What a crock

These students need to stay awake in PolSci 101, or as an alternative visit with Diamond Jim Doyle on this subject.

The idea that this good idea would actually become state law with the new liberal Democrat legislature is little more than whistling in the wind. It ain’t gonna’ happen!

All of the state universities in Utah allowed licensed citizen-students to carry concealed firearms on campus. Many other states, like Minnesota, allow licensed non-students to carry, with students and faculty left up to the discretion of the school. I wish that a PhD at such a large university could be better informed before he does an interview that is available nationwide.

Handguns have a place in the wild west and the high seas where there is no rule of law, not in the halls of higher education. Pick your battles SCCC this issue is just going to further hurt the image of firearms.

Dear Mr. Schweber, bearing arms does not need any translation; it has already been held to be constitutional by the U. S. Supreme Court.

Dear Mr. Verveer, A recipe for disaster? What about your “gun free” zones, that have proven beyond doubt that they ARE a disaster? The moronic belief that denying self defense RIGHTS will stop maniacs and criminals from committing horrendous crimes has been nothing short of an abject failure. You, and those like you, have the blood of the innocent victims up to your elbows. Where do you get off telling anyone they cannot have the means to protect themselves? When, not if, an atrocity such as Virginia Tech happens again, beam yourself to that point, and use your body to sheild the would-be victims. And be sure to take your “no guns” sign with you. Imbecile.

TSgt B

This is a CIVIL Rights issue. The right to life is guaranteed by the constitution, as is the right to keep and bear arms, and that right is the same for college students as it is for the politicians who have armed body gaurds to protect them. As we have witnessed, criminals do not obey restrictions on campus carry, so not allowing law abiding students to do the same doesn’t save lives, it costs them.

As a student at a university—I am all for allowing students the option of carrying a firearm, be it open or concealed. I believe that any facility or business that denies the public the right to defend ourselves by disarming us prior to allowing us into their business or building might just as well post a big flashing neon sign outside which says—gangs and murderers and thugs of all sizes welcome, because the people are unarmed…We have the right to do everything we can to protect ourselves.

“…so it’s frustrating when laws are taken away from us,” Verveer said.

Hey, Verveer, it’s frustrating when the rights of the people are taken away too!

It says a great deal about the quality ofd education at UW when the Howard Schweber, associate professor of political science at UW is unaware of the fact that eleven colleges permit students and faculty the right to carry across the United States, including every public university in Utah since fall 2006, a community college in Virginia for more than five years and Colorado State University for the past 13 years. No incidents involving gun violence, accidental discharge or gun theft have occurred on any of these campuses since legalizing concealed carry. You would think that is a subject that a political science professor would know something about. Is Professor Howard Schweber, aware of the fact that women and minorities have the right to vote? That there has been has been a movement towards respecting the civil rights of all human beings? Including the God given right to life and the RIGHT to protect and defend that life?

It is also disconcerting that Howard Schweber, a professor of political science at UW is using his position as an educator to perpetuate personal opinions and myth as if it were fact. Even Professor Howard Schweber, should know that his statement “although SCCC has presented self-defense as a legitimate reason to carry weapons, reason does not translate into a legal or constitutional right.” is untrue

Contrary to Professor Howard Schweber, The Right to Bear Arms is a Constitutional Right, enumerated in the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution. A professor of political science should know it is a right that the United States Supreme Court has defined as an individual right in Heller vs Washington DC.. It is past time for Professor Howard Schweber, the state of Wisconsin and the university begin to basing laws upon the Constitution of the United States and facts. Not misinformed opinions and emotional feel good legislation.

Just because it sounds like a good idea does not mean it is.

States that allow the right to carry have lower crime rates than the other states. According to a FBI study in 2006, rates were lower for violent crime by 26 percent, murder 31 percent, robbery 51 percent and aggravated assault 15 percent.

Places with tight gun control laws fare the worst. Washington D.C. implemented some of the most restrictive gun control laws in the U.S. in 1976. The result was a 134 percent increase in the murder rate through 1996, according to Gary Kleck and the FBI Uniform Crime Statistics. From the same data source, Maryland, a self-proclaimed tough state on gun control, was No. 1 in the nation for robberies and number four for violent crime and murder in 2000.

The below are perfect examples of the result of NOT respecting our God given rights. Each of these places had a rampaging mad man committed to killing as many human beings as possible. They did so unimpeded because all the victims were law abiding citizens in Gun Free Zones, that legally requires law abiding citizens to be unarmed and defenseless. Which are safe havens for rapists’, robbers and murderers.

February 14, 2008: In DEKALB, IL, Mad man shoots 23 students, kills six including himself

April 16, 2007: In Blacksburg, Virginia, Mad man shot 49 people killing 32 wounding 17 other, 6 were injured in the panic

October 2, 2006: In Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania, a raging mad man shot and killed five girls at an Amish school.

March 5, 2001: In Santee, California, a teenager shot dead two students and wounded 13 others.

August 10, 1999: In Los Angeles, California, a man fatally shot three children and two adults at a pre-school.

April 20, 1999: In Littleton, Colorado, two teenagers shot dead 13 people and wounded 24 more at Columbine High School before committing suicide.

May 21, 1998: In Springfield, Oregon, a 15-year-old boy shot dead two students, wounded 25 after he was expelled for bringing a gun to school.

March 24, 1998: In Jonesboro, Arkansas, two boys aged 11 and 13 fatally shot four students and a teacher and injured 10 more.

December 1, 1997: In Paducah, Kentucky, a teenager fatally shot three students and wounded five others during a prayer group.

January 1, 1989: A man in Stockton, California shot dead five children and wounded about 30 people.

