University of Virginia Library

Search For Truth

I am responding specifically to
the article, "Happiness is your own
gun," published in the November
14 issue of The Cavalier Daily. For
some happiness is, indeed, one's
own gun and the freedom to use it
in a responsible fashion; however,
my prime concern here is not to
criticize Mr. Eissler's feelings about
the possession of guns nor to negate
the fact that guns may be misused,
rather, my concern is the more
fundamental one of the use and
misuse of written language which is
a far more potent weapon than any
gun and much more frequently
abused than are guns.

The article states "A Smith &
Wesson is a police gun, and of little
use to a hunter or even for target
practice." and uses this statement
as support of its implied conclusion
that any person who wants or
possesses a handgun must desire it
for illegitimate or perverted purposes.
Such a view is native and in
fact most of the handgun owners I
know use their pieces for recreation,
a purpose as legitimate as any
other I can cohesive of. If anyone
doubts me, let him take an
afternoon and visit the local gun
club when its pistol range is open.
Many people, myself included, just
plain enjoy pistol shooting and the
challenge of becoming good target
or game shots.

In conclusion, let me urge that
proper use of our language demands
that we, when writing, distinguish
clearly between opinion and fact
and that failure to do so, for
whatever reason, constitutes an
egregious mistake, tantamount to
lying. If our morality is one of
truth or the search for truth,
veracity of the written word must
be preserved; what we write we
must be sure of and though our
opinions may be contested our
premises cannot afford to be. I
remind you of The Cavalier Daily's
slogan which is a quotation from
Mr. Jefferson, "For here we are not
afraid to follow truth wherever it
may lead, nor to tolerate any error
so long as any reason is left free to
combat it."

Charles Osville Finne, III
Medicine II

—ed.

Mr. Finne seems to have missed
the point of the article. Criticism
was not offered to those sportsmen
who use guns for a legitimate
purpose. It was the unrestricted,
and in fact clandestine sale of guns
that was attacked. A person buying
a gun, any gun, in the fashion
described to "kill my wife" wants it
for perverted purposes. How does
this apply to an above board sale!
Has Mr. Finne separated his opinion
from fact! If all premises are
certain, in his search for truth, why
is he ever wrong!