Link: newsobserver.com | Holster-packin' students protest.
In the United States, just 11 universities allow concealed firearms on campus -- Utah's nine public institutions, a Virginia community college and Colorado State University, Blatt said.
Link: cbs2chicago.com - Bloody Weekend: 32 Shot, 2 Stabbed, 6 Dead.
A violent and deadly weekend continues in Chicago. At least 12 people have been shot, two of them killed, since Saturday morning. Two others were stabbed in a home invasion. This comes after at least 20 people were shot, four of them killed, from Friday night through early Saturday.
Link: Students hurt as gang attacks Australian school: police.
Students and a teacher were treated for minor injuries Monday after five young men armed with baseball bats and a machete invaded a high school in Sydney, police said.
....
"We've assessed 18 school-aged children ... all having minor injuries, some lacerations, some bruising and they're obviously quite anxious about what has happened," the spokesman said.
Maybe this empty holster phenomenon will spread to other GunFreeZones? Link: New group rallies for concealed carry on campus - Top Local Stories - News : KHAS-TV.
They are crimes some say are becoming all too common: shootings on college campuses. Just Thursday in Texas police say a gunman shot 2 students near an off–campus dorm. Now, a new group popping up at schools across the country says it wants to take action and prevent these tragedies. The group is called "Students for Concealed Carry on Campus" or SCCC. You can find members at over 200 colleges...
Don't know if this is actually gun-free zone, but in California even with a CCW it's often inconvenient to carry regularly at work. (Thank you D.K. for sending me this link.) Link: 4 killed in Calif. workplace shooting - Yahoo! News.
SANTA MARIA, Calif. - Police detained a man suspected of fatally shooting four men at an auto wrecking yard as onlookers watched, authorities said.
....
Macagni called the shootings "very deliberate," and police said the shooter likely reloaded at least once during the attacks. "There were probably a dozen people here when we arrived that had witnessed the shootings," Lt. Dan Ast told KCOY television. None of the bystanders was injured, police said.
This was right here in South OC, in the city of Mission Viejo, immediately adjacent to Ladera Ranch. Imagine the carnage if this had been a terrorist. There are supposed to be over 6000 CCW holders in Orange County--no doubt quite a few here in South OC. Where were they? If you have a CCW, there are very few restrictions on where you can carry in this state. I just found out about the shooting, having just returned from violating some state park rules while on a hike with my family in the desert. Why were my fellow Americans Californians "running and screaming"? Yes, this is a Gun Free Zone. Not because it's impossible to carry in Orange County (permits obtainable, at least until Carona left recently), but because most don't bother to apply and even permit holders probably don't carry most of the time. Shameful. Pathetic. Link: News: Gunshots fired today at The Shops of Mission Viejo | one, deputies, sheriff - OCRegister.com.
A man in a "bad wig'' who authorities say robbed a jewelry store at The Shops at Mission Viejo at gunpoint Sunday afternoon was killed in a shootout with sheriff's deputies in the parking structure at the mall. The incident had shoppers screaming and running in fear and deputies converging on the mall with assault weapons, a surreal scenario in a city routinely touted as one of America's safest.
Note one of the comments:
jenmel wrote:In response to kekepania97... the OCSD didn't do squat to make sure anyone was safe. I entered the mall at 6pm to work a night shift at my work unaware that ANYTHING had happened until a couple people at work mentioned a shooting in the parking structure. It wasn't until SEVEN that they started evacuating the mall... which by that time it was pretty empty anyway because the mall closes at 6! Then, despite there being at least 6 mall entrances, only ONE had any police officers posted. They told people that nobody was being allowed in or out of the mall parking lot via car, so my co-workers and I walked outside of the mall parking lot to get picked up. Then, when I got picked up, my ride was able to drive back into the mall and I was able to get my car. There was not a police officer in sight at any entrance except the one closest to the incident.... and during this time they still suspected that there was a possibly armed accomplice! I'm sorry, but they the OCSD didn't do ANYthing to make me feel safe. In fact, I was more afraid of them and their rifles they were brandishing around young children than I was of a possible second gunman who probably, if he existed, had fled the scene before I even got to the mall.
Link: Press 'ignores' terrorist stopped by armed student.
A gun rights organization in the United States is accusing the media of trying to conceal the fact that a gunman who attacked students at Jerusalem's Mercaz Harav seminary was stopped by an armed student at the school. Authorities report that Ytizhak Dadon, 40, was a "private citizen who had a gun license and was able to shoot the gunman with his pistol," according to a statement released today by the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms.
