29 May 99
This just in from a lawyer friend in California. It’s a copy of a letter sent to another law firm. Nice to know there are some honorable lawyers of the warrior ilk out there, eh?
“Neither my partners nor I would ever feel helpless in the event of a crazy client with a gun roaming through our office, since we also have one, and we can get to it quickly. And we have the training, and we practice a lot. This is legal in California since we are owners of a business. I choose not to be a passive grasseater. Three of my friends, all of whom had always given me a hard time about my interest in defensive firearms, called me in a panic to borrow them during the riots.
I disagree on “assault weapons,” a media term which is currently being stretched to absurd lengths in pending legislation. I used to think the NRA was a bunch of nuts. I now realize they have been right all along.
I choose not to have my civil liberties curtailed because you don’t think I happen to need them at the moment. I do not believe that this country is heading toward nirvana, and this is one political science major who found the founding fathers’ views on the dangers of overpowering government pretty convincing.
If you’d been down here with during the riots, you might see the other point of view on the “need” issue, and the critical usefulness of this type of weapon. There were citizens in LA who needed and used assault weapons to defend themselves and their businesses during the riots. These stories, of course, went unreported.
If you think fifteen or twenty rounds is an absurd capacity for a weapon, then see if you can find a single police officer who is personally willing to accept the restriction. The police wouldn’t consider that limitation, because they know they may be in a situation where it would be very unhealthy.
I object to litigation which is based on a stupid premise (do the manufacturers get a $ credit every time a cop uses his/her weapon or a citizen scares away a burglar?), litigation which is designed to accomplish what can’t be done at the ballot box or in the legislature.
I have complete respect for your position, and if you choose not to have a gun anywhere around you that’s okay with me. I do not want to be disarmed by people who don’t seem to grasp the simple truth that criminals always get what they want. The “success” of the war on drugs should illustrate this well enough.”
/John
