Pratt:
I listened to the discussion about the naval yard shooting. It reminded me of something I had read. A friend of mine from Illinois served in the Korean Conflict. Recently he wrote about it for his children and sent me a copy. This is a paragraph from the book.
“We boarded a train for Seoul, South Korea. It was a narrow gauge track and very rough. I was in charge of a car and picked a Sergeant from the Ohio National Guard to be my assistant. We posted two guards at each end of the car—between the cars. I could not give them ammunition unless we were attacked. So I kept the case of ammunition under my seat in the rear of the car.”
I had read that President Clinton issued the no guns on base order. However, from this, it seems that similar policies were in force at other times. I meant to ask him about the policy but it slipped my mind.
It reminded me also of a conversation I had with him after the Foot Hood attack. I said that it was ridiculous that the base was unarmed. He is a real proponent of the 2nd Amendment and I expected him to heartily agree with me. But, he remained silent. I wonder now if his own experiences during the Conflict may have influenced him.
Thought you might be interested in this bit of history. I agree that there should not be public no gun zones which is a ridiculous concept. However, private businesses should be able to set their own policies—private property. It would be a poor policy in my opinion but it should be their choice just as they should not be required to be part of a gun free zone.
Enjoy listening to your show.
Don V.
