Another tragic, senseless shooting, this time at Northern Illinois University, has again brought the gun issue to the forefront. However, have you ever thoughtfully considered just how we got to where we are regarding the ownership of firearms?

Our nation was founded and evolved as a uniquely free society during the same time that modern firearms were invented and became readily available due to the Industrial Revolution. Combine those two events with our founding fathers' genuine fear of tyrannical government along with a need for protection on a dangerous frontier and you have the answer —- a modern society with an estimated 250 million guns.

These recent shooting tragedies have renewed an irresponsible call by some to further restrict or repeal the Second Amendment. However, vicious criminals are freed every day because of "technical violations" by authorities of the Fourth Amendment (prohibiting illegal searches), Fifth (self-incrimination) and Sixth (right to an attorney).

As a result, thousands of citizens are later murdered, raped or assaulted. We as a nation hold those three amendments so sacred that we are willing to pay that price. The Second Amendment should be no less sacred.

We must also remember the Second Amendment was included in our Constitution to protect the right of the people to defend themselves. That's why it states "the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed." The "people" in every other Amendment means just that —- individual citizens and not some vague "collective group."

Most importantly, these shooting tragedies show clearly that each state needs responsible laws allowing handguns to be carried at postsecondary educational institutions. It would be absurd to allow every college student to be armed. But responsible adult students (including veterans and former police officers) as well as university employees and staff should have that option. You don't always have to kill, wound or even shoot at a perpetrator. The mere showing of a weapon often forces a shooter to cower or alter his plan. One armed citizen, teacher or adult student can make a big difference when seconds count.

Several years ago, I was invited to the Atlanta office of the FBI to view an exhibit of Holocaust photos placed in one of the hallways. The exhibit began with a photo of a small Jewish-owned store in Warsaw, Poland. Subsequent photos showed Jewish citizens with big yellow stars sewn on the front of their clothes. The photos became progressively more disturbing. The last photo showed bodies being removed from an oven at one of the Nazi death camps.

However, in the middle of the collection was an amazing photo of a ragtag group of about 15 Jewish men and boys taken during the 1943 Warsaw ghetto uprising. They had obviously assembled very quickly and were standing and kneeling on the street with an odd assortment of weapons —- a few shotguns, a rifle or two, some pistols and revolvers and even a captured German belt-fed machine gun.

As a group of Atlanta community leaders arrived at that photo, everyone became extremely vocal at the courage displayed by those men and boys. I then stated loudly, "good reason for the Second Amendment, folks." You could have heard a pin drop.

Many believe that our country is the most dangerous in the world because of guns. I believe I can disprove that many times over. But one thing is for sure. As a Secret Service agent, I traveled and worked in 28 countries on six continents, and I wouldn't trade what we have here for anything. Our police cannot be everywhere and citizens need to have the opportunity to defend themselves. I don't have all the answers, but I would dread living in a nation where I also lost that right.

> James Cool is a retired Secret Service agent living in Johns Creek.