the
daily
collegian
editorial opinion
Violence could end if people.discardtheirshells
With rocks tied to sticks or with
nuclear bombs, people have been
killing each other since there were
people to kill.
A week ago, someone shot Presi
dent Reagan. The president's broth
er, Neil, said the incident came as no
big surprise to him. We live in a
violent society, he said, and should
come to expeCt such horrors.
Yes, more and more, Americans
seem to expect violence as part of
everyday life.
Handgun sales continue to boom,
and people are signing up for train
ing in marksmanship, martial arts
and personal defense.
Turtle-like, people are responding
to the fear of violence by pulling
shells around themselves and hiding
their eyes.
But where does this leave Mr.
Reagan, Mr. Brady, Mr. McCarthy
and Mr. Delahanty? On the side
walk, bleeding into the gutter, writh-
Handgun control: PR*. . .
Somebody has to write this column.
Somebody has to take the usual flack
from National Rifle Association mem
bers. Somebody once again has to be
accused of starting the United States
down the road to communism. Somebody
has to suffer the inevitable chastisement
for suggesting that the Bill of Rights be
violated.
I guess that somebody might as well be
me this time.
But I'm not a dedicated humanitarian,
a communist or a martyr. I'm just
Becatiseit's tiine,to put the guns-awaSt•
..s;Monday was the second time in my 21
years that I heard someone say, "The
president's been shot." I was just 4 years
old the first time, not old enough to really
understand what had just happened. This
time I understood. This time I was ap
palled.
John F. Kennedy is dead. Martin Lu-
a/),fyi,_.
autu&t , (l.
reader opinion
Deprived
The term "gun control" is a misnomer. Since they
are inanimate objects, without wills or the ability to act
pn their own, there is obviously no need to control guns.
"Gun control" is in actuality "people control." It
consists of depriving people, to one degree or another,
of the most effective means of self-defense: firearms.
You can't depend on the police to protect you from
violent crime. Police apprehend criminals after the
crime is done, very rarely do they stumble into it.
Their limited resources make it impossible for them to
be there when needed.
If you want protection you will have to provide it
yourself. Handguns are just right. They can be em
ployed by one single, weak, innocent against a group of
strong evil attackers. They are equalizers and, by
definition, evil groups attack good individuals, not the
other way around.
Statistically, in 1966, 87 percent of all gun crimes in
New York City were committed by unregistered weap
ons. In Detroit in 1971, the figure was 75 percent. Real
criminals won't register their guns.
In 1970, states with strict gun control had a murder
opinions
Fear kills
ther King is dead. John Lennon is dead. A
neighbor of mine, struck by a stray
gunshot in a bar room brawl three years
ago, is dead. So are countless others who
are victims of gunshot wounds every
year.
Early evidence seems to show that
John Warnock Hinckley Jr., the man
charged with the attempted assassina
tion of Reagan, was not a terrorist or a
left-wing radical dismayed with Rea
gan's economic and political views. He is
ing in pain like the thousands of
others who die of 'gunshot and knife
wounds each year while the rest of
us prance away in terror.
Everyone is to blame for violence,
not just owners of guns and knives,
not just killers. Everyone is respon
sible. And the whole country must
respond together rather than with
drawing into each individual shell.
The gun control issue must be
decided. If banning handguns would
save lives, perhaps banning hand
guns is one answer. If banning vio
lence on television would save lives,
maybe that's an answer. Other solu
tions must be explored.
But to continue to accept violence
as a natural part of our society is to
condone the assassination of presi
dents, the killing of next-door neigh
bors, and nuclear holocaust.
The Daily Collegian's editorial opinion is
determined by its Board of Opinion, with the
editor-in-chief holding final responsibility.
tee:
MMI
rate of 4.1 per 100,000 people. In the same year, states
with more libertarian laws regarding guns had 3.9
deaths from handguns per 100,000 people.
Philadelphia, in 1968, enacted severe restrictions on
gun ownership. During the next two years, it experi
enced a 17 percent increase in murders (increasing to
37 percent in the next year and a half). During the
same period, Pittsburgh, with a relatively libertarian
gun law, had a 1 percent decline in homicides. Crimi
nals tend to kill the unarmed, not the armed.
