Plumber576
Member
I composed this to Karen Holbrook, current president of The Ohio State University, where I go to school. I know she is on her way out, but it had to be said.
I added my name and what not at the end. Here is my poster, which I did not include.
Dear Mrs. Holbrook,
I am writing you about an issue that should be talked about on campus, but has even more meaning after the unfortunate recent events at Virginia Tech. People in this state have been given the right to defend themselves and other innocents in instances where they will be harmed in a life-threatening manner. This bill allows individuals who are not felons, are not fugitives from justice, and are not considered mentally unstable to carry a handgun concealed on their person. As the current law is written, possession and concealment of a weapon on any school grounds is considered a fifth degree felony.
The problem with that situation is that people who have a Concealed Handgun License are law-abiding citizens looking to protect themselves, their family, and other innocent people in any situation. I am one such person. I live off campus, and on my walk across campus this morning, from 15th Ave. and high street to near RPAC, I noticed that there are no accessible emergency safety call stations. I do not know if you have walked through campus at 6 o'clock in the morning, but it is a desolate place. I regularly make a walk in this direction and never see any campus or Columbus police officers. The sight of other students is also quite rare. Emergency call boxes are rare, and distant. Buildings on campus are often locked. If being mugged, one is not able to run to one of those boxes with the blue light. If they were, what is the average response time for one of those calls? Personally I have three herniated discs, and I am not able to run.
The point is, practically everyday people are assaulted and mugged, and have their life threatened in and around campus. I can think of two recent times in this academic year where friends of mine have been robbed at gunpoint. An emergency call button will not do anything in such a situation. By the time a button was pushed during an active mugging or assault, if the opportunity was available, would the criminal be around long enough to be caught? Would a law enforcement officer arrive in time to take the criminal into custody, or would he/she arrive in time to take a report of a crime that has already happened. The ability to run was hardly available in Virginia.. A police officer was not in the classroom to help the victims. I think the chances of an office passing by during one of these muggings and assaults sides in favor of the criminal.
I am trying to say that the odds at current state are in favor of the criminals. It is a sad fact, but one that has been thrust upon us after the murder of 32 people on a college campus in Virginia. Virginia currently has laws allowing Concealed Carry of a firearm similar to that of Ohio's but similarly it is not allowed on Virginia Tech's campus. We can say "What if?" about this situation, but in similar incidents it has proven that a legally armed citizen can make a difference in saving lives. On February, 12 in Utah, a legally armed citizen saved the lives of many innocent shoppers by shooting a criminal who was murdering people who just happened to be shopping. The same happens on a smaller individual basis here in Ohio too.
Allowing students and faculty to carry on campus would not make this a "Wild West" situation. Since taking effect in Ohio, there have not been gunfights in the street and people taking vigilante justice on innocent civilians. You can bet that you pass people daily who are carrying a concealed handgun. These individuals are not there to show off their firearm or to threaten people for no reason. People who have the Concealed Handgun License are law abiding citizens, unlike criminals who mug, assault, and murder. I understand that you cannot change the law, but as university president of one of the largest universities in the country, your opinion matters, all the way up to the State House of Ohio.
I ask you to please ask our lawmakers to change the law. Our students have a right to protect themselves, but criminals view gun-free zones and self-protection free zones. The last thing anybody wants to have happen is a similar situation here on our wonderful campus. I do not want to see fellow Buckeyes having to jump out of windows and break their ankles and legs just to escape one crazed maniac who has an upper hand shooting defenseless innocents. Students should not have to hold a door shut while being shot just to let other classmates jump out of a window. One person can make a difference. The murder of many can change into the murder of few. In smaller cases individual victims would become survivors. Criminals do not follow laws, that's why they are called criminals. We cannot give these thugs an upper-hand in certain areas of our state. Please, do all you can for the safety of myself and my fellow Buckeyes.
My thoughts and prayers go out to all throughout the country who were affected by the murders Virginia Tech, and other victims of violence. Thank you very much for taking the time to read this Email.
I added my name and what not at the end. Here is my poster, which I did not include.