Students Packing Heat Surely Would Liven Up American Campus Life

[XDTalk RSS]

Before classes adjourned for the academic year, students at the University of Pittsburgh squared off over whether guns should be legally carried on campus. Although the Students for Concealed Carry on Campus have yet to convince lawmakers to allow them to pack .45s alongside their copies of Roget's Thesaurus, I hear the pro-gunplay group plans a major offensive aimed -- pardon the pun -- at... [Tribune-Review (Pittsburgh), Column, via gunpolicy.org ]

More...

[amishclark]

dear mike,

i read your article regarding the "carrying on campus" issue happening at pitt, posted on the trib's website. i can't help but feel that you are gravely misinformed, and are perpetuating a stigma about gun owners that is way off base. your break-down of a "typical day" was amusing, albeit ridiculous. do you really think that every gun owner who carries a concealed weapon is as crazy as you depicted mr. brytus?

i have a permit to carry a concealed weapon in the state of pa, and carry almost all the time. i say almost because cmu, where i attend school, has a "no guns" policy as well.

i am proficient with my weapon. i shoot in a defensive pistol league, where i regularly score better than most of the police officers that come and shoot (scary, huh? i'm more proficient with my firearm than the people who will "protect" you...).

i hope this day never comes, but i can imagine a scenario in which i would have to respond immediately and with force in order to avoid loss of life or limb. of course, i will do everything in my power to avoid the use of force, but when it comes down to "me or him" i'm choosing me. and if i came upon a scene that i determined to be threatening to someone else's life, or would cause permanent damage (loss of normal human function, sexual assault, etc.), i decided long ago that i would be willing to step in and protect that person.

this does not mean that i will run around stopping every bar fight by pointing my gun at people. it does not mean that i will settle every argument with a flash of the piece. i does mean that i can and will do more than call the police and wait five to ten minutes for them to show up. what will you do, should you be presented with such a situation?

i have thought long and hard about when the use of lethal force would be required and when it would be avoidable. i understand the laws of my state with regard to the use of lethal force. i am a responsible gun owner who practices on a regular basis to maintain proficiency, safety, and awareness. and, unlike someone who is planning on breaking the law, i follow the rules. so what does this mean? while i am fairly unprotected when on campus (i have a few tricks up my sleeve, even without my firearm...), people planning evil deeds can be armed to the teeth. gun free zones are only gun free for law-abiding citizens; criminals could care less.

your article seemed to have a "tongue-in-cheek" ring to it, and i took it with a grain of salt. i can understand that guns are scary to many people, especially if you've never handled or shot one. to that end, i'm extending an offer to you...i'd be more than happy to take you to the range one day (after august, when i'll be back in pittsburgh). we can go over gun safety, how to handle a pistol (or a rifle), etc.. we can talk about what it means to be a gun owner and what responsibilities come with carrying a gun, or any weapon for that matter. the best way to overcome fear is with knowledge.

sincerely,

clark

[akhimark]

amishclark,
That was an excellent response. Please keep us posted if you get a response.

[Bycyclist]

amishclark +1. Great job not just sitting around complaining, but taking the time to write a good, articulate, respectful response!

[jtkratzer]

Mike,

Your article is probably the most obnoxious piece I've ever had the displeasure of reading when it comes to someone who doesn't support gun owners. While most are illogical and ignore the facts and statistics, you sir, have created what seems to be a fantasy world and mindset of a responsible gun owner so far from the truth that you actually made me laugh. However, when you consider the actions and thought processes used in your piece, most of them, namely intimidation, retaliation, fear mongering, imposing your will through the use of force, etc., are all what you find among the slew of criminals and thugs who use guns to commit crimes.

