Whenever we have something as traumatic as the beltway sniper incidents, there are always reactions, snap-judgments, and a good portion of political opportunism that need to be examined closely.
In Maryland, where many of the killings occurred, Lieutenant-Governor Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, daughter of Ethel, and the late Robert, Kennedy, was already beating the drums for more stringent gun control. With the sniper attacks, the drums only got louder.
Mrs. Townsend is running for Governor of Maryland.
In another political reaction, Columnist Debra Saunders reports that in California , Rep. Anna Eshoo (D) (gesundheit, Anna) has come up with a "ballistic fingerprinting" bill which she calls the Ballistics, Law, Assistance and Safety Technology Act, or BLAST. Sounds more like Ballistics by Uncontrolled Legislator Law, Or BULL.
Rep. Eshoo (gesundheit) proposes that every firearm produced be fired before it leaves the manufacturer, and the fired bullet and casing be used to establish a national database. This, of course would be administered by the same government that, as we reported some time back, lost computers containing sensitive data and firearms from its premier law enforcement agency, the FBI.
What it would cost, Ms. Eshoo (gesundheit) couldn’t estimate. What we would do about the millions of firearms already out there, she couldn’t say; however, she is sure that had such a database existed, the beltway perpetrators would have been apprehended much quicker.
Ms. Saunders’ column points out that folks who we suspect are "swifter" than the congresswoman when it comes to guns and ballistics, namely the California Bureau of Forensics, said that it was unknown if a weapon used sometime later in a felony would match the original as it came from the factory. Furthermore, they pointed out that altering the markings of a firearm was not difficult, unlike trying to "alter" fingerprints.
The Sunday, October 27, opinion page of the Atlanta Journal/Constitution presented another advocate for "ballistic fingerprinting", referring to the NRA and second amendment defenders as paranoid.
Judging from the quick reaction from gun control liberals to latch on to the beltway sniper attacks, we wonder. Just who IS paranoid?
A question: Can the government handle gun control better than the public? If you think so, just read on.
(You won’t read about Charmaine Dunbar on the front page of The New York Times, but the Sierra Times carried this story by Robert A. Waters on October 25. We thank our friend, Edwin Gravitt, for bringing it to our attention.)
SHOTS FROM THE UNDERGROUND
By Robert A. Waters .
Published 10. 25. 02 at 22:28
Sierra Times
By the time John Allen Muhammed and John Lee Malvo were arrested for the Beltway Sniper murders, they had gunned down ten people and wounded three others. Howls from the gun control mob were heard, and polls indicated that many Americans agreed that there should be tighter firearms restrictions. But beneath the surface, others were using guns to save lives.
On October 13, a Philadelphia woman shot an armed serial rapist. As Daniel Wesley threatened her with a rifle, Charmaine Dunbar drew her own licensed handgun and fired, striking him twice. Investigators later determined that Wesley was the violent rapist who had been stalking the East End area for weeks. His six victims included a fourteen-year-old girl.
This incident occurred during the rampage of the Beltway Sniper. Predictably, the networks, which gave wall-to-wall coverage to the Sniper, said nothing about the capture of the serial rapist.
On October 2, a 53-year-old Detroit woman shot one of two gunmen who broke into her home. This story was reported only in the local media.
On October 6, in Ybor City, Florida, a robber pulled a gun on parking lot attendant Ian McGeehan and demanded money. The victim, who had a permit to carry a concealed weapon, pulled his own handgun and shot the robber twice.
On October 7, Sam Harper, a deliveryman for the Birmingham News, saw a shotgun-wielding robber threaten a store clerk. Harper pulled a handgun and shot the robber.
Tom Burtnett, the clerk, credited Harper with saving his life.
On October 8, Richland, South Carolina store owner Sterling Patterson opened fire on three armed robbers. One of the bandits had pointed a gun at a customer and threatened to kill him. Patterson's barrage hit one of the robbers and sent the others fleeing.
Also on October 8, a Las Vegas homeowner shot two home invaders. After they broke into his house, the resident and his wife took refuge in their bedroom and called police. However, when the intruders attempted to break down the door, the omeowner shot them.
In Detroit, on October 10, a storeowner came to the rescue of a woman who was being mugged. As she attempted to withdraw money from an ATM machine, two men assaulted her. The business owner saw what was happening, retrieved his gun, and shot one of the thugs.
On October 13, a Vigo County, Indiana teenager shot an intruder who threatened him with a crowbar.
Between October 7 and October 13, armed intruders were shot by residents in Texas, Arkansas, Pennsylvania, Nevada, Arizona, and North Carolina.
On October 14, a cancer patient in Tennessee shot an armed home invader who attempted to steal his Oxycontin.
None of these stories merited the attention of the national media.
The coverage given the sniper was justified. It's a huge story.
However, when other stories which show the benefits of guns are suppressed by the national networks, our views on gun control are distorted.
No doubt, the Philadelphia woman who shot Daniel Wesley saved dozens of women from the trauma of sexual assault. Due to the rapist's violent nature, it's also likely that several lives were saved. While it is difficult to numerically assess the benefits of her heroic actions, Charmaine Dunbar may have saved as many lives as the Beltway Sniper murdered. Indeed, Police Chief Robert W. McNeilly, Jr. said, "We took this just as seriously as the shootings down in Washington. D. C."
Unfortunately, the average American will never know because the national media did not report it.
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Robert A. Waters is the author of "The Best Defense: True Stories of Intended Victims Who Defended Themselves with a Firearm." His new book, "Guns Save Lives: True Stories of Americans Defending Their Lives with Firearms," is available at Loompanics.com, or by calling toll-free 1-800-380-2230.
ED NOTE: AS WE ASKED AT THE BEGINNING:
GUN CONTROL? BUT BY WHOM?
Ó2002 Dave Nelson