The following editorial appeared in the June 1993 issue of American Rifleman
Magazine.  While it was addressed primarily to female NRA members, there is a
great deal of common sense and truth here, and the lady is far more eloquent
than I.

================

NRA Woman's Voice, June 1993, American Rifleman Magazine.

One of America's most powerful politicians said on the May 2 edition of "Meet
the Press:"  "'...to prevent you from getting weapons you need to defend
yourself,' is a very difficult case to make morally."

It sure is.
Just ask Suzanna Gratia.

It was Suzanna's desire to obey Texas law that caused her to experience hell
on earth and made her an instant orphan.  On Oct. 16, 1991, Suzanna dutifully
left her handgun in the trunk of her car while she joined her parents for
lunch at Luby's cafeteria in Killeen, Texas.  Minutes later, a madman entered
and slaughtered 22 people--including Suzanna's parents.  Today, Suzanna will
tell you how, lying face-down on the floor, she reached for her purse...for a
gun to stop the killing, a gun that wasn't there--thanks to Texas' law
against concealed carry.

But that powerful politician wasn't talking about Suzanna.  He was talking
about the Muslims in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

If this politician supports the right of citizens in a country half a world
away to defend themselves, surely he supports the right of American women
like Suzanna to do the same thing, right?  Wrong.

This politician is Vice President Al Gore who, as a U.S. senator, voted
against the instant criminal background check while voting for a ban on
certain semi-automatics.

No one doubts that following the breakup of Yugoslavia, the horror has been
unspeakable--including horrors perpetrated against women.  The Jan. 4 cover
of 'Newsweek' featured "A Pattern of Rape, War Crimes in Bosnia."  The cover
story said 30,000-50,000 Muslim women have been raped in Bosnia.  But twice
that number of women--106,593 to be exact--were raped in America in 1991
alone.

The fact is, there's a war going on in America, too.  Every day, Americans
face an enemy that is very real:  criminals.  In his State of the Union
Address, President Clinton railed against "violent crime which terrorizes our
people and which tears our communities apart."

The war in America is the war against crime.  Unfortunately, the good guys
aren't taking any prisoners.

We didn't even take Mart Steven Hughes.  After bludgeoning 10-month old James
Pompa to death, Mark Steven Hughes pled guilty to "injury to a child" in
Texas and received a 10-yr sentence.  With 'good-time' jail credit, Hughes
became eligible for parole six months before he was even sentenced.

Why aren't we taking any prisoners?  Simple.  Politicians prevent us from
doing so by voting against building more prison space.  They say "it's too
expensive."

But according to National Institute of Justice, it's actually 17 times
cheaper to keep criminals in jail:  Keeping a criminal in jail for one year
costs $25,000, whereas releasing him early results in an average of 187-287
crimes a year committed by that one criminal, at a cost to society of
$430,000.  This figure doesn't include the cost of human suffering.

There is a war going on.  And until we start taking prisoners to local jails
and state and federal prisons and keeping them there--citizens like Suzanna
will likely come face-to-face with criminals like Mark Steven Hughes.

What happens then?  In states without concealed carry laws, the answer
depends on where the attack takes place.

Most state legislators support the citizen's right to use a firearm to defend
him or herself at home, yet some oppose concealed carry legislation.  This
makes sense only if you believe the right of self-defense depends on where
the victim is attacked; if inside the home then self-defense applies, if
outside then it does not.

Why shouldn't our right to defend ourselves in the manner we choose extend
into places outside the home, where women are even more vulnerable?  Those
opposing concealed carry answer "because it poses a threat to public safety."
 But like the argument about building prisons, this too fails in the face of
facts.

Florida enacted a concealed carry law in 1987.  Before the law, Florida's
homicide rate was 11.7 per 100,000.  By 1991, it dropped 20% to 9.4 per
100,000.  This compares with a 14% increase in the national average over the
same period.  (All figures:  FBI UCR)

Clearly, allowing alw-abiding citizens to carry concealed firearms poses no
threat to public safety.  VP Gore knows this; like Florida, his home state of
Tennessee allows licensed citizens to carry concealed firearms.

And right now, honest citizens in Missouri, North Carolina and Texas are
asking their state legislatures for the ability to defend themselves against
violent criminal attack regardless of where that attack takes place.  They're
calling for the passage of concealed carry in their states.

We can only hope our elected officials, both on the federal and state level,
apply the same standard to honest citizens on American soil as they do to
Muslims in Bosnia.

After all, there's a war going on in America, too.

                                          Elizabeth J. Swasey

## The Tree of Liberty must be watered with the blood of Patriots
