The Right To Bear Arms

[kantuckyII]

This is powerful here:

Opponents of Gun-Free Zones at Universities Find Unlikely Hero in Nevada Woman
By Claudia Cowan

Published April 08, 2011 | FoxNews.com

Across the country, lawmakers are debating whether universities should let students and faculty with permits carry their concealed weapon on campus. Those who want to put an end to such gun-free zones have found an unlikely hero in a petite, soft spoken, young woman who wonders why colleges protect most Constitutional rights, but not the one that matters most when staring into the face of a violent criminal.

Amanda Collins, 25, is a wife and new mom, and a concealed weapon permit holder for years. At her father's law office in Reno, she showed us the 9-mm Glock she carries for her safety.

"It's got a pretty standard magazine," she said, "and night sights so you can see in the dark when you're aiming."

However, Collins couldn't aim her gun at the serial rapist who attacked her at the University of Nevada at Reno, where she was a student. That's because, like most public colleges outside of Utah and Colorado, UNR is a "gun free" zone. The rule required her to leave her gun at home, leaving her defenseless the one time she needed its protection most.

In October of 2007, while walking to her car after a night class, Collins was grabbed from behind in a university parking garage less than 300 yards from a campus police office. The school's "gun-free" designation meant nothing to James Biela, a serial rapist with a gun of his own, who saw Collins as an easy target. "He put a firearm to my temple," she recounted, "clocked off the safety, and told me not to say anything, before he raped me."

The university has since installed more emergency call boxes and lights in the parking structure, but Collins says that won't stop an attacker who knows the campus is a gun-free zone, a policy she believes invites crime, and may have even emboldened the man who raped her.

[Burg_Grad_77]

While what happened to her is very tragic I just can't see letting a bunch of 21 year olds carry guns on campus as a very good idea. I can just see 100,000+ at on Ohio State/Michigan football game and 10% are packing heat. Yeah, that's a great idea.

Some states, like Texas even allow handguns and Carry/Conceals at 18. Not a good idea.

[Burg_Grad_77]

Well, my sons on campus at tOSU and I'd rather not have him walking around campus knowing that there is a possibilty that 1 in 25 or even 1 in 100 may be packing heat. Not a good idea at all.

[Burg_Grad_77]

Not to put the fear into you, but Columbus, anywhere in Columbus, is not a safe zone from my experience and I lived there for 13 months. I suspect there are so many weapons in Columbus as to make David Koresh and his people look like pacifists in comparison.

Oh, I know all about Columbus. Thankfully he lives in a fairly quiet neighborhood, at least so far and he's been there since September. It's his sophomore year and we drove home the point that he doesn't go anywhere by himself, whethers he's on campus or off. So far it has worked. They always go in a group no matter where they go. I worry every day about his safety, but he's 20 years old and loves it up there, plus he is a good level headed young man and seems to always make the right decisions so I trust his intstincts to stay out of troublesome areas.

[kantuckyII]

Yeah, criminals are very concerned with obeying no-gun-areas

[biggdowgg]

my daughter lives in columbus and is very level headed to,but staying out of trouble areas is very hard to do,,,she works at one of the hospitals, and they have had a lot of trouble around the area that they have to have security walk them to and from their cars....and they even told my sister who had a granchild at Childrens , not to walk alone to and from the Hotel to the hospital,whitch is directly acoross the street.


yeah,as bad as Scioto County is,I worry way more about my daughter in Columbus then I do my kids around here.

[kantuckyII]

Look at Oz's wife at the hospital there

[wink]

I just can't see letting a bunch of 21 year olds carry guns on campus as a very good idea. .

Can you see 100,000 18 year old American youth "packin' heat" all over Pakistan ?

[Burg_Grad_77]

I just can't see letting a bunch of 21 year olds carry guns on campus as a very good idea. .

Can you see 100,000 18 year old American youth "packin' heat" all over Pakistan ?

That's a completely different scenario and you know it. Those 18 year olds are highly trained individuals who are in combat. Not some 18 year old who just happened to take a C&C Class and now thinks he's Rambo on his college campus. I seriously can't believe you guys would advocate arming college students with weapons on a college campus.

What's next? You want to allow teachers to carry weapons on high school campuses too? I agree that every person has the right to own a firearm, but there has to be limitations as to where you can carry them and college campuses should be one of those.

