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TCU 360

TCU 360

All TCU. All the time.

TCU 360

Students discuss religious topics in a small group. (Photo courtesy of tcuwesley.org)
Wednesday nights at TCU’s Methodist campus ministry provide religious exploration and fellowship
By Boots Giblin, Staff Writer
Published Mar 27, 2024
Students at the Wesley said they found community on Wednesday nights.

Banning concealed guns leaves citizens vulnerable

The National Rifle Association is offering free one-year trial memberships to all Americans in an effort to show lawmakers how many citizens support their Second Amendment right to bear arms. Although President Barack Obama – along with the Democratic majority in Congress – has pursued some worthwhile progressive causes, extending gun control is not one of them.

While it’s kind of cute to think disarming law-abiding citizens would lower shooting deaths, it’s not realistic. The majority of intelligent college students don’t support concealed carry on college campuses because anybody “bold” enough to go on a shooting spree would not go to the trouble of applying for a concealed handgun license.

A similar scenario is true in the high-crime urban neighborhoods in America where the most murders by gunshot take place. A nearly insignificant number of licensed concealed handgun owners commit murder. Therefore, by taking registered guns away from our responsible citizens who go through the trouble to complete all the legal paperwork, we are making individuals – and likely the general public – defenseless against criminals who don’t fill out any paperwork and illegally purchase guns on the “black market.” I know a person who could have been robbed at gunpoint by looters at his home in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina if it weren’t for the firearm he had to defend himself.

You might be thinking, “When will this pro-Bush, flag-waving, neo-conservative extremist stop polishing his pistol and wake up to reality?” However, that’s not me at all. Not only do I not own any guns, but neither does anybody in my family. I’m not an avid hunter because I didn’t grow up around hunters, but I enjoy shooting a shotgun every now and then.

I never thought I would join the NRA, but I did because it advocates common sense. Banning registered handgun possession is like TCU playing a football game without a defense. I don’t want to be presumptive, but I’d imagine the opposing team (the criminals) would prevail. Let’s also not forget the whole constitutional guarantee – Americans aren’t big on losing their inherent rights.

John Andrew Willis is a sophomore environmental science major from Dallas.

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