2008 Woodie Awards
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Issue date: 4/8/08 Section: Opinion
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Bill Could Allow Firearms on Campus In S.C.
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I just wanted to point out how one-sided the article about concealed weapons on campus is.
First of all, the only way someone can carry a concealed weapon is if they have successfully passed an eight-hour proficiency test and is registered through the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED). If someone is caught with a concealed weapon without having a permit, it is considered a felony. Only 11 states (to my knowledge) allow carrying a weapon without a permit, and South Carolina is not one of them.
I completely disagree with the comment made by Rebecca Masters saying that guns on campus make it easier for disagreements to erupt into gunfire.
Why would I start a fight with another student knowing he may be armed? Furthermore, why would a gunman enter a classroom of students knowing that some of them are ready and willing to save their classmates from a situation much like Virginia Tech's? I know for a fact, if a guy walks into my classroom waving a pistol, I'd take him down before he even cocked the hammer.
"If a student sees someone walking around with a gun on campus, they may know to immediately report it."
I am sorry, but that is why it is called a concealed weapons permit. It is illegal for South Carolina citizens to openly carry unless they are transporting a weapon while hunting, while traveling to or from hunting locations or for lawful self-defense. If a student sees a gun on campus, by all means call the police. Anyone who took the required concealed weapons permit class (CWP) will know better than to expose their gun.
If you cannot handle that, do not carry a gun.
The point made about the 'good Samaritan act' was another good example of what is taught in a CWP class. The best thing I can tell you is: stay out of it. Call the police - they are trained to handle these types of situations. And why would allowing students to carry weapons increase the chances of this scenario?
Bill Could Allow Firearms on Campus In S.C.
-----------------
I just wanted to point out how one-sided the article about concealed weapons on campus is.
First of all, the only way someone can carry a concealed weapon is if they have successfully passed an eight-hour proficiency test and is registered through the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED). If someone is caught with a concealed weapon without having a permit, it is considered a felony. Only 11 states (to my knowledge) allow carrying a weapon without a permit, and South Carolina is not one of them.
I completely disagree with the comment made by Rebecca Masters saying that guns on campus make it easier for disagreements to erupt into gunfire.
Why would I start a fight with another student knowing he may be armed? Furthermore, why would a gunman enter a classroom of students knowing that some of them are ready and willing to save their classmates from a situation much like Virginia Tech's? I know for a fact, if a guy walks into my classroom waving a pistol, I'd take him down before he even cocked the hammer.
"If a student sees someone walking around with a gun on campus, they may know to immediately report it."
I am sorry, but that is why it is called a concealed weapons permit. It is illegal for South Carolina citizens to openly carry unless they are transporting a weapon while hunting, while traveling to or from hunting locations or for lawful self-defense. If a student sees a gun on campus, by all means call the police. Anyone who took the required concealed weapons permit class (CWP) will know better than to expose their gun.
If you cannot handle that, do not carry a gun.
The point made about the 'good Samaritan act' was another good example of what is taught in a CWP class. The best thing I can tell you is: stay out of it. Call the police - they are trained to handle these types of situations. And why would allowing students to carry weapons increase the chances of this scenario?
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