The issue of gun control and who should own one has recently been a hot topic in American society.
Gun control laws are “insulting and wrong” according to Tiffany Fleming, economics/finance junior and secretary of the Econ club.
Fleming was sexually battered last semester by a man hiding in a bathroom in Marquette Hall.
The incident and her exposure to the criminal justice system led Fleming to research gun control laws and the law’s participation in a person’s ability to defend him or herself.
Fleming doesn’t own a gun, since she is not yet 21, the legal age for a person to obtain a handgun.
And she is still not sure that she will want a gun in the future, but feels that it should be an option.
Dr. Walter Block, professor of business administration, maintained that guns prevent crime through their deterrence.
Block gave the fictional example of a gun club for women at Loyola.
“Even if there were only 100 members, then there would be fewer rapes, because the rapist would not know who had a gun,” he said.
Dr. William Barnett, associate professor of economics, pointed out that there are other methods to protect oneself, other than lethal guns.
He said stun guns and Mace are effective, as well as “telephoning campus security and asking for an escort to your car.”
All of these can help to prevent personal crime, Barnett said. Fleming sought to show that gun control laws are not only ineffective, but that they make self-defense more difficult.
An example Fleming gave is the waiting period required before purchasing a handgun.
According to Fleming for a person who feels threatened, the waiting period can represent a time of fear if someone is in need of a gun’s protection.
Fleming also said that the licensing of guns could ultimately lead to their confiscation by the government.
If the government knows who owns a gun, this would make it easy for authorities to go from house to house confiscating those weapons.
Despite her strong tone in favor of a society’s right to own guns, Fleming also asserted that, “We do not have to actually use guns . . . but that we should be able to use any means to protect ourselves.”
