2008 Woodie Awards
Rally held for concealed carry
Melissa Chi
Issue date: 4/24/08 Section: News
"The empirical evidence shows that people can be trusted to do this. They are not fools; they are not killers. Dodge City does not happen, and you can't ignore there's 20 years of statistical empirical proof," he said.
Patrick said there are a lot of these vivid, imaginative scenarios of Dodge City - gun fights in the streets - but these have never happened anywhere.
Newton thinks the arguments in favor of concealed carry on campus are flawed.
"If you look at specific incidents like Northern Illinois and Virginia Tech, one could argue that if someone has a weapon available, they could have limited the amount of damage done. However, if you look at the picture more broadly and think about all the incidents of violence that could occur throughout the course of the year, it may not be [on] such a mass scale," Newton said.
"The other people just have concerns, and I value their concerns, but some of these are kind of lurid. It seems like they watch TV, and they equate the presence of a gun with violence immediately," Patrick said. "It's like a gun is a symbol of evil."
"Our goal is to get people who already have concealed carry license to be able to carry on campus as they do everywhere else, such as public buildings and movie theaters," said Andrew Jones, a member of UT's SCCC and a freshman in mechanical engineering.
"It's a human right to protect your life and to protect the lives of others," he said.
He added he will apply for a license once he turns 21.
"If anybody who is qualified to carry a concealed weapon [and have a gun] is in my class, it doesn't bother me. I trust my students and have no objection to other professors doing so," Patrick said.
"The choice should be up to the individuals and not the administrative entity," he said. "Will it bring the violence down? Maybe not, but it won't hurt it."
"I believe that concealed carry on campus would be a good idea, it's a personal defense issue," said Neil Spurgeon, a freshman majoring in computer science and engineering technology.
The application fee costs about $100 to $200, depending on the state - there's fingerprinting and training. The license is good for about three years, varying from state to state, he said.
Spurgeon said that carrying concealed weapons on campus can help prevent petty crimes more so than mass shootings.
Newton countered Spurgeon's theory.
"There are an awful lot of theft reports of book bags and things unsecured and even locked in the Student Recreation Center, and I would hate to think that some of these stolen items might end up being hand guns," Newton said.
"I still think the answer for violence on campus is not more guns," Newton concluded.
However, Patrick on the other hand "predicted that 10 or 20 years from now, most campuses will say, 'Yeah, sure, why not, this doesn't hurt anyone.'"
Patrick said there are a lot of these vivid, imaginative scenarios of Dodge City - gun fights in the streets - but these have never happened anywhere.
Newton thinks the arguments in favor of concealed carry on campus are flawed.
"If you look at specific incidents like Northern Illinois and Virginia Tech, one could argue that if someone has a weapon available, they could have limited the amount of damage done. However, if you look at the picture more broadly and think about all the incidents of violence that could occur throughout the course of the year, it may not be [on] such a mass scale," Newton said.
"The other people just have concerns, and I value their concerns, but some of these are kind of lurid. It seems like they watch TV, and they equate the presence of a gun with violence immediately," Patrick said. "It's like a gun is a symbol of evil."
"Our goal is to get people who already have concealed carry license to be able to carry on campus as they do everywhere else, such as public buildings and movie theaters," said Andrew Jones, a member of UT's SCCC and a freshman in mechanical engineering.
"It's a human right to protect your life and to protect the lives of others," he said.
He added he will apply for a license once he turns 21.
"If anybody who is qualified to carry a concealed weapon [and have a gun] is in my class, it doesn't bother me. I trust my students and have no objection to other professors doing so," Patrick said.
"The choice should be up to the individuals and not the administrative entity," he said. "Will it bring the violence down? Maybe not, but it won't hurt it."
"I believe that concealed carry on campus would be a good idea, it's a personal defense issue," said Neil Spurgeon, a freshman majoring in computer science and engineering technology.
The application fee costs about $100 to $200, depending on the state - there's fingerprinting and training. The license is good for about three years, varying from state to state, he said.
Spurgeon said that carrying concealed weapons on campus can help prevent petty crimes more so than mass shootings.
Newton countered Spurgeon's theory.
"There are an awful lot of theft reports of book bags and things unsecured and even locked in the Student Recreation Center, and I would hate to think that some of these stolen items might end up being hand guns," Newton said.
"I still think the answer for violence on campus is not more guns," Newton concluded.
However, Patrick on the other hand "predicted that 10 or 20 years from now, most campuses will say, 'Yeah, sure, why not, this doesn't hurt anyone.'"
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 4
Matt
posted 4/25/08 @ 5:12 AM EST
I agree that more guns on campus may not drop crime rates, but it will not hurt them either. A concealed weapon carries with it much more responsibility than a book bag. (Continued…)
Sean Martin
posted 5/07/08 @ 4:51 PM EST
Maybe Chief Newton would be able to guarantee me the he will be on the scene in time to prevent another shooting. Hardly.
At NIU, police were on the scene less than 90 seconds after shooting began and it was still over with 17 wounded and 5 dead. (Continued…)
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