Finally, if one likes political reasons one should
remember that on the day Nazi Germany swallowed
the main part of Czechoslovakia, the arms registration
lists were seized and the people disarmed. The same
thing happened in Hungary in 1948 when it went
Communist.
I have never fired a gun in my life but I sleep better
knowing there are 90 million private guns in America.
When only police have guns, the police state is just
around the corner.
Walt Karwicki II
252 W. Cottage Place
York, PA 17403
March 24
simply a man who allegedly walked into
a pawn shop; bought a gun and shot the
President of the United States.
And the blood is on our hands.
It's time to stop the killing. Don't tell
me that the U.S. Constitution protects the
right of citizens to keep and bear arms.
Don't tell me that gun control is the first
step to communism. And don't tell me
that "guns don't kill people, people do."
Because guns do kill people. And the
Constitution, if you take the time to read
it, only protects our right to a well-regu- there's nothing to stop me from walking
thee,rigtitA of ..g. f azy, into : aipaym shop and‘ buying a gun. i o
•. People - to' carry r Alegarider Haig As 'd God knoivs there are'enough crazy'
should be the exception, not the rule,.. . __people walking around with guns cra-
Having freedom is not very useful zy enough to kill, but not too crazy for our
when you can't walk down a public street society to give them a way to kill, quickly
without fearing for your life. And the two and effectively,
rights that our Constitution certainly
does guarantee are life and liberty.
But I don't really believe Congress or
anyone else will establish gun control in
-•
. ;;.•
• • .'"*.t•I' , ••••,
• •
this country. The NRA is a huge interest
group, controlling lots of bucks, and
consequently, lots of votes.
In the home of the brave, survival of
the fittest rules in the street as well as
the political arena.
I know the inevitable flow of anti-gun
control letters will follow this column in
just a few days. They'll say I'm un-Amer
ican, a communist, a bleeding-heart.
Some of them may even say I'm crazy.
But let's hope they're wrong. Because
Doug Bell is a 12th-term journalism
major and contributing editor for The
Daily Collegian.
.• tr:,
..,. • ,
..:411..„•• : •• •
• • rPr•-•
dl7l;;.Collegian
Monday April 6, 1981—Page 2
Paula Froke •
Editor
Business Manager
BOARD OF EDITORS: Managing Editor, Maryann
Hakowski; Editorial Editor, Tom Boyer; Assistant Editorial
Editor, John Allison; News Editors, Cindy Deskins, Dave
Medzerian; Sports Editor, Mike Poorman; Assistant Sports
Editors, Sharon Fink, Ron Gardner; Arts Editor, Stuart
Austin; Assistant Arts Editor, Elaine Wetmore; Photo Editor,
Stel Varias; Assistant Photo Editors, Janis Burger, Renee
Jacobs; Graphics Editor, Lynda Cloud; Copy Editors, Rosa
Eberly, Diane Kuklar, Denise Laffan, Andy Linker, Lisa
Morano, Paddy Patton, Wendy Trilling; Becky Jones; Campus
Editor, Joyce Venezia; Assistant Campus Editor, Chuck Hall;
Town Editor, Phil Gutis; Assistant Town Editor, Becky Jones;
Features Editor, Pamela Macleod; Weekly Collegian Editor,
Christopher Lee; Assistant Weekly Collegian Editor, Neil Axe;
Contributing Editor, Doug Bell.
BUSINESS COORDINATORS: Layout, Cathy Norris, Mike
Conklin, Teresa Dorr; Special Projects, Jay Goldberg, Sam
Sample.
01981 Collegian Inc.
Debby Vinokur
. . ,and CON,
Why me?
After visiting John Lennon's home only
weeks after his slaying, then, only two
weeks later, hearing that my uncle, a
New York City police officer, was killed
with an illegal handgun, and finally, last
week, anxiously waiting for the dreaded
news that thankfully never came about
President Reagan, why am I still against
gun control?
On this block, there is a restaurant,
Among all this violence, the restaruant
ii;:+ Ntr :41t,4 .3A i 4:; 11' , 11ad z;noeril beini.Aeuched;,: notWeven the
lira• ' iilirerWare had been lifted` the reason
for this was the restaurant reportedly
had Mafia connections.
