geophysicishooter
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http://www.dailytoreador.com/home/i...story_id=909a7f6c-4c23-4cc3-aafb-d9b8a8cff8e3
Just wanted to throw this out there and see what you all thought of some of the statements made by the various parties that were quoted in the article.
Texas, Illinois gun laws analyzed after campus shooting
Jon Vanderlaan
Issue date: 2/18/08 Section: News
Despite having some of the strictest gun carrying laws in the United States, Illinois has experienced three mass shootings near Chicago in the last two weeks.
The first shooting, which occurred Feb. 2 in a Chicago mall, resulted in the deaths of five people. The second shooting, which occurred Thursday in a lecture hall at Northern Illinois University, resulted in five students' deaths and the killer's suicide.
Illinois does not allow its citizens to obtain a concealed carry weapon permit and does not accept other states' permits, one of only two states in the United States to impose both of those restrictions. Illinois also requires every gun owner in the state to carry a firearm owner's identification card.
James Dark, executive director of the Texas State Rifle Association, said Illinois could be labeled as an "unarmed victims zone," and the citizens of Illinois are deprived of their rights to protect themselves.
Dark said incidents like the Northern Illinois University shooting highlight his belief that campuses would be safer if people could carry weapons on the campus.
But Doug Pennington, the associate director of communications for the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, said more people carrying guns on campus is not the way to go.
"That's crazy," Pennington said. "The answer is that there were four too many guns in Cole Hall."
Pennington said the United States makes it too easy for dangerous people to get dangerous weapons. He said more random people armed with weapons would result in more shootouts.
The Brady Campaign is a grass-roots organization that works to enact and enforce sensible gun laws, regulations and public policies through activism, electing public officials who support gun laws and increasing public awareness of gun violence, according to the campaign's Web site, www.bradycampaign.org.
Gordon Hoffman, deputy chief of the Texas Tech Police Department, said from a police perspective, it would be a bad thing for students to be able to carry weapons on campus.
Hoffman said there would be the potential for the police to confront an innocent person carrying a gun, and they could be mistaken for a shooter.
He said he believes there are no conceivable redeeming outcomes for students carrying guns on campus.
James Mills, co-owner of Gun Creations in Lubbock and a former police officer, said he believes all students have the right to carry guns to school to protect themselves.
Though Mills said he was once shot on duty, that has not changed his belief that people should have the right to carry guns.
"I wasn't shot by a gun," Mills said. "I was shot by a 14-year-old."
Tom Mannard, executive director of the Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence, said he does not wish to ban handguns; his job is to talk about the risks involved in ownership and educate people about handgun ownership.
Mannard said people have two options: to accept this type of gun violence as a way of life in the United States or to look at the availability of weapons in this country.
"The one thing we would all agree on is that no one wants to see innocent lives lost," Mannard said.
It is the responsibility of lawmakers and society to minimize the risk of gun violence, he said, and one of those ways is to impose more restrictions. However, he is open to any discussion and wants people to have open discussions in which all perspectives are discussed.
Even though Texas does not require citizens to have an identification card to own a weapon, Dark said Texas has one of the strictest training requirements and charges one of the highest fees in the nation for people to obtain a concealed carry weapons permit.
Dark said all those who wish to obtain a permit must go through a 10-hour training course and pass a written exam.
According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, the applicant must also pay a $140 fee.
The Department of Public Safety also would have lifetime access to a permit-carrier's medical records, and would refuse or revoke a permit if the person were being treated for depression or other concerning mental illnesses.
There currently are two major bills in the Illinois House of Representatives regarding gun control.
The first bill would require all ammunition in Illinois to be stamped with a small serial number. This bill also would require sellers of this serialized ammunition to charge buyers five cents extra per round.
Richard Pearson, executive director of the Illinois State Rifle Association, said the increase in the cost of ammunition would make it more difficult for the average citizen to purchase it, but would have little effect on those who disobey the law.
The second bill would allow citizens of Illinois to obtain a concealed carry permit.
The Illinois State Rifle Association, Pearson said, is one of the main supporters of that bill.
Just wanted to throw this out there and see what you all thought of some of the statements made by the various parties that were quoted in the article.
