- written by a student…..

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Essay for class…
Hey all-

Well, this being a relatively light semester, I had my choice of free
electives. I chose to take IDIS 490b: Hate and Violence. It’s a discussion
course in which we sit around and discuss the causes of hatred and violence
in society.
Yes, I am taking this out of pure amusement, (I’ve already pointed out that the massacre of the Lakota Sioux
started when the US Army attempted to disarm them.) I haven’t yet openly
advocated concealed carry, but the semester is young.
At any rate, as part of the course, we have to write weekly ‘journal
entries.’ There really aren’t any requirements, just ‘write about whatever
you like.’ Well, yesterday in lecture we had a big discussion about ‘When
have you felt discriminated against?’ So I decided to make that part 1 of
this week’s journal entry, which appears below. __________________________________________________

IDIS 490B
9/05/01
Journal Entry 02
Gun Owners: The 21st Century Whipping Boy, part 1

?You?re a gun owner??
That?s the response I usually receive upon disclosing the fact that I choose
to own firearms.
?Why, do you want to shoot people or something??
That?s usually the second question I get. The answer is no. I harbor no ill
will to my fellow humans. Still, this question is one that has continued to
perplex me. I find it mildly disconcerting as to just how violence-obsessed
non-gun owners are. But wait, there?s more.
?You must own guns because you have a small d**k.?
While amusing, I?ve often found that people think that gun ownership is some
sort of signifier of an inferiority complex. It isn?t, and the size of my
phallus is just fine, thank you very much. In fact, if you like, I?ll even
quote Freud: ?A fear of weapons signifies retarded sexuality.? But these
little encounters are rare, to be sure, and are generally amusing in that I
feel refreshingly counter-cultural to those standing in the lock-step faux
individualism of the MTV culture.

Much more offensive and derogatory is the treatment of gun owners by the
government, and by extension the mass media. First off, I will address the
grievances gun owning individuals have with the government. As an
individual, I have a right to own whatever property I want, and as long as I
am not presenting an overt threat to others, I should be left alone.

But this is sadly not the case. I am subject to laws that regulate
everything from the type of firearms I can own to the color, configuration,
and caliber. I am forced to use magazines that hold ten rounds or less,
while those in law enforcement are allowed to use magazines that hold a
standard capacity of rounds. This sort of legislation has led to a rather
ugly ?us vs. Them? mentality, with those in law enforcement being treated as
my betters, not my equals.

But that is not the end. Gun owners continue to be the federal government?s
favorite whipping boy, as there is much current legislation that attempts to
ban or make unattainable the most effective tools for one?s self defense.
Gun owners who represent a threat to no one are continually harassed,
maligned, and blamed for every ill in society from crime to homophobia,
racism, and misogyny. Gun owners are then expected to comply with a
bewildering array of laws (20,000+ at last count.) Failure to comply with
any one of these can result in jail time.

Oddly enough, research by criminologist Gary Kleck, and Law Professor John
Lott has shown that firearms are used in the defense of life roughly two
million times annually. That is not a typo. Two million lives saved last
year alone. John Lott?s research, which entailed an exhaustive study of the
crime statistics in every county of the United States has shown that of the
thirty-three states that allow citizens to carry a concealed weapon, crime
is lower.

But even the right to carry the weapon of my choice is continually invaded.
I am forced to renew my permit every four years, which entails paying a fee,
and then being fingerprinted like an ordinary criminal. So much for innocent
until proven guilty, and so much for individual liberty. Rights aren?t
rights if they are granted to you as a privilege. Even after attaining a
concealed carry permit, there are places where I am not allowed to defend
myself. These victim disarmament zones include any federally owned building,
along with schools, and even Purdue University. One wonders what the outcome
of the recent Purdue double murder would have been had one of the victims
been able to defend herself with a handgun.

However, for the longest time, I thought that having to apply for a permit
was a good thing. That it was a way of keeping guns out of the hands of
those who would carry them without understanding the implications thereof.
But I changed my mind this summer when my name, license number, and town of
residence was published in an online, web-based database of every single
concealed carry permit holder in the state. I had committed no crime or
offense, the only thing I was guilty of was trusting the state. Because my
name was on a government list, it was published on the web site of the
newspaper ?The Elkhart Truth? Through the grassroots effort of myself and a
number of other individuals, the web site was removed. But it still doesn?t
change the fact that my right to privacy was invaded, and that I was
victimized solely based on my status as a gun owner.