News-Record.com

An ex-Marine takes issue with my views on allowing guns on campus:

Mr. Johnson--I traveled through your city this past weekend and I read your article entitled, "Here's a novel solution to campus violence: Give everyone guns". I would like to respond to that. While I enjoyed most of your newspaper, and I found it more informative than the one I subscribe to, and I found your liberal, uninformed comments, very sadly stated.

Please allow me to tell you about myself. I am a typical American that grew up in a small Midwest town that had the opportunity to fight for my country during time of war. Since I had graduated from college, I was offered the opportunity to be an Officer in the Marine Corps. I was assigned the responsibility to make decisions, on a daily basis, as to whether people lived or died. If I did my job correctly, those that died were the bad guys and those that lived were my fellow Marines. I spent my entire time in combat with that objective in mine. My point in saying this is to insure you that I took my responsibilities seriously. When I returned home, I went back to college and got a Master's Degree. I went to many of those exciting college functions, but at no time did I attempt to utilize the skills that I acquired in combat, while I was celebrating some fun function. I had the discipline and knowledge not to even think about it. I am trying to understand why you would feel that I would act in a different way? If I can have the responsibility to save and take lives, then I think I can handle a cell phone, as you described. I am saddened and I must assume, that you do not have the same confidence in yourself.

You talked about the tragedy at Virginia Tech. That individual was not a combat veteran. Your comparison is flawed. You also made the comment that in the military, that a troop was under "strict supervision in a highly disciplined environment". You implied that all combat veterans only did what they were immediately told to do. Not true! Most veterans in combat, do what they were "TRAINED" to do, instinctively, without being told to do it! Good people would die if your case was the norm! You sir, probably have never been in combat, therefore, have no idea what you are talking about.

You again have no idea how easy it is to get a weapon. The laws that are in place today do absolutely nothing to stop an individual from getting a weapon if that person wants one. Making more laws serve no purpose. The bad guys will always ignore the laws and the good guys will normally follow them. Unfortunately, with the way you think, it will only make us more vulurnable.

Now, take the time to do some research. Go to www.google.com, and go to advanced search, and type in "1983 gun law, Kennesaw, GA" and educate yourself on what happens when the bad guys know that someone is packing a gun. They will go to where people like you live, that do not believe in carrying guns! Guess what happens then?

Mr. John Johnson (sic), I hope you take the time to educate yourself beyond your liberal beliefs.

Semper Fi

Jim Vinyard
Capt. USMC
Vietnam Veteran