Campus concealed carry promotes safety
University supporters protest by wearing empty gun holsters on campus
Ian Haines
Issue date: 10/25/07 Section: Opinion
Students across the nation will be seen carrying empty gun holsters this week in support of the right to bear arms guaranteed by the Second Amendment. The goal is to gain support from university administrators in hopes that some day registered and trained persons will be able to carry guns on campus. This message especially rings true for Virginia Tech who, until April 17 prided themselves as a gun free school.
Second-year mechanical engineering student, Michael Flitcraft is leading the rally for Students for Concealed Carry on Campus at the University of Cincinnati. He was recently interviewed on 700 WLW with Mike McConnell about the issue of carrying handguns on campus. Flitcraft also had the opportunity to share his opinion on WKRC channel 12. This issue is receiving attention nationwide and maybe it is an opportunity for our school to prevent more crime in the future.
This is not a careless movement in which the government is just handing out guns to people of age, but it could be an answer to protecting ourselves on and off campus. "I had to go through a training course, qualify on a shooting range, complete a background check, give my fingerprints, they also took a photograph," said Flitcraft. "After I met the criteria the Sheriff's Department went ahead and gave me a license to carry."
Unfortunately the weather this week has been less than cooperative for getting the word out about SCCC, though an empty holster should raise some eyebrows and well as attention.
"I had a few people give me funny looks while I was wearing the holster, but I have also had a phone call from a student who wanted a holster so he could participate," said Flitcraft. "I've personally had shipments sent to me of peoples old holsters who didnít have a need for them any more; they just wanted to donate them to the cause."
UC would not be the first school to allow students to carry guns. All state-run colleges and universities in Utah allow their students to carry guns if licensed and the school allows them. It is legal to conceal and carry a gun in the state so why not in a state-sponsored school? The same also applies to Colorado State. Colorado allows the school to make the decisions whether or not to allow students to carry handguns, according to Flitcraft. If you look at Utah they haven't had any instances as of yet, neither has Colorado State, said Flitcraft. If the concept of no one having guns worked, then the Chicago Police Department wouldn't have a need for guns either.
Second-year mechanical engineering student, Michael Flitcraft is leading the rally for Students for Concealed Carry on Campus at the University of Cincinnati. He was recently interviewed on 700 WLW with Mike McConnell about the issue of carrying handguns on campus. Flitcraft also had the opportunity to share his opinion on WKRC channel 12. This issue is receiving attention nationwide and maybe it is an opportunity for our school to prevent more crime in the future.
This is not a careless movement in which the government is just handing out guns to people of age, but it could be an answer to protecting ourselves on and off campus. "I had to go through a training course, qualify on a shooting range, complete a background check, give my fingerprints, they also took a photograph," said Flitcraft. "After I met the criteria the Sheriff's Department went ahead and gave me a license to carry."
Unfortunately the weather this week has been less than cooperative for getting the word out about SCCC, though an empty holster should raise some eyebrows and well as attention.
"I had a few people give me funny looks while I was wearing the holster, but I have also had a phone call from a student who wanted a holster so he could participate," said Flitcraft. "I've personally had shipments sent to me of peoples old holsters who didnít have a need for them any more; they just wanted to donate them to the cause."
UC would not be the first school to allow students to carry guns. All state-run colleges and universities in Utah allow their students to carry guns if licensed and the school allows them. It is legal to conceal and carry a gun in the state so why not in a state-sponsored school? The same also applies to Colorado State. Colorado allows the school to make the decisions whether or not to allow students to carry handguns, according to Flitcraft. If you look at Utah they haven't had any instances as of yet, neither has Colorado State, said Flitcraft. If the concept of no one having guns worked, then the Chicago Police Department wouldn't have a need for guns either.
Viewing Comments 1 - 10 of 17
mattb
posted 10/25/07 @ 8:18 AM EST
i have to respectfully disagree with you. i understand your want to protect yourself, but ultimately, i think more guns will lead to more unnecessary shootings. (Continued…)
Scott Lewis
posted 10/25/07 @ 9:11 AM EST
Yes, Matt, nothing puts the exclamation point on an intelligent rebuttal like inferring that your opponent isn't "getting laid."
http://www.concealedcampus. (Continued…)
hamm
posted 10/25/07 @ 2:24 PM EST
I just wanted to clarify a mistake made in the article where it says:
"All state-run colleges and universities in Utah allow their students to carry guns if licensed and the school allows them. (Continued…)
Michael Flitcraft
posted 10/25/07 @ 2:42 PM EST
I informed the reporter that it was state law that public universities in Utah have to allow concealed carry.
In the writer's defense, everybody makes typos, and nobody lost any toes or fingers about it. (Continued…)
john luvaro
posted 10/25/07 @ 7:40 PM EST
The only criticism I have of these protests is that students should do more that just wear empty holsters. An empty holster is an "empty " protest. They should follow up by carrying guns to class in defiance of university regs. (Continued…)
Mike
posted 10/25/07 @ 9:33 PM EST
You always here the anti campus carry folks say more guns will cause drunken shootings, shootings over parking spaces, blood in the streets ect. ect. However where are permit holder causing these acts of violence, nowhere I have heard about. (Continued…)
Chandlerlms
Chandler McCoy-Simandle
posted 10/29/07 @ 9:50 PM EST
I'll leave the fact that the Second Amendment totally doesn't give individuals the right to carry guns out for now.
But honestly, are you really arguing that the way to prevent school shootings is to allow people to carry guns around? So basically, if someone gets really pissed off about a bad test score or something a little more serious, we want them to have easier access to guns? Granted, had there been students with guns at VA Tech (because that situation happens ALL the time), maybe someone would've ended the situation a little more quickly (though we'll never really know). (Continued…)
Michael Flitcraf
posted 10/29/07 @ 10:12 PM EST
Chandler, I'm glad that you're not going to bring up the second amendment, as it specifically states "the people," and just like the rest of the bill of rights, it too is and individual right, not a government right. (Continued…)
Michael Flitcraft
posted 10/29/07 @ 10:16 PM EST
One other thing: psychiatrists call the emotions and logic you express "projection." May want to check it out a bit.
flitcrma
Michael Flitcraft
posted 10/30/07 @ 7:32 PM EST
Chandler, projection was not an insult, if you realized it you would have known that.
"A defense mechanism, operating unconsciously, in which what is emotionally unacceptable in the self is unconsciously rejected and attributed (projected) to others. (Continued…)
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