I attend U of A - ASU students are well-known for being idiots. Did you know that it takes an ASU student an hour and a half to watch 60 minutes?
Here is the email I sent to all of the legislators in southern AZ:
I am writing to urge you to support Senate Bill 1214.
I am a second-year law student at the University of Arizona, and have had a permit to carry a concealed weapon in Arizona since May of 2001. Because of the University’s No Weapons policy, I cannot carry a weapon while I am in class or on the campus. This policy did not stop Robert Flores, however, who shot three professors at the U of A School of Nursing on October 28, 2002. Virginia Tech also has a no weapons policy, and yet Seung-Hui Cho, with two guns, killed 32 people and wounded 17 more on that campus on April 16, 2007. We all know the story of what happened at Columbine High School.
Laws and policies that prohibit the carrying of weapons do nothing to prevent criminals and mentally-disturbed people from doing so. All they accomplish is to disarm the law-abiding citizens, and turn them into helpless victims. I do not want to rant about Second Amendment issues, like I am sure many constituents will do. Instead I would like to address the concerns of school administrators in Tucson, as reported by the Arizona Daily Star on January 25, 2008.
First of all, the administrators that raised concerns were from various K-12 school districts. It was mentioned that parents would be legitimately concerned for their children if they knew other children were carrying guns. It is a federal law that one cannot carry a weapon on those campuses, even with a concealed weapons permit. No student in grades K-12 would be able to even get a concealed weapons permit in the first place, and so this proposed law would not affect those schools. A.R.S. Section 13-3112 (E)(2) requires that one must be at least 21 years old in order to obtain a concealed weapons permit. This proposed law, then, would only affect post-high school institutions.
Sen. Aboud believes the bill should only permit teachers to carry weapons, not students. One of the purposes of allowing concealed permit holders to carry on campus is to prevent the types of tragedies that occurred at the U of A’s School of Nursing, Virginia Tech, and Columbine. The reality is that students outnumber teachers by a significant margin, and just like the police, the teachers cannot be everywhere and respond if another incident like this occurs. Plus, this would only permit teachers to carry weapons; it would not require them to, which, in reality, will mean that very few teachers will actually carry weapons. Allowing responsible, law-abiding students to also carry their concealed weapons simply increases the amount of protection available.
To get my concealed weapons permit, in addition to undergoing a criminal background check, I also had to go through a 16-hour training class, which included instruction on the various laws pertaining to gun ownership and use, and practical training for the safe handling and use of firearms. I also had to go to an 8 hour refresher course when I renewed my permit. The permit fee was $60; the fingerprint fee was $25; and the training class at the time was $75. Carrying a concealed weapon without a permit is a misdemeanor; I can tell you that it is the upstanding, law-abiding citizens that go through the time, expense and trouble to get a permit; criminals don’t give a hoot about committing a misdemeanor.
Most of the school administrators quoted by the Arizona Daily Star feel the having of guns as protection on campuses is unnecessary. Tamara Crawley, spokesperson for the Marana School District, said, “In Marana, our schools are safe. We have resources in place.” Jim Doty, Principal of Marana High School, said, “I do not feel it is necessary. . . . I have never felt that I was personally in danger at any time.” I believe the administrators and professors at the School of Nursing, Virginia Tech, and Columbine all thought the same things.
I carry a concealed gun for the same reason I carry auto and homeowner’s insurance, and for the same reason I own smoke alarms, fire extinguishers and an emergency road kit. I do not plan to use these things; I hope I never have to use these things. But the reality is, someday I might need them. And if I need them, I will desperately need them. Do not buy into the argument that we do not need guns on campuses, because of the relatively low incidents of shootings that occur. Homes rarely burn, but that does not mean we should give up our insurance, smoke alarms and fire extinguishers. I know several other law students who have a permit to carry a concealed weapon. We are all mature, stable individuals who happen to believe you can’t ever be too prepared for an emergency.
Allowing teachers and students with concealed weapons permits to carry weapons on campus will not increase incidents of violence; I truly believe Sen. Johnson and Rep. Pearce are correct in that it will actually reduce incidents of violence. Right now criminals know they are safe in using a gun in a gun-free zone, because no one else has a gun to defend themselves. If this were changed, criminals would most certainly think twice, knowing that at least someone in the room is probably armed. When a shooter goes on a rampage, like at Virginia Tech, no one is safe. The only way to protect innocent people is to stop the shooter. The police simply cannot be there at the moment they are needed; instead, they must merely respond to the 911 calls after the fact, and their job then becomes to count the bodies.
I believe allowing teachers and responsible students with CCW permits the opportunity to effectively respond to an emergency is a smart and prudent thing to do.
Thank you for your thoughtful consideration.