You see, the Mafia has this policy
concerning, crimes committed against
// them. There are no trials, no lawyers and
no judges, just one-way rides to the
bottom of the nearest river when you are
caught.
This is an extreme example. Using
organized crime as a model for society is
ridiculous, but it does show that , capital
punishment can and does work.
Of course I don't mean capital punish- -
ment should be implemented for every
crime involving a handgun. These
crimes should be taken on an individual
basis; only if a death occurs should the
penalty be implemented.
The government has to take a get- Jo
tough stance. It has to take a stand and
decide if it wants to stop the use of
handguns in crime, or if it simply wants
to take the easy way out of a hard
situation and in the process, have many
more innocent people killed, and many
more murderers walking the streets.
Taking guns from the public is not the ,b
answer. Dealing with criminals instead
of citizens is the answer.
I guess it's because I realize gun con
trol laws alone will not change anything.
It's the old "if a criminal wants a gun bad
enough, he will get one easily" line, but
unfortunately it is true. • • •
Sure, countries such as England and
Japan are good examples for the employ
ment of gun control. But they cannot be
applied here. The United States is a
different country with a much different
culture.
What is needed are stricter laws con
cerning the use of handguns. There has to
be a deterrent that would make a person
think before using a gun while commit
ting a crime.
The death penalty for murder has to be
reinstated before any talk about reduc
ing gun-related crimes can start. Until
then, no amount of gun control legislation
will be effective.
Someone now caught in the act of a
crime knows that using a gun will only
result in a slightly longer sentence if
caught. This makes it very tempting for
the criminal to use a gun. However, if the
The American way
By. ALLEN R. MARSHALL
graduate-geography
March 30, 1981
Once again the violent dimension
of American life has gripped us with
a fear we have come to know all too
well over the recent years. The act
of terror perpetrated this afternoon
against our president and others is
not an isolated incident, but rather
an example ,of the way we have
chosen to vent our frustrations and
disappointments. The assailant was
not alone in committing a crime of
rage today. Every one of us that sat
in front of the TV and wished for
Hinkley's death or harm as punish
ment committed a crime of rage as
well. Are we any better than him,
even if we do not actually pull the
trigger?
The American way of life has
come to be synonymous with a fas
cination for violence and hate. Vio
lent sports, shoot-em-up
entertainment, cruelty to wives and
children, and threats of war and
armed intervention to promote polit
ical stability exemplified by U.S.
policy towards El Salvador all
these are symptomatic of this fas
cination. We as a society and a
nation have cultivated a response to
frustration which is fundamentally
violent. If we choose to condemn the
death penalty for the use of that gun were
imposed, then the criminal might not be
as tempted to pull it as quickly.
I would like to use a column by Michael
Daly in The New York Daily News to
make a point.
Daly mentioned a certain crime-ridden
area of New York. On this block, every
store had been held up at least once. A
couple of store owners had even been
shot.
Dean Longo is a 6th-term aerospace
engineering major and a staff writer for
The Daily Collegian.
assailant's actions, I think it is es
sential that we examine the tenor of
American life and how it affects our
judgment of the situation.
Violence, justified in the name 6f
revenge, is without a doubt' one of
the most serious moral bankruptcies
in American culture. In the context
of a society where military expan
sionism and threats of nuclear war,
domestic household terror, murder
and rape are rampant, is it really
extraordinary that seven of the last
16 presidents have been attacked by
potential assassins? Is it any wonder
that Martin Luther King was killed
tragically? Is anyone suprised that
we can react so passively to the
news of a lynching last week? Unless
we begin to ask why in the face of
such horror, we are at best disinter
ested and •at worst, enthralled with
the spectacle of an asassination at
tempt; the cruelty and suffering
President Reagan and the others
experienced today and the unbridled
violence of American life generally
will never abate.
The society condemning today's
act of terror is also a society which
finds its heros in warriors with
smoking guns. Until this moral con
tradiction is resolved, we will never
be a nation at peace, and acts of
cruelty and hatred will continue to
haunt us.
