Concealed Carry: ABC Apparently Prefers Fish-In-a-Barrel To OK Corral

Concealed Carry: ABC Apparently Prefers Fish-In-a-Barrel To OK Corral

By Mark Finkelstein (Bio | Archive)
Sat, 02/16/2008 - 12:24 ET

Interviewing a student advocate of concealed carry on campus, Good Morning America's Bill Weir fretted today that it could lead to an "OK Corral" situation.

Weir spoke with Mike Guzman, a student at Texas State University and a leader of a national group called Students for Concealed Carry on Campus. Weir's opening gambit: "Are you carrying a gun now?"

Guzman said that he was, and does so everywhere but on campus. Sort of made me wish Guzman had asked Weir if he was unarmed.

You can view the video of the entire interview here, but I'd focus on this bit of editorializing by Weir:

BILL WEIR: The idea if there's two or three people in an economics class, and a gunfight breaks out, are you really saying, it's sort of like we're devolving to the OK Corral here.

Which raises the question posed in my headline. Do Weir and ABC believe that the current situation, in which killers can shoot defenseless students like fish in a barrel, is preferable to the prospect of an OK Corral in which the innocent at least have a chance?

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Fretting about OK Corral???

Sat, 02/16/2008 - 12:34 ET by Lame Cherry

Ah news to the MSM, OK Corral was a wonderful victory as the terrorist Clanton gang of the "red sash cowboys got killed and scattered.

Morgan Earp was wounded in the arm, but otherwise Doc, Wyatt and boys street hosed those thugs and kept the citizens safe from criminals.

If colleges has OK Corrals it would end these wacko's going in shooting fish in a barrel.

*HIC IACET ARTORIVS REX QVONDAM REXQVE FVTVRVS

Of course they do!

Sat, 02/16/2008 - 12:41 ET by americaneagle

The story is always so much better for the MSM when they can focus on the tragedy of multiple deaths instead of focusing on how an armed potential victim stopped a killing spree! Tragedy like this allows them to continue to rail against the "prevalence of gun violence" or the "destructive American gun culture." The last thing they want to cover is a story where people were able to defend themselves from an attack; where's the PCness in that?

At a college in Virginia, a

Sat, 02/16/2008 - 17:20 ET by motherbelt

At a college in Virginia, a gunman was on the rampage and had killed a couple of people already. Two students went to their cars and got their guns...they held them on the gunman while other students tackled him and then disarmed him.

Says John Lott, in Media Bias About Guns (emphasis added):

out of 208 news stories (from a Nexis-Lexis search) in the week after the event, just four mentioned that the students who stopped the shooter had guns? A typical description of the event in the Washington Post. "Three students pounced on the gunman and held him until help arrived." New York’s Newsday noted only that the attacker was "restrained by students." Many stories mentioned the law-enforcement or military backgrounds of these student heroes, but virtually all of the media, in discussing how the killer was stopped, said things such as: "students tackled the man while he was still armed" "students tackled the gunman" the attacker "dropped his gun after being confronted by students, who then tackled him to the ground" or "students ended the rampage by confronting and then tackling the gunman, who dropped his weapon"

Weir's opening question:

Sat, 02/16/2008 - 12:55 ET by drillanwr

Weir's opening question: "Are you carrying a gun now?"

My answer would have been, "I'll show you mine if you show me yours ..."

When you men get home and face an anti-war protestor, look him in the eyes and shake his hand. Then, wink at his girlfriend because she knows she’s dating a pussy… ~ Attributed to General Tommy Franks

Tort Reform

Sat, 02/16/2008 - 13:08 ET by iveseenitall

First we need some tort reform. The lawsuits will be rampant the first time someone defends himself. "Liberals" never stop. But allow the guns anyway; to hell with them.

NEVER,NEVER trust a "liberal"

Drive by shootings

Sat, 02/16/2008 - 13:23 ET by CobraMan

Someone needs to remind Bill Weir that his analogy is severely flawed as the OK Corral shoot-out occurred outside, in a deserted street, with little chance of innocent civilians getting injured.

