Responsibility supports gun rights

To whom it may concern,

The article titled “”Guns aren’t the solution to gun violence”” points out a very interesting take on what happened to Joe Zamudio the day of the horrible shooting at Safeway. Nyles Kendall, the author, points out that Joe ran outside of Safeway when he heard gunshots, he thought that he could help because he was armed, but when he came outside, Jared Loughner’s gun was in someone else’s hand. This, to Nyles, shows that more violence could have occurred and another innocent person could have been shot. However, I would say that the way Mr. Zamudio acted shows the true strength of the Second Amendment when in the hands of a law-abiding citizen. Mr. Zamudio showed great poise and restraint when he acted and even helped hold Jared Loughner down. People can use as many “”what ifs”” as possible but in reality Joe Zamudio was armed, came onto a confusing scene and acted very courageous and level headed. So I ask: Who could be afraid of that, Nyles? Lastly, paraphrasing Mr. Zamudio on the Ed Schultz Show, there’s no argument about the Second Amendment. Our Founding Fathers gave us that right for a reason.  

— Trevor M. Laky

College Republicans president

Individual behavior reflects poorly on crowd

Saturday, Jan. 8 will no doubt be an unforgettable day for Tucson. The tragedy took six innocent lives and injured many others including our congresswoman, Gabrielle Giffords. Following the incident, a memorial service was held on the 12th, dedicated to those who lost their lives to the shooter’s brutal act of violence. That day also became an unforgettable day as well, not only because of the appearance of the president or the first lady, but because of the many disrespectful students and others who were present that day.

Throughout the event, especially during the touching speech by Obama, the crowd can be heard cheering every few minutes and screaming comments like “”We love you!”” So many inappropriate actions took place during the memorial that it would appear many had forgotten they were at a memorial service for the deceased, not a rally or concert. It was quite clear that the behavior of the crowd not only surprised the country, but also made the president uneasy, disrespected the families of the victims who were present at the memorial and embarrassed both the UA and the city of Tucson as a whole.

I do hope the families can find a place in their hearts to forgive the immaturity and inappropriateness of those during the memorial. As for the students: please do learn to be considerate of the feelings of others in the future, because very frequently the behavior of an individual can place a negative image on the whole of society.

— Howard Hu