many of whom lost jobs when the mills closed simply because of available raw material. Those who lost jobs? Friends and neighbors of mine. Good people all. Their "fault"? Not looking at the big picture of politics...

I understand what you are saying, but the situation is a bit more complex than that.

[alf]

Originally posted by Nathans_Dad
Guys, we have a winner!! Let's see what he wins, shall we??

DRUMROLL

Ah!! Congratulations. You win an all expense paid trip to your local maximum security penitentary!! There you will be able to hug all the criminals you want and turn them back into well behaved citizens!!!

After you get done hugging all the criminals in the US, maybe we could send you overseas to start on the terrorists too.

I think SoCal was being sarcastic.

Now i go to bed cause tomorrow i have to wake up early to go to the Gun Show to buy some ammo and maybe a gun or two.

[HardDrive]

Got my eye on a Sig 226 .40.........ggWRWRWRQQRWR.....(Homer simpson drooling.....)

[tabs]

Originally posted by Nathans_Dad
You win an all expense paid trip to your local maximum security penitentary!! There you will be able to hug all the criminals you want and turn them back into well behaved citizens!!!

I think I would be more worried about those criminals hugging me up the @ss......repeatedly

[red-beard]

I'm working on a Kel-Tec collection. I've had a P-11 (9mm) and a P-3AT (yeah, .380), now I have the 40 S&W version of the P-11 and an interchangeable barrel for 357sig. I have my local guys on the lookout for a P-32 to complete the collection.

But what is getting my interest: Turn of the last century collectibles. I'd like to start a collection based on Browning's designs in auto pistols.

[tabs]

Originally posted by red-beard


But what is getting my interest: Turn of the last century collectibles. I'd like to start a collection based on Browning's designs in auto pistols.

I hope U have lots of money for those pistols....

[Nathans_Dad]

If SoCal was being sarcastic then I certainly apologize...and excellent sarcasm! The sad part is that the left wingers on the board have got me thinking that someone actually would think that way and post it on the board!

[jorian]

"The sad part is that the left wingers on the board have got me thinking that someone actually would think that way and post it on the board!..."

Try not to think.

[nostatic]

I'm off to the range right now. Still in the 10 day waiting period for my p226 but I can rent whatever I want. Hmm...maybe a p220...