Someone should also remind him that, had there been a chance of an armed resistance being present, the gunman probably would not have attempted to shoot people. If the gunman wanted to have a gun battle; he would have attacked a police precinct and not unarmed students.

“Laws that forbid the

Sat, 02/16/2008 - 13:35 ET by rbosque

“Laws that forbid the carrying of arms ... disarm only those who are
neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes. Such laws make things worse
for the assaulted and better for the assailants; they serve rather to encourage
than prevent homicides, for an unarmed man may be attacked with greater
confidence than an armed one.”

— Thomas Jefferson

The MSM might not care if I live or die but I DO.

Logical Thinking

Sat, 02/16/2008 - 13:53 ET by AeroSpear

rbosque,

That is a perfect quote. And no wonder, it comes from someone who knew what he was talking about. His words give better insight into the 2nd Amendment ... ya know, since he was there and all.

Jefferson quote

Sat, 02/16/2008 - 17:48 ET by ArmedDad

I've seen that quote attributed to Cesare Beccaria,"Father of Modern Criminology" in 1764.

And Jefferson was

Sat, 02/16/2008 - 19:13 ET by stratman

And Jefferson was attributed with quoting Beccaria.

Everyone borrows something at some point.

The words are no less true, no less powerful, no less essential to our American way of life.

And yet some still don't get it. Sad and dangerous.

Killing them with kindness isn't working. Time to get scrappy with the Donkeys.

From rbo...on down I want

Sat, 02/16/2008 - 19:31 ET by bigtimer

From rbo...on down I want to thank you all...I just learned some wonderful new history here from each of you....

Which, as you say...still holds true today.

It's almost like we have

Sun, 02/17/2008 - 05:04 ET by DCC1

It's almost like we have heard this rhetoric before... if I could only remember where? Could it be...

"Germans who wish to use
firearms should join the SS or the SA -- ordinary citizens don't need guns, as
their having guns doesn't serve the state." - Heinrich Himmler.

And to the 'consensus' view that the constituion only grants states rights

"The
said constitution shall never be construed to authorize congress to prevent the
people of the United States who are peaceable citizens from keeping their own
arms." - Samuel Adams

"To preserve liberty, it is
essential that the whole body of the people always possess arms and be taught
alike, especially when young, how to use them." - Richard Henry Lee
Founding Father

IDIOT

Sat, 02/16/2008 - 14:56 ET by Benny

Weir's an idiot. Texas has had a conceald handgun law for years and I have yet to see these mass OK CORRAL shootouts occur on the streets of San Antonio, Dallas, Austin, Fort Worth, etc. If these OK CORRAL shootouts were occuring, I'm sure the MSN would be covering them on a nightly basis. In reality, criminals are killing criminals, but on rare occassions, mass group of innocent people are killed, not because of guns but due to a lack of guns. The reality is there are sick sons of bitches out there who'll shoot you just to see you jump and the only way to deal w/people like that is by firing back. But getting back on point, I believe criminals have gotten the point, because their moving to areas where people are unarmed and not allowed to be armed. Despite what the MSN and liberals think, the average citizen is reponsible enough to know when to shoot and when not to shoot. It's the crazy gunmen that should be worried about, not the well informed, well instructed, citizen. As for Mr. Weir, it must be nice to be able and sit so high and out of the line of fire, while others are paid to do the killing for him. I speak of the armed security, ready to jump into action in a minute, that ABC must employ to proctect Mr. Weir and his fellow idiots.

"THANK GOD FOR THE REPUBLICAN PARTY! GOD SAVE THE PRESIDENT! AND GOD BLESS AMERICA!"

Why are they targeting campuses?

Sat, 02/16/2008 - 18:16 ET by GrannyGrump42

We need to ask repeatedly, "Why do these crazed guys target college campuses?" The answer is in two parts:

1. It gets lots of media attention.

2. They're shooting galleries. Only an idiot would expect to meet armed resistance on a college campus.

The proper response to the shootings should be to issue sidearms to instructors and test proctors.