[kantuckyII]

Are there any states which allow an 18 year old to carry a concealed weapon?

I do, think there should be some special concerns allowing students to carry on a college campus. Personally? I wouldn't allow a permit to be issued or would require it be revoked for certain offenses such as DWI. If you can't control your actions when you drink (such as driving a car) you sure don't need to be carrying a concealed weapon. If you can't control your temper, you sure don't need to be carrying either!

Statistics have shown however that violent crime drops when concealed carry is allowed

[Boonedawg]

I think it's a great idea.

[Burg_Grad_77]

Are there any states which allow an 18 year old to carry a concealed weapon?

I do, think there should be some special concerns allowing students to carry on a college campus. Personally? I wouldn't allow a permit to be issued or would require it be revoked for certain offenses such as DWI. If you can't control your actions when you drink (such as driving a car) you sure don't need to be carrying a concealed weapon. If you can't control your temper, you sure don't need to be carrying either!

Statistics have shown however that violent crime drops when concealed carry is allowed

I believe Texas does.

[kantuckyII]

Here, http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/administra ... mphlet.pdf but if it could have changed. I could see that concern over an 18 year old being issued a permit

[wildthingRV]

I think the double standard we have about 18 year olds is kind of funny. On one hand we trust them to vote, buy cigarettes, join the military. On the other hand, we think they are too immature to own their own gun (which isn't quite as lethal as what the USMC will issue them at 18), they cannot buy a beer (but they can buy snuff), or carry the gun that they cannot own.

Can an 18 year old make a grown up decision or not?

[wink]

Those 18 year olds are highly trained individuals who are in combat. Not some 18 year old who just happened to take a C&C Class and now thinks he's Rambo on his college campus.

HIGHLY trained ? Obviously you were never in the military.

[Burg_Grad_77]

Those 18 year olds are highly trained individuals who are in combat. Not some 18 year old who just happened to take a C&C Class and now thinks he's Rambo on his college campus.

HIGHLY trained ? Obviously you were never in the military.

So are you saying the troops we have out fighting in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Libya are untrained or under trained?

[kantuckyII]

I think the double standard we have about 18 year olds is kind of funny. On one hand we trust them to vote, buy cigarettes, join the military. On the other hand, we think they are too immature to own their own gun (which isn't quite as lethal as what the USMC will issue them at 18), they cannot buy a beer (but they can buy snuff), or carry the gun that they cannot own.

Can an 18 year old make a grown up decision or not?

They can own their own gun, they just can't carry it concealed. I don't think most 18 year olds possess the common sense to carry a concealed weapon myself. That's my personal opinion as after all, when you do carry, you really are, 'an army of one' and you don't have someone like FIdo to keep your young butt out of trouble.

[kantuckyII]

They're young n' dumb and full of testosterone. As my instructor taught us during concealed weapons training..you no longer can mouth back off if someone calls you a name or gives you the finger or something if you're carrying and many 18 year olds might really struggle with that I would imagine. It's a macho thing

[Charley Hustle]

I really think it is ludicrous for an 18 year old to carry/conceal. Granted, a criminal doesn't give a darn about the law and those snot nosed punks are already packing. I don't believe an 18 year old has the maturity to pack concealed, even those in the military. There's a huge difference in an 18 year old kid who is a member of a squad in combat vs an 18 year old riding solo without a team leader (someone with a higher level of training, experience and maturity). The 18 year old in combat will most likely have someone senior to him, helping make the decision to open fire.

It's equally ludicrous for that same 18 year old not being able to drink a beer with his pals!!

I like your thinking Sarge........

[wildthingRV]

I really think it is ludicrous for an 18 year old to carry/conceal. Granted, a criminal doesn't give a darn about the law and those snot nosed punks are already packing. I don't believe an 18 year old has the maturity to pack concealed, even those in the military. There's a huge difference in an 18 year old kid who is a member of a squad in combat vs an 18 year old riding solo without a team leader (someone with a higher level of training, experience and maturity). The 18 year old in combat will most likely have someone senior to him, helping make the decision to open fire.

It's equally ludicrous for that same 18 year old not being able to drink a beer with his pals!!

I cannot disagree with a word of that. Not one word.

On the other hand, too immature to carry a gun ought to mean too immature to choose the leader of the free world, hadn't it? Can they or can they not make a rational choice?