You even managed to play the race card about Mr. Brytus being intimidated by two black guys with corn-rows on the elevator. Do I need to remind you according to Department of Justice statistics that a black male age 18-35 is 200 times more likely to be incarcerated as compared to a white male of the same age? Do I need to remind you the legally-armed citizen must pass background checks to purchase such a firearm and more background checks when applying for a license to carry firearms? Do I need to remind you about the number of student athletes, especially at competitive division-1 schools who get criminal records, etc swept under the rug and officials look the other way because this boy sure is fast?

You make the most obnoxious assumptions about gun owners and our ability to act rationally. I read this "story" thinking you could change very little and use the same preaching for your bruthas in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia so Hell-bent on killing each other. Perhaps you should be addressing the ongoing issues of black on black crime in America's urban locations rather than mocking law-abiding citizens who choose to arm themselves for protection against the animals you find lurking in our cities.

When you and your cronies decide to actually wake up to who is responsible for the majority of gun crimes, let alone all violent crime, you'll stop writing ridiculous tripe about law-abiding and legally-armed citizens. Perhaps if you and your cronies poured so much effort, although this article appears to be lacking, into helping inner-city youths get involved in activities that keep them out of gangs and other violence-driven cultures, perhaps we'll see a change in the country. As long as you continue to make excuses for or ignore those responsible for violent crime by writing articles like this, you continue to be a part of the problem rather than the solution. The solution to America's gun crime does not lie in disarming the law-abiding citizens. The guilt does not lie on the gun itself, rather squarely on the shoulders of those who commit these heinous crimes.

Try writing articles focusing on those issues if you want people to take you seriously. Otherwise, you're just another cog in the wheel of the machine that spews out articles with willful blindness to who and what is truly responsible for the gun crimes in this country.

I apologize if I came across as rude or offensive, but quite frankly, I'm sick and tired of being blamed and having the finger pointed at me for taking up arms for the personal safety and protection of my wife and myself. I'm tired of people writing articles like this one mocking me as gun owner as a loose cannon who is going to fly off the handle at any moment over the most trivial issue. Politicians against citizens carrying guns predicted there would be shootouts over parking spaces and fender benders. The truth is, events like this don't happen. You have to remember, the number of legally-armed citizens is growing faster than ever in response to the growing violent crime levels in the world around us. It's not the legally-armed citizens committing these crimes. Start taking a hard look at those who are responsible for these crimes.

As a "journalist," I sincerely hope you take a hard look at your stances and your views of the world around you. I suggest you start placing blame and pointing the finger where it belongs. If you want to continue to ignore the facts and blindly blame gun owners as the problem, as it's apparently the trendy thing to do these days, perhaps you should give up writing in the world of journalism and take up a career as a fiction author.

[boardsurfer]

Try writing articles focusing on those issues if you want people to take you seriously. Otherwise, you're just another cog in the wheel of the machine that spews out articles with willful blindness to who and what is truly responsible for the gun crimes in this country.

Nothing to add but a H3LL YEAH!

[slugger6]

What a disgusting piece of totally biased garbage!

[Ishpeck]

Email sent:

Dear Mr. Seate,

Your "Packing heat sure makes Pitt interesting" article was amusing and I applaud your wit. To indicate the way licensed concealed carry works on campus, please consider the crime statistics of University of Utah where the local legislature and supreme court have ruled that all state-funded educational institutions are required to honor state-issued concealed carry permits.

I think you will find that your humorous assertions are in conflict with the facts.

Take care,
~ Anthony "Ishpeck" Tedjamulia
The Ishpeckian Network:*Part of this balanced breakfast.

I feel like it's important that we don't appear to take ourselves too seriously.

[jtkratzer]

Originally Posted by Ishpeck

Email sent:
I feel like it's important that we don't appear to take ourselves too seriously.

I like what you wrote, nice and concise. I am tired of being blamed for the problems of gun crime and violent crime in the country. I'm tired of legally-armed citizens having the finger pointed at them when it's the unruly animals that have no respect for the law who are responsible. I'm tired of people blaming the gun rather than the person who pulls the trigger.

[gsh341]

That is probably the worst piece of anti-gun crap I've ever read.