Gun Free Zones

Sat, 02/16/2008 - 19:34 ET by doug1950

Because just as you say, the campuses are "gun free zones". They know there is little or no chance of running up on someone toting a gun so they can go there and blast away. Anti gun people keep thinking that we just need more and stricter gun laws or complete gun bans. I do not know when they will figure out that criminals do not obey the law, especially if they are not enforced. Watched an episode of 48 hours recently where the perp they were looking for in a murder had an arrest record sheet / list that was 44 pages long. What the hell is someone like that doing walking our streets?

Q&A

Sat, 02/16/2008 - 15:38 ET by Carbon Sasquatch

Wier: "Are you carrying a gun now?"

Guzman: "Are you wearing underwear now?"

Wier: "That's not relevant!"

Guzman: "Ditto"

I'm fortunate to live in a

Sat, 02/16/2008 - 16:32 ET by BuxomAnnieMcGreggor

I'm fortunate to live in a "conceal and carry" friendly state! I personally pack a Kimber custom CDP II .45 (handmade specifically for C and C so it won't snag on your pant suit... or whatever you are wearing at the time you're retrieving your weapon). It has the stopping power of a tank all in a little 6.8 inch frame. God, I love America!

Life can be a real b*tch... so why vote for one?

BAM... I carry too...but

Sat, 02/16/2008 - 16:39 ET by bigtimer

BAM...

I carry too...but the way you posted is well...truly awesome...'nuff said.

PLUS....I LOVE YOUR TAG-LINE!

Thanx bigtimer... It has

Sat, 02/16/2008 - 16:47 ET by BuxomAnnieMcGreggor

Thanx bigtimer...

It has always been my thinking that the protection of the innocence in America takes as little as one well placed round. God bless America!

Life can be a real b*tch... so why vote for one?

Although I have a CCW

Sat, 02/16/2008 - 23:05 ET by DEVILDOCMOM

I have yet to decide on what I want to carry; thanks for the suggestion, I will check it out. My son has a Kimber-among others-so I have a variety to practice with when we go to the range.

I like..

Sun, 02/17/2008 - 10:16 ET by GForce

H&K USP Compact .40 cal.

*Oustanding accuracy/reliability
*Great safety/decocker
*low recoil/double buffer system
*throw on some nite sights and you are done!

"It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it"-Aristotle

I'll second that one!

Sun, 02/17/2008 - 13:35 ET by masslibertarian

This is what I carry as well. Mine came out of the box with night sights.

What a sweet shooting little piece of hardware!

1911 DA Concealed

Sun, 02/17/2008 - 15:50 ET by LeroyBrown5000

For those of y'all who love the 1911 platform as much as I do but aren't comfortable carrying a single-action locked and cocked, Para Ordnance makes some great CC-sized pistols in double action. They have custom trigger jobs that they call Light Double Action (LDA) which gives you a uniform, smooth trigger pull. I carry the the 3.5" Blackwatch LDA and it shoots like a dream. I love having a beavertail and all-steel gun for easy follow-up shots but I have to say to you H&K guys that I am tempted to go USP 45 Compact every time I go to my indoor range/shop!

As a Virginian who saw friends of mine who are VT alums devastated it angers me every time someone throws around "OK Corral" allusions or similar tripe. As I'm sure all of us have to some degree, I had to provide certification of safety and defense training, go through fingerprinting and an extensive background check by the VA State Police and then get the okay from both the State's Attorney and a local (People's Republic of Arlington) magistrate. But I can't carry at Tech, JMU (where I graduated) or UVA (where I just took my LSATs). I am supposed to be a good little sheep and depend upon the government to protect me from the wolves. I admire our first-responders immensely but the Constitution included affirmation of our inherent right to self-defense so the State could NOT expand its power limitlessly under the guise of "protecting" the citizenry.

What we need is to use gun-banners favorite tool - the lawsuit - against them. We need federal legislation like that being attempted in AZ that holds institutions that choose to ban personal firearm possession legally liable for criminal activity that occurs on their property.

