LETTER: Guns a privilege, not a right

To the editor:

I am a student at USU and I do not carry a firearm to class everyday! There is a reason why the most educated people in society want strict gun control; it isn’t safe for people to carry around guns wherever they go. I no longer feel safe knowing that there is at least one trigger happy student on campus carrying a gun along with his notebook ready to shoot because he lacks faith in the police department.

I do believe that people have the privilege, not right, to own a gun in their home, but they need to keep it there unless hunting. There is going to be a big problem if more people carry

guns around just because they have a permit. As far as the “criminals are called criminals for a reason” statement, when you go 10 miles over the speed limit everyday, you are a criminal. Furthermore, “psychos” are not the only ones who are shooting guns. Children, robbers, and people with good morals who get caught up in the heat of the moment do as well.

The notion that it is only criminals who break crimes and shoot people is ridiculous. Were the students at Columbine High School criminals before they murdered?

I do agree that the real problem here is lack of education; lack of education about criminals, crime, “psychos,” and the danger of people who haven’t broken a law yet still being able to carry guns wherever they go. While it is true that sometimes a spare tire is needed for the just-in-case situations, guns aren’t. I venture to guess that there have been more flat tires than school shootings in Cache County! Having lived in Washington, DC for 21 years, I haven’t needed a gun despite all of the crime and shootings that occur locally. Even though I am a responsible law abiding citizen, if people like me were allowed to carry guns around as they pleased it would result in more crime. Crime isn’t solved by citizens taking the law into their own hands. People are dangerous, and guns even more so!

Mark Christiansen