January 1979: In San Diego, California, a 17-year-old girl killed two adults and injured eight children.

Each of the following places also had a rampaging mad man committed to killing as many human beings as possible. The difference was that law abiding citizens were not deprived of their civil rights and so were legally armed were able to stop the mad man

February 12, 2007, In Ogden Utah: Kenneth K. Hammond carrying a concealed weapon stopped a massacre at the Trolley Square Mall in Utah

December 11, 2007, In Colorado Springs Colorado: After killing two people at a mission training school the killer drove 65 miles killing two more people in the parking lot before entering New Life Church carrying a rifle, two pistols and a backpack holding more than 1,000 rounds of ammunition. intent on killing 1,000 members inside the church. Which he would have done had Jeanne Assam been there with her legally carried handgun. Jeanne Assam a member of the congregation (not a security guard as the media erroneously reported) stopped the killer before he could begin his massacre

January 16, 2002, In Grundy, Virginia: Tracy Bridges & Mikael Gross stopped a mass murder at Appalachian School of Law, after lives were lost while they retrieved their guns from their cars, where they were required by policy to keep them. ( If college students legally licensed to carry concealed weapons been able to carry gun on school property no innocents would have died)

1998, In Edinboro, Pennsylvania: Restaurant’s owner, James Strand stopped a killers rampage in Edinboro, Pennsylvania saving the lives of 240 students at a school dance a full eleven minutes before police arrived. One teacher John Gillette, 48, was killed

October 1997, In Pearl City Mississippi: Principal Joel Myrick stopped a slaughter at Pearl High School with his .45 after lives were lost while he retrieved his .45 from his car, where it was required by law to be kept. (Had legally licensed school principles and teachers been able to carry his gun on school property none would have died)

Obviously there is a pattern. Only those places that had an legally armed citizen were able to stop the rampaging mad men. The police were unable to stop a single killing not one nor is it reasonable to expect them to. They will only arrive in time to pick up the bodies. Isn’t it about time to start looking at what works what saves lives? Stop creating law and policy based on what feels good and base our decisions on facts. On what works to save human lives

*Guns are used 2. 5 million times a year in self-defense. Law-abiding citizens use guns to defend themselves against criminals as many as 2. 5 million times every year or about 6,850 times a day 20. This means that each year, firearms are used more than 80 times more often to protect the lives of honest citizens than to take lives.

• Of the 2. 5 million times citizens use their guns to defend themselves every year, the overwhelming majority merely brandish their gun or fire a warning shot to scare off their attackers. Less than 8% of the time, a citizen will kill or wound his/her attacker. (Kleck and Gertz, “Armed Resistance to Crime)

• Anti-gun Clinton researchers in a effort to discredit that study claimed that firearms used in self defense saved ONLY 1. 5 million lives a year. According to the Clinton Justice Department, there are only 1. 5 million cases of self-defense with a firearm every year. The National Institute of Justice published this figure in 1997 as part of “Guns in America” a study which was authored by noted anti-gun criminologists Philip Cook and Jens Ludwig

Another study funded by the National Institute of Justice, and conducted by criminologists Phillip J. Cook of Duke University and Jens Ludwig of Georgetown University, on behalf of the pro-“gun control” Police Foundation (a non-profit Washington D.C.-based research group spun off from the Ford Foundation in 1970), also found a reported 1.5 million annual Defensive Gun Uses using the Kleck/Gertz criteria.

• As many as 200,000 women use a gun every year to defend themselves against sexual abuse. (Kleck, Point Blank: Guns and Violence in America,)

• Armed citizens kill more crooks than do the police. Citizens shoot and kill at least twice as many criminals as police do every year (1,527 to 606) (Kleck, Point Blank: Guns and Violence in America,)

• Only 2 percent of civilian shootings involved an innocent person mistakenly identified as a criminal. The error rate’ for the police, however, was 11 percent, more than five times as high.” (George F. Will, “Are We a Nation of Cowards’?,” Newsweek)

• Concealed Weapon Permit holders are the single most law abiding segment of the population. More law abiding than doctors, judges, law enforcement and ministers (From FBI crimes statistics)

In a perfect world this would not need to be a topic of conversation, there would be no rage hate greed and selfishness. Ideally we could keep guns away from criminals, than there would be no need for guns at all. But this is not a perfect world and the ideal ideas have only managed to take guns away from the rational and law abiding. Causing all of us to be out gunned unarmed and defenseless in the face of evil. Providing safety for the muggers robbers and rapists to ply their trade. Until only elitists like Greg Nickels with his armed contingent of body guards will be able to enjoy our parks and festivals paid for with our tax dollars.l

Since I have cited Dr. Kleck several times I thought it worth while to note that Kleck began his research as a firm believer in gun control. But in a speech delivered to the National Research Council, he said while he was once “a believer in the antigun’ thesis,” he has now moved “beyond even the skeptic position.” Dr. Kleck is a professor in the school of criminology and criminal justice at Florida State University, a member of the ACLU, Amnesty International USA, and Common Cause. He is not and has never been a member of or contributor to any advocacy group on either side of the gun control debate. “Armed Resistance to Crime” won Dr. Kleck the prestigious American Society of Criminology Michael J. Hindelang award. This award is given for the book published that makes the most outstanding contribution to criminology.

As a faculty member at a University, I would feel much more comfortable if I didn’t have to disarm when I go teach! With our concealed carry law, I would prefer the consistency of being armed at all times. But, heaven forbid I forget to leave my pistol at home or locked in the car — it would be a felony to make that 20 yard walk to class with it… Heaven forbid that a mad mad picks on my classroom if no one is armed — there is no good way back out to the parking lot! I carry so that such a threat can be countered — immediately!