That is an

Sun, 02/17/2008 - 17:38 ET by doug1950

excellent idea! Perhaps if victims of violent crimes in gun-free zones sued the a** off the cities and institutions that created those bans making the victim virtually a sitting duck w/o being able to exercise their Constitutional right of self protection under the Second Amendment, the shoe would be on the other foot for a change. NRA should be looking into this.

1911

Sun, 02/17/2008 - 23:30 ET by masslibertarian

Man, do I love a 1911. I have a Kimber TLE II and a Colt Officer's Model, both .45. The Kimber shoots like a laser - you basically just have to glance at the center of the target over the sights to send a 230 grain FMJ right through it. The Colt's pretty darn good itself, although it has had a lot of work done to it. And I don't really have any qualms about carrying either cocked and locked as John Browning intended.

That being said, the USP Compact .40 is light, powerful, reliable, and accurate, which makes it the perfect carry gun in my book. My brother has the USP Compact in .45, and it's sweet too.

You're right that all us concealed weapons permit holders here have been through the same drill. I went the extra 2nd amendment mile and managed to get one from the socialists that run Massachusetts. To add insult to injury, my name is now in the MA criminal database, which is where they store the names of permit holders (although the optimist in me thinks this is more from ease of integration into law enforcement research, they still equate legal carrying of firearms as another type of crime in the system).

Love that wolf and sheep reference.

Hey, thanks

Sun, 02/17/2008 - 19:10 ET by DEVILDOCMOM

for the suggestions, I will check them out and run them past my range master...my son. :)

Security?

Sat, 02/16/2008 - 17:25 ET by SATerp

I wonder how many big media news studios operate without security? You know, on their own, without defenses, as in a typical classroom in a typical university...

Neat Idea, SATerp

Sun, 02/17/2008 - 12:01 ET by jrich

Hey NewsBusters, how 'bout some investigative reporting on all the paid security at places like ABC.

Let's talk about how comfortable, and hypocritical, it is to juxtapose a paid security environment with one-sided, illogical, and disrespectful expressions regarding ordinary citizens who want the freedom, and ability to secure their own safety.

If self-defense is such a hideous thing, let's see the news studios put their safety where there mouth is; let them make themselves into "gun-free" (aka "defenseless-victim") zones, with little or no paid security (like most college campuses).

Not rational

Sat, 02/16/2008 - 18:13 ET by GrannyGrump42

I have a friend who is a very sweet girl but who honestly thinks that if you ban guns, the bad guys will all sing Kum Ba Ya and there will be peace and love in the world. I pointed out that Japan -- her Nirvana of Gunfreeness -- had a poison gas attack on the subway. That the biggest school massacre in history took place with no weapon but a match. She still seems to think that somehow violence committed with a gun is worse than getting gassed to death or dying in a fire.

Tim McVeigh managed a pretty nasty time without a gun, that the 9/11 hijackers didn't need guns. Ted Bundy and Ed Kemper and John Wayne Gacy never used guns. You can melt down every gun in the world and it will not solve the problem of violence because violence is in people's hearts, not their hands. She doesn't get it.

God made men. Samuel Colt made men equal.

GrannyG... God made men.

Sat, 02/16/2008 - 18:20 ET by bigtimer

GrannyG...

God made men. Samuel Colt made men equal. ...

'nuff said.

"The proper response to the

Sat, 02/16/2008 - 19:28 ET by ckc1227

"The proper response to the shootings should be to issue sidearms to instructors and test proctors."

There was a clown professor on the O'reilly Factor last night who said this shouldn't be allowed because it wasn't in the job requirement of the teachers, lol. Who knew self-defense had to be in one's job requirement before they could engage in it, lol?

Last time I checked, being a sitting duck for a mass murderer isn't a job requirement either.

DISARMED

Sun, 02/17/2008 - 13:27 ET by Der Alte

What they really prefer is for everyone except the police and military to be disarmed slaves (only citiznes have arms) and then the world would be wonderful and safe. Baloney!