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This letter is in response to the column "Right to protect one's self does not translate into right to carry" (CT, March 20). I feel the author misses the whole point of concealed carry.
Concealed carry is not about giving everyone over the age of 21 a firearm so they can protect themselves. It's about people who have demonstrated their competence in the ability to own and carry a firearm and their right to defend themselves wherever they are.
I ask that people read up on the subject before they start making blatant accusations about what things would be like if concealed carry was permitted on campus. I use the word "permitted" because it is not a law, but a university policy, that prohibits it.
People who have a concealed carry permit have all been deemed in the eyes of the state as being competent with a firearm, just as you must be deemed competent while driving to have a license. And to be honest, I trust people who have CCW permits more than most drivers. If you are caught violating any of the concealed carry laws, such as being under the influence of alcohol or drugs and possessing a firearm, it results in immediate revocation. In fact, if you are convicted of a "drunk in public" offense, you are ineligible to possess a concealed carry permit for three years. There go all the "Main Street shootouts" that some people are concerned about.
I am OK with people expressing their opinions on the issue; I just ask that you look at the facts, particularly what it takes to get a concealed carry permit, which can be found on the Virginia State Police Web site.
The university has spent $10.4 million largely so they can tell us there is an incident, but the fact is, unless there is an immediate defense to an aggressor, all that money is just for show, making us think we are safe.
John Havranek
junior, aerospace engineering
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Misinterpreted? Show me some facts that this won't cause trouble, and we'll consider it.
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You are asking for statistics that cannot be generated. Effectively, you have asked for a statistic representing how much crime has NOT happened on account of CCW permit holders being allowed to carry on campus. Let me say that again - you want to know how much crime has NOT happened. There is no way of achieving this sitatistic - I'd say the burden of proof is on the detractors in this argument to demonstrate that the allowance of guns on campus necessarily begets an increase in violence and violent crime, since that is where the actual statistics are.
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You want facts? First consider that all the people who have permits and want to carry on campus already carry OFF CAMPUS! They don't shoot each other in the streets and don't "cause trouble." Secondly look at Utah. State law forbids public universities from making rules against carrying on campus. Students with permits can and do carry to class every day. There have been no incidents or "trouble" there either.
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Go to the mall, the grocery store, a restaurant, all these places allow conceal carry and do you see random gun fights breaking out, no, there are you facts. My roommate and I both own firearms, do we have shoot outs every time we get upset with each other no. The fact that it doesn't cause trouble is right in front of you, you just have to look!
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The fact is, there are virtually no facts on it. Because it doesn't happen. We DON'T have wild west style shoot outs over an argument. We DON'T encounter vigilante justice in the streets. We DON'T have frat boys getting drunk and playing shoot the can off the pledges head. We DON'T have shootouts occurring downtown where it is legal to carry. We DON'T have the problems anywhere else in society that everyone seems to think will occur if those that are legally licensed to carry a concealed weapon, do so on campus. The only fact that I have for people that are afraid of guns on campus is that you are uneducated on firearms and those that carry them. Your fear of weapons stems from an inadequate understanding of the subject and a raw appeal of emotion by the media. The fact is, that there has not been a single gun restriction law passed that has deterred crime. The fact is, is that more often than not, those laws result in an increase in crime. There is no reason to believe that if guns are allowed on campus that we're going to see wild shootouts, guns in everyone's waistband, or a sudden spike in campus violence.
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Unidentified poster, can you show statistics that show that allowing concealed carry does cause problems? I can show you statistics proving that removing guns from society increases the crime rate (Washington DC, the UK). I can also show you statistics showing the crime rate among CCW holders in a particular study came out to be .008%. The national crime rate (rough average) is 11.5%. I can show you countless examples of CCW holders protecting not only their own lives, but the lives of those in danger around them. I can even show you cases of CCW holders who used their weapons to save the lives of POLICE OFFICERS.
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The reason Steger et. al. won't discuss this is they are afraid of the criticism they will get from the bleeding hearts. The masses aren't interested in true safety, only in the impression that someone in authority is doing something to address safety. They don't want you armed because they do not trust you. There is a human tendency, recognized by our founding fathers, to seek power and distrust those whom you have power over. Public officials seek to shirk accountability through restricting the actions of those they have power over. These days, it's usually manifested in a desire to avoid litigation. If they allow guns on campus, someone MIGHT get hurt, and the university MIGHT get sued as a result. If crime occurs on campus, well, that's just natural and the way things are, and the university can't be held liable for that.
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Hey will .... don't forget the Aussies. Their crime rates went up 400% when they "took guns away from Law abiding citizens". What a crock, don't regulate the law abiding citizens, enforce the laws that we currently have and these low-life scumbags will rot in jail or become worm food.
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Sorry if that last one seemed to bounce around, but the bottom line is this: administrators/managers these days are focused on one thing: risk avoidance (Cover Your A**).
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Remember, we're supposed to duck and cover - and hope that the gunman goes away, then if we survive, go and sing kum-by-ya and have spontaneous induced cry sessions at "Take Back the Night". One doesn't survive danger unless they respond with force. Virginia Tech doesn't believe we should have the right to fight to save our lives if threatened.
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To the poster Fred: You have every right to your opinion, but you should not talk about things such as "Take Back the Night" as an induced cry session since these things help those at them with the grieving process. So please do not relate this to the concealed weapon issue.
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