Fired up about firearms Following last month’s Viewpoints and the “Up in Arms” article about college students across the country lobbying for the right to carry guns on campus, the News-Register has received letters from as far away as Arizona concerning gun issues.
Illustration by Shabbir Degani
Why shouldn’t I be allowed to protect my students?
Dear Editor:
I would like the opportunity
to address some of the issues that
arose from last month’s story, “Up
in Arms.”
First, some of the main points: Any person legally carrying a concealed firearm would have a Texas Concealed Handgun License (CHL). That entails taking an 8- hour course on the laws and ethics of carrying a firearm, passing a written test, and passing a practical test to demonstrate that the permit holder can shoot safely.
In addition, anyone applying for a permit must be at least 21 years of age, and have never been convicted of a felony. Finally, each applicant is fingerprinted and both the state and federal government do detailed background checks. “Just anybody” can’t get a CHL. It is these folks, who can legally carry their firearm almost everywhere else in Texas, that we would like to be allowed to carry on campus as well.
It is important to remember that the citizens of the state of Texas have decided that these individuals are mature enough to use a firearm responsibly.
The idea that guns will increase the risk of violent crime has not been born out in practice. The same students that should be allowed to carry on campus currently carry almost everywhere else. They are in the mall with you, they are in the movie theater with you, they are in most restaurants with you and there are no “incidents” in those venues.
Some of the respondents were concerned that armed students would become vigilantes but that hasn’t happened in those states that do allow campus carry. Equally, it hasn’t happened here in Texas where those same people do carry almost everywhere else.
There were several comments [on the Viewpoints page] about not feeling safe knowing that another student is armed. Remember that we are talking about concealed carry. No one should be aware that any CHL holder is carrying a firearm. That defeats the notion of Concealed carry. And, as an aside, I have been assured by several students that there already are students carrying, albeit illegally, on campus, so the firearms are here. Those of us who can legally carry would simply like to be able to [carry] here, as well.
As a faculty member, I feel responsible for my students. In a fire, I am expected, and I believe I have a moral obligation, to get my students out of the building to safety. In the event of inclement weather, I have that same obligation to help my students to the tornado shelter, but in the case of someone intent on doing my precious students harm, I am expected to stand by as they are hurt? I don’t understand that.
Finally, the issue is not so much about being able to shoot back. It is more, much more about not having a “predator safe” zone here at NLC. If someone is going to enter a place with the intent to harm one or more people, they will usually choose places that are safe for them, places that prohibit weapons, over places where they might be hurt.
Look at the large group
shootings that have happened
in the past – almost
all of them happened
in “predator safe” areas.
One exception was the
New Life Church. There,
a lady authorized by the
state to carry a concealed
weapon, used that weapon
to end the slaughter. She is
credited with saving over a
hundred lives. That predator
didn’t expect someone
to be carrying in a church.
So why should North
Lake be different than
the rest of the state? Why
would people become unreliable
when they walk
on campus, people that are reliable
everywhere else? Why shouldn’t I
be al
lowed to protect my students?
Am I a different type of citizen
when I come on campus?
Dr. Tim Gottleber
Faculty,
UNIX
Business & Information
Technology
Guns should be limited
Dear Editor:
The Collin County sheriff’s office said on April 22, 2008 that
56-year-old Steven Michael Doyle was arrested for murder and
charged with the death of his wife and setting their house on fire.
Doyle confessed that he was upset with his wife and shot her in the
head with a .22 –caliber handgun.
Although the Second Amendment guarantees an individual right
to armed self-defense, people should not take advantage of the laws
and commit crime. People like Doyle are taking advantages of the
laws and doing crimes day by day. I believe that we should limit the
guns in our country and reduce high-crime. Guns can be carried for
self-defense, but [is] your right to carry a gun worth the murders of
innocents?
Bibhu Tamrakar
NLC Student
Keep up the good news
Dear Editor:
You know what would be awesome?
I read the “Up in Arms” editorial
today. Something awesome
would be if we were able to leave
comments directly replying to the
message.
Just a comment, Keep up the
good news!
Juan Mendez
Reader
Defend your rights as free citizens
Dear Editor:
Re: “Leading the charge is Students for Concealed Carry on
Campus, or SCCC, a grassroots movement of more than 22,000 college
students scattered across the country.” March 31 News-Register.
Good for SCCC for defending their right to self-defense and the
Right to Keep and Bear Arms. This is one more civil rights issue
and no honest compromise, no “reasonable” restriction should be allowed.
Emotional arguments be damned, horror stories be damned.
Defend your rights as free citizens. You are your own best line of
defense.
Robert Harry
Gilbert, Arizona