Fighting Back
The following is a transcription of Beth Caherty’s testimony before the
Judicial Committee in Endanoplace, Maryland. It is reprinted here because it
is a very powerful statement about the true nature and morality of gun
control.

“My name is Beth Caherty. I am a full-time, single mom, raising two
terrific young children. I am also a full-time Diagnostic Ultrasound
student, attending evening classes at Montgomery College in Takoma Park.
I am a victim of crime. I am also a victim of gun control. On the Takoma
Park campus of MC, in a two-month period, there were four armed robberies of
female students in the parking garage. There was a shooting murder in from
of the garage, and an armed carjacking on campus, and 21 property crimes in
the past year.
I am a victim in that I have restricted my travel to certain areas and at
certain times, because of crime; and because I cannot legally arm myself for
self-protection.
Last spring, while my children and mother were in our front yard, a juvenile
predator chased a rival down our street, armed with a butcher knife! Last
winter, our neighborhood cleaners, two blocks from my home, was robbed at
gunpoint. A couple of months ago, two blocks away in the other direction,
two joggers were robbed at gunpoint; and shots were fired.

In January and February of this year, within three blocks of my home, there
were 13 property crimes, and two strong-armed robberies of women, in front
of their homes, in broad daylight. You get my point. I am surrounded by
predators, and do not have the option of moving. My children are victims in
that they are not free to play in their own yard, let alone walk up to the
neighborhood store, even with me by their sides! I can’t let them walk the
three blocks from their bus stops. And I’m a target myself when I walk to
meet them.

I ask you: who will be there to stand between my kids and the armed
predator, intent on doing them harm? Will you be there to step in front of
the bullets meant for me or my children? And what will you protect me with?
Will you wave all your “feel good” laws at the predator; and say, “Hey!
You can’t do that! This law says so!” Will the police arrive in time to do
anything other than rope off the area, cover the bodies, and make
notifications? I’ll tell you who’ll be there; who’ll stand up to the
predators. I will. Because these are my children. And I will defend my
children by whatever means necessary. Do not take away my means of defense.
Any law that tells me that I can’t protect and defend my children is an
immoral law. I will not support immoral laws. Please don’t try to tell me
that you only want “reasonable” gun control. There is no such thing.
Denying the rights of the innocent, the law-abiding, the victims, is not
reasonable.
Championed under the ludicrous banner of “crime control”, gun registration,
licensing, purchase limits, and any other form of gun control laws, will
only control those who abide by the law. A criminal, by definition, is one
who breaks laws. There is no
reason to believe these proposed new laws will be any more obeyed, or more
effective, than the 20-some-thousand gun laws in the U.S. that are already
being ignored by the criminals.
Instead of spending tens of millions of dollars licensing, registering and
restricting me and my guns; which haven’t been used to commit any crimes,
the Governor should spend at least that much on locking up more violent
criminals. And keeping them locked up.
Don’t ask me why I would need to buy more than one gun a month;for that is
as stupid a question as my asking you, “Why do you need more than one
necktie or pair of shoes?”

A right is a requirement for human existence. It is not to be given or
taken away from a free citizen based on need, or want, or fear.
A right is not something to be granted. In our free society, we recognize
that the right is inherent to the individual. My right to my life exists
because I exist, not because the Governor grants it to me.
The fact somebody else is committing crimes is not an acceptable reason to
deny my rights. If you truly care to reduce crime, arm the victims.
Gun control hasn’t worked in the past. It isn’t working now. And it
won’t work, ever, in controlling crime. To control crime, you must control
the criminal. To control the criminal, you must lock him up.

With a real lock. In a real jail. And throw away the key.

In closing, I know of only two types of people who have no rights:
prisoners and slaves.
Which on will you attempt to have me be?
———

[Forwarded For Information Purposes Only]