Guns ease violent act
Brian Price
class of '95
With regard to the latest discussion about school violence and guns, I think everyone can agree that the individual is responsible for his or her actions. Having said that, I still think that the "tool," in this case hand guns, needs to be eliminated.
While the gun may be just a tool used to carry out the act, how many violent school deaths do we hear about using other tools? I have heard of no instances where several students are killed and many others wounded by a student with a baseball bat, an axe or a knife.
A hand gun makes it too easy for one individual to cause a lot of damage to life in a short period of time. The act of pulling the trigger is itself rather clinical and non-violent, thus making it easier for a user to accomplish violent acts.
Other "tools" of violence require the user to be up close and personal with the victim and require an inherently violent physical action like a swing or stab. I believe that alone would discourage many people from carrying out the violent action.
How many times have private citizens needed guns to repel an oppressive government in this country in the last 200 years? If it really came to that, isn't a rifle good enough? It is time to once and for all eliminate hand guns. Concealable fire arms pose too great a threat to public safety not to.
Brian Price
class of '95
Pittsfield, Mass.
March 27, 2001
All Viewpoint Stories for Wednesday, March 28, 2001
