COLUMN: "Shoot 'Em Up"

From George Allen, Jr.'s "Hey You Kids, Get Off My Lawn," Spring '92.From George Allen, Jr.'s "Hey You Kids, Get Off My Lawn," Spring '92.· To make us think something is being done in the war against crime, the authorities have decided to tromp upon our individual rights by making everything a crime. Consequently, people like gun owners, Michael Milken, recreational drug users and entrepreneurs are attacked, rather than real bad guys. The regulations seem to be another attempt to turn our country into Europe. Yet again the Euro-liberals wish to make us more civilized and more respectful of authority -- basically, people who are intellectual, anti-entrepreneurial, anti-minority, generally annoying and are really into mass transit. You know, Nazis. Here's a scenario close to home that demonstrates my point. Willy and Gennifer meet in a bar and decide to go to Gennifer's place to watch Fatal Attraction. Willy thinks he has hit his Super Tuesday and takes out some unfounded manly aggression on Gennifer. She says no belatedly, but realizes that Willy -- like all Euro-liberals and criminals -- does not respect her private property, namely her body. She pulls out a 9mm Glock 21 and puts it to Willy's head. Willy, fearing for his life, runs as quickly as he can to his wife Hillary. He tells her, "We need tougher gun control laws. Too many people are using them to defend themselves and they're really scary." Willy, like all criminals, does not respect property rights. He feels that he has the power -- or privilege -- to do whatever the hell he wants. Criminals know they can get away with crimes because if they get caught, they know they can get off using the laundry list of technicalities. They also know they will only have to serve minimal sentences because of prison overcrowding. Attempting to look tough on crime, Euro-liberals have presented all sorts of new laws to "protect" us from ourselves while they give rights to criminals. They have created laws on guns, drugs, the environment and free enterprise, while allowing criminals the right to do whatever the hell they want. Since violent crime cannot be prevented by the police, who have been forced to be sensitive and keep their eyes out for safety violations rather than thugs, both ordinary people and cops are get fed up. When a similarly weak Euro-liberal legal system existed in Germany, a guy named Hitler got off for good behavior after an attempted putsch. A few years later many of the police agreed with his informal vigilante methods of restoring law and order, like beating the hell out of people. They had their Kristallnacht, we have our Rodney King. For the near future -- until we get real legal reform -- life in America is going to be more violent. People have a choice. Tell these damn "kids" to get off your "lawn," or be a victim. Crime can only be reduced by more Americans carrying guns. Would a "wilding" ever have happened in Central Park if the jogger had been carrying a MAC-10 with a clip full of hollow points? I think not. Personally, I'm not going to become a victim. I will defend my property and those I love from anyone who will attempt to violate my rights under the Constitution. Personal weapons are like personal cars, you can't have a society of individuals without them. Euro-liberals might think we're in some sort of commune, that criminals are misunderstood philosopher-kings and that mass transit is the wave of the future. But until the world decides to hug, individuality is outlawed and I'm either dead or in a re-education camp being forced to sing "Kumba Ya," I'll keep my truck well-gassed and my weapons well-oiled. · George Allen, Jr. is a senior Intellectual History and Political Science major from Alderwood Manor, Washington. Hey You Kids, Get Off My Lawn appears alternate Wednesdays.