Michelle Malkin on Self-Defense

[ghschirtz]

April 18, 2007
Wanted: A Culture of Self-Defense
By Michelle Malkin

There's no polite way or time to say it: American colleges and universities have become coddle industries. Big Nanny administrators oversee speech codes, segregated dorms, politically correct academic departments and designated "safe spaces" to protect students selectively from hurtful (conservative) opinions -- while allowing mob rule for approved leftist positions (textbook case: Columbia University's anti-Minuteman Project protesters).

Instead of teaching students to defend their beliefs, American educators shield them from vigorous intellectual debate. Instead of encouraging autonomy, our higher institutions of learning stoke passivity and conflict-avoidance.

And as the erosion of intellectual self-defense goes, so goes the erosion of physical self-defense.

Yesterday morning, as news was breaking about the carnage at Virginia Tech, a reader e-mailed me a news story from last January. State legislators in Virginia had attempted to pass a bill that would have eased handgun restrictions on college campuses. Opposed by outspoken, anti-gun activists and Virginia Tech administrators, that bill failed.

Is it too early to ask: "What if?" What if that bill had passed? What if just one student in one of those classrooms had been in lawful possession of a concealed weapon for the purpose of self-defense?

If it wasn't too early for Keystone Katie Couric to be jumping all over campus security yesterday for what they woulda/coulda/shoulda done in the immediate aftermath of the shooting, and if it isn't too early for The New York Times editorial board to be publishing its knee-jerk call for more gun control, it darned well isn't too early for me to raise questions about how the unrepentant anti-gun lobbying of college officials may have put students at risk.

The back story: Virginia Tech had punished a student for bringing a handgun to class last spring -- despite the fact that the student had a valid concealed handgun permit. The bill would have barred public universities from making "rules or regulations limiting or abridging the ability of a student who possesses a valid concealed handgun permit . . . from lawfully carrying a concealed handgun." After the proposal died in subcommittee, the school's governing board reiterated its ban on students or employees carrying guns and prohibiting visitors from bringing them into campus buildings.

Late last summer, a shooting near campus prompted students to clamor again for loosening campus rules against armed self-defense. Virginia Tech officials turned up their noses. In response to student Bradford Wiles's campus newspaper op-ed piece in support of concealed carry on campus, Virginia Tech Associate Vice President Larry Hincker scoffed:

"[i]t is absolutely mind-boggling to see the opinions of Bradford Wiles. . . . The editors of this page must have printed this commentary if for no other reason than malicious compliance. Surely, they scratched their heads saying, 'I can't believe he really wants to say that.' Wiles tells us that he didn't feel safe with the hundreds of highly trained officers armed with high powered rifles encircling the building and protecting him. He even implies that he needed his sidearm to protect himself . . ."

The nerve!

Hincker continued: "The writer would have us believe that a university campus, with tens of thousands of young people, is safer with everyone packing heat. Imagine the continual fear of students in that scenario. We've seen that fear here, and we don't want to see it again. . . . Guns don't belong in classrooms. They never will. Virginia Tech has a very sound policy preventing same."

Who's scratching his head now, Mr. Hincker?

Some high-handed commentators insist it's premature or unseemly to examine the impact of school rules discouraging students from carrying arms on campus. Pundit Andrew Sullivan complained that it was "creepy" to highlight reader e-mails calling attention to Virginia Tech's restrictions on student self-defense -- even as the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence rushed to capitalize on the massacre to sign up new members and gather e-mail addresses for Million Mom March chapters. "We are outraged by the increase in gun violence in America, especially the recent shooting at Virginia Tech," reads the online petition. "Add your name to the growing list of people who are saying: 'Enough Is Enough!'"

Enough is enough, indeed. Enough of intellectual disarmament. Enough of physical disarmament. You want a safer campus? It begins with renewing a culture of self-defense -- mind, spirit and body. It begins with two words: Fight back.

Copyright 2007 Creators Syndicate Inc.

[IAmASensFan]

Sweet!

[Apeman88]

+1... even my 7 and 10 year old agree...

http://www.calccw.com/Forums/general...sponse-vt.html

[AuburnHunter]

+1 good article!

[THaves]

I just sent her an e-mail supporting her position

[WKC]

Originally Posted by THaves

And she is very cute. I wonder if she is single

Tim, I'm glad your banana is happy!

On a more serious note, this was posted at another site.

[tango-52]

Originally Posted by THaves

And she is very cute. I wonder if she is single

But you aren't!!

[THaves]

My E-mial to her

Michelle



I could not agree more with your column this week.



I hope that you are able to express this view to a larger audience soon. I think it would be refreshing to hear from a Journalist that the rights of the students to defend themselves were taken away by Virginia Tech and that in doing so they were somewhat complicit.



I noticed you tried to bring this up on O’Reilly two days ago but you were interrupted. I did write to Bill making exactly the same points that you made and as yet this issue has not been addressed.



We have to learn from this terrible incident, the police can not be everywhere at once and citizens have the rights to defend themselves. I would like to understand how Larry Hinckler feels now about the comments he made against CCW on campus and if he will now reconsider the position.



I am a founding member of a www.calccw.com which promotes self defense for responsible Californians. The web site is small and only been operational for about a month but we are growing membership quickly. Many of the Founders on the site have a California CCW some are Law Enforcement, we are responsible people trying to guild our fellow Californians through the difficulties imposed on us to defend ourselves.



If you have any questions or comments feel free to contact me



Regards

[tango-52]

Nicely done. It would be great if we could start getting some national attention on California's unfair issue situation.

[IAmASensFan]

Hey, maybe she'll be in my sensitivity training class!?!?!?!!

[IAmASensFan]

Originally Posted by tango-52

Nicely done. It would be great if we could start getting some national attention on California's unfair issue situation.

I wouldn't be surprised if there's a downhill effect...In order to protect yourself you have to be able to get a CCW...and since California isn't so hot about either...

[tango-52]

Do you mean all the crazies will come here because we can't protect ourselves? Some parts of the country think that is already the case here.

[THaves]

I think that this reinforces the need to carry your gun at all times. No where is safe.

[IAmASensFan]

Sure...If they'd let me...

[Spicy McHaggis]

Originally Posted by THaves

My E-mial to her

Michelle

I could not agree more with your column this week.

I hope that you are able to express this view to a larger audience soon. I think it would be refreshing to hear from a Journalist that the rights of the students to defend themselves were taken away by Virginia Tech and that in doing so they were somewhat complicit.

I noticed you tried to bring this up on O’Reilly two days ago but you were interrupted. I did write to Bill making exactly the same points that you made and as yet this issue has not been addressed.

We have to learn from this terrible incident, the police can not be everywhere at once and citizens have the rights to defend themselves. I would like to understand how Larry Hinckler feels now about the comments he made against CCW on campus and if he will now reconsider the position.

I am a founding member of a www.calccw.com which promotes self defense for responsible Californians. The web site is small and only been operational for about a month but we are growing membership quickly. Many of the Founders on the site have a California CCW some are Law Enforcement, we are responsible people trying to guild our fellow Californians through the difficulties imposed on us to defend ourselves.

If you have any questions or comments feel free to contact me

Regards

Great letter Thaves!

Michelle is always on the O'Reilly Factor, so I'm sure she will be discussing this subject a lot with him. She's one of the few people I've seen give Bill a hard time! Very smart person! She hosted his show for a couple of days recently and did a great job.