Well, at least someone is armed. But doesn't it make more sense in a dense urban environment for more students, trained to arms, to carry pistols with less chance of over-penetration than these rifles? Link: FOXNews.com - Arizona Campus Police Arming Themselves With Assault Rifles - Local News | News Articles | National News | US News.
The high-powered rifles would give school officers the ability to shoot at targets at the end of long hallways or atop tall buildings, officials said. "Pistols that campus officers currently use aren't ideal for long shots," said Sgt. Eugene Mejia, University of Arizona Police Department spokesman. "Beyond 50 feet, you lose a lot of accuracy," Mejia said.
Excellent post re student carry: Link: Wasted Electrons: An Open Letter to the College Students of America.
This sort of qualifies as a gun-free zone because most students here were foreigners without permits. Israelis frequently carry and the bloodshed would not have been as great in a typical school. Link: Jerusalem yeshiva student: I shot the terrorist twice in the head - Haaretz - Israel News.
A student at the Jerusalem yeshiva where eight people were killed in a terrorist attack Thursday evening shot the gunman who opened fire inside the religious school's crowded library, neutralizing him before a soldier killed him with an automatic rifle. Yitzhak Dadon said he climbed onto the roof of a nearby building, armed with a rifle, and waited for the gunman to emerge. "He came out of the library spraying automatic fire ... the terrorist came to the entrance and I shot him twice in the head," he said.
Link (Doug Giles): Welcome to the Clash.
Listen, Dr. Numbnuts, all the talk you guys have been doing about proper precautions on campus, all the extra fat security cops you've recently employed with faster golf carts, shinier badges and long range pepper spray are no threat to a perp with a gun and the attitude to use it. A chunky butt security guard with a plastic dollar store badge and a 6-year-old can of mace on a golf cart is no help when the hellion shows up in your auditorium with a 12 gauge and three handguns. Yes, if your foe has a gun, then he has a solid and deadly advantage, and the cops can't get there fast enough to do much about it. Yes sir/madam, when this type of stuff hits the fan your campus must have deadly force on the spot to counter deadly force. Duh. That is unless, of course, you're cool with our kids being killed. I, However, am not.
John Lott updates us on the recent massacre at a college in Illinois, one of only two states that completely bans concealed carry. Link: John Lott's Website: A couple of mentions about the Northern Illinois University Attack being in a gun free zone.
Link: Suspect in Ohio school stabbing dies - Yahoo! News.
PORTSMOUTH, Ohio - A man charged into a school where his estranged wife was a teacher Thursday morning, firing a gun before stabbing her as her fifth-grade class watched, police said. He later was found dead in his home after apparently shooting himself during a standoff with police.
Link: Capitol Briefs - News - inRich.com.
An effort to keep guns out of the House of Delegates chamber, its meeting rooms and similar areas was shot down in the House yesterday 77-18.
Link: Campuses push for right to carry handguns - State & Local.
Politicians and students activists across the state have pushed for legislation that would allow students, faculty and staff to carry concealed handguns on university campuses.
This sounds like a very dangerous mall, and the story reminds us that turning malls into gun-free zones attracts not only suicidal terrorists or nutcases but also common criminals after mall bucks, especially at Christmas time.
Police think the case could be connected to a carjacking about 7:30 p.m. Aug. 7 in the parking garage at Nordstrom department store in which a 30-year-old shopper and her 2-year-old son were abducted as she was putting her bags in the car.
At least ten attacks over last four years. Link: WorldNetDaily: Church shootings on rise in U.S..
"Self-defense is not just a right, but a Christian duty. Jesus told his followers, 'if you don't have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one,'" said Cass. "Christians are not to be a soft target for the hateful and deranged. Church leaders have a duty not to allow a crazed gunman to come and shoot up their congregation. Thank God for security officer Jeanne Assam and for New Life Church's security preparations."
Dr. Lott posts another prof's pseudonymous account of real risks to professors. Link: John Lott's Website: Arming Professors?:
... that this professor finds it necessary to write under the pseudonym of "Thomas Benton" when discussing the gun issue tells you something about academia.
Link: FOXNews.com - Media Coverage of Mall Shooting Fails to Reveal Mall's Gun-Free-Zone Status - Opinion. John Lott asks important questions about media coverage of the Omaha Mall Shooting and similar gun free zone shootings such as Trolley Square in Utah:
Surely, with all the reporters who appear at these crime scenes and seemingly interview virtually everyone there, why didn’t one simply mention the signs that ban guns from the premises?
....
