Banning guns on campus is first line of self-defense

Editor,

While I'm sure Daniel Martinez had good intentions in his letter in Wednesday's Daily Lobo, the one-sided perspective he used rendered practically all of his points void. The main focus of his letter seemed to be that universities deny people the right to defend themselves by banning firearms on campus. Why doesn't Martinez contact students from Virginia Tech and ask them if they would like to see the school repeal its policy and allow guns and other weapons on campus? I'm guessing the answer would be no. As safe as Martinez may feel knowing that everyone around him could be carrying a gun, others, including myself, would beg

to differ.

He cites a Supreme Court decision that he interprets to mean that the police have no obligation to protect the individual. This is funny, considering the slogan for most police forces is "to protect and serve." He states that the only person responsible for your safety is you. Is he implying the victims at Virginia Tech failed to protect themselves since they were entirely responsible for their own safety? He also states that studies have shown gun control has no effect on crime. I'd really like to see the studies he refers to, since America's high gun crime and gun ownership rates seem to go hand in hand.

Another point he makes is that by providing citizens with the ability to arm themselves, it guarantees safety for the individual, and that gun control leaves only the honest citizen defenseless. Carrying a gun does not equal invincibility. If anything, it detracts from the safety of the individual and those around him or her. Gun control does not leave the honest citizen defenseless. Mace, Tasers, karate and smashed bottles can also be used for defense. If anything, a lack of gun control leaves dishonest citizens armed and dangerous.

Finally, he says that company and university policies disarm individuals, denying them the ability to defend themselves. Wrong again. I think those students at Virginia Tech did a pretty good job of defending themselves when they barricaded the door with a desk to stop the killer from getting in. There are countless other methods of self-defense that do not involve blowing someone's brains out.

I'm not a gun control extremist by any means, but Martinez's letter suggests he would like to see everybody on campus armed and ready for an attack. Heck, why not just issue guns to all students during LobOrientation? I fully support universities' no-weapons policies, and I can rest assured knowing that UNM and other campuses have the common sense to not do away with them. In the end, less guns on campus equal less gun violence.

Victor Murthy

UNM student