• -reader opinion
Think
With the clamor and emotionalism brought on
by the recent assassination attempt on President
Reagan, I feel that students should use their
heads when deciding on the issue of gun control.
The incident has brought on the wrath of gun
control advocates and their reactionary coun
terparts. The solution to the handgun problem
ranges from the views of gun control advocates
who feel the abolition of private gun ownership
• or strict control is the answer, to the views of
pro- gun advocates who feel that strict mandato
,.
• ry.sentences are the answer. In talking with
many students, 'I find that the majority of opin
: . ions do not lie around the mean of these
solu
tions, but at the extremes.
If a student stops and puts either one of these
• solutions into the real world, he or she will
- realize neither one is the answer. Students at the
University can easily observe that the govern
ment is not very efficient in limiting the supply of
controlled substances to the public. The mass
:•;,, quantities of marijuana, speed and other such
• $ controlled substances available on this campus
,• should be proof enough of that. In effect, then,
i • the argument of pro-gun enthusiasts is correct in
that the government would only be disarming the
law-abiding citizen. On the other hand, steep
•• case loads and overcrowding in American pris
ons do not make the solution of pro-gun advo
cates very feasible either.
• I feel that the problem we currently face goes
far deeper than violence caused by handguns.
Many freedoms and privileges are abused by
f: Americans every day. It is the cost of living in a
•free society. Personally, I strongly oppose gun
• control even though I feel the solution offered by
,„
e t :, * * * * * * * * * * * *
*
* TAHOKA FREEWAY
. *
* AT TIE
* * BREWERy‘
*
* "TEQUILA NiTE" *
****** * * * * * *
IMMEEN
pro-gun advocates is not much better. Most of
all, I think students should not insult their
educational achievements by being easily
swayed by either side during this period of
emotionalism and illogic.
Jim Laurie, 7th-administration of justice
April 3
Shuddering
As I sit listening to the reports concerning the
shooting of President Reagan, I shudder at the
thought of opening the paper tomorrow and
looking at the headlines which claim that hand
guns should be banned.
I would be the first one to admit that what
transpired was shameless and very regretable.
However, the fact remains that banning hand
guns to stop the crime of murder is like banning
butane lighters to stop the act of smoking;
banning water pipes to stop people from smoking
marijuana; banning the automobile in order to
stop people from getting maimed or killed; or
banning alcohol hoping people will not drink
alcoholic beverages.
The fact is that people will always have access
to gum when they wish to obtain them. Further
more,.banning handguns penalizes the law-abid
ing citizen who wishes to engage in sport
shooting or hunting.
Taken one step further, if handguns indeed
were ever banned, what is to stop the rifle that
the sportsman lawfully uses to hunt with from
being banned?
President Reagan himself is against handgun
control, and I'll just bet that is still his position.
Finally, I would like to point out that the right
Aid CAN'T b‘,
WONe A tOR
INMIOUIASKII
SON* VeRV
QUeSTIORSI
1111111111IIEZIE
!l'ed `r
to keep and bear arms has been a cherished
freedom for many yeks, very dear to a large
number of people throughout the United States.
So all you people who think that this incident
could have been avoided through some type of
gun control, think , over what I have said and use
a little common sense when making your cocka
mamie claims that gun control is the answer to
our spiraling crime rate.
Mike Henry, 10th-administration of justice
March 30
Not well
This here American hasn't been doing well
lately, I mean sex, violence, drugs, scandle,
swindle and stealing are increasingly mortal
hazards.
However, recently it seems this country has
acquired a taste for blood. It's like a Dracula
syndrome: the Kennedys, Malcolm X, George
Wallace, Martin Luther King, John Lennon,
Vernon Jordan, Ronald Reagan and company,
Atlanta, Dade County, legal prisoner executions.
We couldn't even salvage another Japan, Ko
rea, or Taiwan out of Vietnam despite the vain
bloodletting from both friends and enemies.
So what's to be expected? After all, the 1948 to
1960 war babies, intentionally, circumstancially
or ignorantly are living up to our names.