Surely, the news stories carry detailed information on the weapon used (in this case, a rifle) and the number of ammunition clips (apparently, two). But if these aspects of the story are deemed important for understanding what happened, why isn’t it also important that the attack occurred where guns were banned? Isn’t it important to know why all the victims were disarmed?
Link: My Way News - Student Group Wants More Guns on Campus.
Students for Concealed Carry on Campus gathered momentum after the April killings at Virginia Tech, where the gunman shot 32 people dead before killing himself. With the help of the social networking Web site Facebook, the group mushroomed and organized its first nationwide protest in October. The group says it is not affiliated with the National Rifle Association, a political party or any other organization.
FBI report indicates knives, fists, feet much more common than guns in school violence. (Criminals of any age tend to avoid noisy weapons, and guns are very noisy.) Link: Knives, Not Guns, Have Been Weapon of Choice in Campus Crimes, Study Finds - washingtonpost.com.
Almost 11,000 incidents included a blade, and more than 3,400 included a firearm.
Raise minimum age from 15 to 18 because an 18-yr-old went nuts? I guess they figured they just had to do something, even if not rationally related. Perhaps they should consider that the respect for guns engendered by early exposure is probably the reason only 14% of their homicides are gun-related. Link: Finland defends gun laws - Yahoo! News.
Glenn's guest, Brad Thor, gets it partially right when he says "You want an armed presence at your school." He then points to armed guards and police. The problem with armed guards and police is that if they are present, they will be the first ones taken out. It is good to have some there, but it is cheaper and much better to allow armed teachers and staff. He makes four points on school security: deter, detect, delay, and destroy. Armed teachers and staff can help with all these four points (even "detect" because they might be more able to successfully detect and alert others if they are armed). The deterrence, delay, and destroy aspects are more obvious. Thor points to Israel, but he doesn't mention that they arm teachers in Israel.
Consider also the astronomical cost (including opportunity cost) of adding armed guards to our schools when we don't have enough police, etc., in an age of terror.
Link: Allowing gun ranges in schools receives criticism - News.
"We want weapons out of the building. We want weapons as far away from the school as possible because we have so many students under our care...
The school official quoted appears to be making a promise no school official can keep (the deadly utopian and fraudulent promise of a gun-free zone).
What is depressingly similar to the mass murders at Virginia Tech and Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania and too many others was the killer’s choice of venue — that steadfastly gun-free zone, the school campus.
Link: Timothy Wheeler on School Shootings on National Review Online.
During the week of October 22-26, 2007, college students throughout America will attend classes wearing empty holsters, in protest of state laws and campus policies that stack the odds in favor of armed killers by disarming law abiding citizens who are licensed to carry concealed handguns virtually everywhere else.
Parents were angry that firearms got into a school equipped with metal detectors that students said were intermittently used.
Link: Student gunman in Ohio warned of attack - Yahoo! News.
A Christian church-affiliated university in St. Paul, Minn., has suspended a student after he raised questions about the campus ban on concealed weapons, and is ordering him to have a mental health evaluation before he can resume his education.
Link: WorldNetDaily: Student advocates gun rights, gets suspended.
Link: Local News: Gun Carrying Teacher Gets Day in Court | school, katz, concealed - ktvl.com.
The school district has previously indicated that they do not argue that carrying a concealed weapon is legal. However, in a letter to Katz they indicated that they would punish her if she decides to do so, because she is an employee of the school district and under their policy she cannot carry a concealed firearm.
Dr. Lott's research concludes that although "right-to-carry" concealed carry laws--non-discretionary, "shall-issue" laws now in 40 states--do generally have the effect of lowering crime in those states, the effect is even more pronounced with regard to multiple-victim shootings. Concealed carry appears to be more effective than law enforcement in preventing or limiting such tragedies.
Link: John Lott's website.
Law enforcement - usually the most effective means of stopping crime - had little effect on multiple-victim shootings simply because more than 70 per cent of these killers, such as Cho Seung-Hui, the killer at Virginia Tech, die at the scene of their crimes.
Oregon school teacher goes public in lawsuit for right to carry concealed pistol to class.
Link: Teacher goes public in fight to pack pistol - OregonLive.com.
The board recently endorsed a plan to allow some faculty and staff members to carry concealed firearms on public college campuses in Nevada. As a direct response to the April tragedy at Virginia Tech, Nevada officials have taken a hard line against potential maniacal killers—a position that clearly recognizes the value of an armed defense to protect students.
From Wayne LaPierre's 6/20 blog entry:
And secondly, the media and anti-gun politicians have hidden an important truth about this law. The Gun-Free School Zones Act actually allows for- and, in fact, provides for- a strategy of armed security at our schools!
