Dear Editor,
Ed Ensslin wrote in his letter on Jan. 20 in The Advocate-Messenger that he bet not one parent of the 27,000 students attending the University of Kentucky would support Rep. Robert Damron's proposal to allow employees of the university to carry guns to work and keep them in their cars. I hate to burst his bubble, but he sure lost that bet. I have a daughter who currently attends UK and lives on campus, and I fully support this proposal.
It is my heartfelt belief that we have, and should treasure, the right to keep and bear arms as guaranteed in the Second Amendment. I do not think UK employees, or employees of any other public or private institution, should be denied the right to self defense. We should not have to give up that basic human right so we can draw a paycheck.
Mr. Ensslin asks what logical reason they would have for bringing guns with them in the first place. The answer should be obvious to anyone who has watched the news, read a newspaper or been out and about. The sad truth is that not everyone is a nice person or has our best interest at heart. It has become a common occurrence to hear of home invasions, carjacking, muggings and armed assaults and robberies. Many of these crimes could have been stopped cold had the victim been armed. I truly believe that many would never happen at all if the criminal element in our society had more of a fear of being shot when they decide to prey on an innocent victim.