Something tells me that "the system" has
some very major flaws at home, and Aightening
the social screws will only increase the pressure
in the melting pot. How can this country even
attempt to police and incorporate the whole
world when clearly frustration and gross socio
economic inequality pervades here, especially in
.-Ns. NEW
. : :monday 9pm -2am
rock'n'roll records
tit iott
't ili i, 4410 1 1 1 \
L --", •
--4 it
ISMER
II 11 i
I congratulate you for publishing Wendy Mill
er's review of the Whetstone Run/Buffalo Chip
kickers concert in the HUB on March 22. The
review has stirred much discussion and contro
versy. Considering I have an interest both
personal and professional in bluegrass, I must
respond.
I quarrel with Miller's definition of bluegrass,
and I question her interpretation of the perfor-
SCORPION
this generation.
For instance, the official family-of-four pover
ty line is $8,410 yet the state incarcerates a
felon at a cost of $lO,OOO minimum. What an
unfair insult!
I think we ought to issue guns to everybody
born between 1948 and 1960 and really wade in
ankle dpep blood for a while maybe after the
initial exhilaration, shock , remorse and rage
pass, those of us still alive will be wiser andmore
confident because, • after all, isn't normalcy
stretched with each outrageous, irrational
event?
We can always nickel-dime, Son of Sam; Hill
side Strangler, Klu Klux Klan it, or demand
more consideration from Corporate America
and Hank America, defended by our ignorant,
mercenary army, to develop the future here, for
us, instead of investing, exploiting, manipulat
ing, conserving and owning a 20th century
figurative, not literal world.
Gordon Zernich, Bth-history
March 31
Response
/ /
PI~EcSeSI~EL~"tIB
......... ..... .„..., .. .. .....r...........,......,...,,...„„„,..„....::„.„,„„.„...::::::....„.,..„
Today's specials
Meatball Hoagie and Tossed Salad $1.99
1 / 2 small pizza and soup or salad $1.65 4..
The Press Box is
located al 1291
S. Pugh Si. fresh, home style soups daily
. 11 11 l ,, A 11
across from the
parkin(' garage
The Daily Collegian Monday, April 6, 1981
mance. I was irritated by her use of terms su
as "get down." What in the world does "g
down" mean? And how about "foot-stompin?"
often feel my foot going up and down when
listen to Bach or Mozart. What's theconnectio
Fundamentally, bluegrass is a part-popula
part-folk American music form. It consists b
sically of a four-part vocal harmony and a fo
instrument combination: guitar, banjo, fiddle
mandolin, and bass. The song style comes to
in part from the ancient ballad singing of t
British Isles, and in part from the southe
harmony singing of religious groups in the 19 ,
and 20th centuries. Add influences from Iri
fiddle tunes, and complicate it further by addi
influences according to Bill Monroe fro
black blues singers. Together, these influenc:
are the base for an intricate American mus'
form open to interpretation.
Bluegrass is not a stilted ancient music for
it is a free style. And it is a young music for
The first recognized bluegrass festival too
place in 1965. Bluegrass comes from the name •
Bill Monroe's band, the Bluegrass Boys, a nam
he chose to honor his native state of Kentuck
Monroe was an innovator, and musicians copie
his band's style, as well as the style of his banj
player (Earl Scruggs). Thus a new America
genre was born: bluegrass!
Jeff Dixon of the Hetzel Union Board state
clearly to me that the purpose of the Sunda
night series is to present bands which normall
play downtown and are therefore unavailable t
the under 21 age group. The HUB concert a I
tempted to present a wide spectrum of what w
call bluegrass. We call Whetstone Run a trad'
tional bluegrass band because they keep th
harmonies and instrumentations establish •
early in bluegrass history. Their sound is readil
identifiable, and as most folks in our regio ,
know, it's good, very good. The Buffalo Chipkick
ens do progressive bluegrass; they feel free t
interpret, invent, and take artistic liberties i
developing their own style. They are as far fro
Miller's hayseed image of bluegrassers as on
can get.
Miller gave us her own candid evaluation
the concert. I feel that she did not research he
subject thoroughly before writing her revie
and I cannot remain silent over such irrespons'
ble journalism.
Bob Doyle, Bob Doyle Agency
April 1
the Original Std le Colley Spolls ddr