The law permits schools to allow armed persons on school grounds. And it allows persons to be in a school and armed, if they have been licensed by state or local authorities.
Unfortunately, even Diocesan officials are willing to lie about this (link), despite the clear language of Penal Code section 626.9(l) which generally allows such carry by CCW holders in California:
(l) This section does not apply to a duly appointed peace officer
as defined in Chapter 4.5 (commencing with Section 830) of Title 3 of
Part 2, a full-time paid peace officer of another state or the
federal government who is carrying out official duties while in
California, any person summoned by any of these officers to assist in
making arrests or preserving the peace while he or she is actually
engaged in assisting the officer, a member of the military forces of
this state or of the United States who is engaged in the performance
of his or her duties, a person holding a valid license to carry the
firearm pursuant to Article 3 (commencing with Section 12050) of
Chapter 1 of Title 2 of Part 4, or an armored vehicle guard, engaged
in the performance of his or her duties, as defined in subdivision
(e) of Section 7521 of the Business and Professions Code.
Wayne LaPierre's 6/14/2007 blog entry indicates the NRA will be pushing school safety to the forefront:
It's summer. And as America's kids begin to enjoy the break from school, we must begin a national dialogue on the most serious issue the media is not telling you about—that when it comes to safety, school is out.
Think about it: When you walk into a bank, you're surrounded by armed guards, security cameras and silent alarms—layers of security measures. Go to a ballgame or a concert or a shopping mall—all protected by all kinds of security.
But if you walk into virtually any school in the country, you'd be hard-pressed to find ANY measure of security.
And the media, for some bizarre reason, aren't reporting this reality.
They aren't telling you that, in America, we protect our money, our offices, our shopping malls, and our stadiums more than we protect our children at school. Far more.
What's worse, we advertise the fact that our children are not protected at school. It's called the Gun-Free School Zones Act, passed by Congress a decade ago. Anti-gun politicians held national news conferences to support it, the news media breathlessly hyped it, and the word was out: The safest place for a deranged killer to go on a rampage is an American school.
Are there solutions to this problem? Is there anything we can all do to help protect our kids at school?
Yes. And while most of the media and our elected officials refuse to talk about it, I will. Because our children deserve at least as much protection as our money.
Over the next few days, right here in this blog, I intend to open a national dialogue about school safety and protecting our children.
I also want to hear from you and get your thoughts. Because when it comes to safeguarding America's children, every reasonable solution should be on the table for consideration.
Yesterday's statements by Adam Gadahn (former OC guy/SoCal native/Al Qaeda member indicted for treason) are interesting in two respects. First, he explicitly mentions Virginia Tech, thereby bringing school shootings into the terror debate (as if Beslan wasn't enough):
"Your failure to heed our demands means that you and your people... will experience things that will make you forget all about the horrors of September 11, Afghanistan and Iraq, and Virginia Tech," he said in the video posted on Tuesday.
Second, he arguably makes abortion a national security issue (for those who didn't realize it already):
"We don't negotiate with war criminals and baby killers like you. No, these are legitimate demands which must be met," he said.
Link: A.G. on School Safety (Wayne LaPierre's blog, NRAnews.com): Wayne writes:
The other day Attorney General Alberto Gonzales made a puzzling comment.
Speaking in Oklahoma City, he shut down any discussion of professors or adult students with Right-to-Carry licenses on college campuses. But he also said, "We can't guarantee complete security. We need to see what we can do as a government, on the federal level, on the state level, to ensure the safety of our students."
I agree that we need to look at steps the government can take to protect our kids, but let's be honest here. I mean, my gosh, Mr. Gonzales agrees there's no guarantee of complete security.
If that's the case (and we all know it is), then why shouldn't we also be having a discussion about trained adults legally carrying concealed firearms for their own protection and the protection of others? Texas Governor Rick Perry's willing to have that discussion. Why isn't the nation's attorney general?
You might recall that Texas Governor Rick Perry recently said that he's come to the conclusion that trained and licensed Right-to-Carry holders shouldn't be barred from carrying anywhere in the state of Texas. Oh sure, there are folks who disagree with the governor.
But at least both sides are engaged in a discussion... which is more than can be said for the attorney general.
I have to resume reading Wayne's blog daily! This comment by Gonzales closely mirrors what the Diocese recently told me during a recent meeting in which they coerced a promise from me not to carry on my daughter's school campus. The meeting with the Diocese of Orange (and other chilling events) resulted from an email I sent out to fellow parents soon after VT, advocating teacher carry and urging parents to apply for CCW. I did not claim to carry on campus, nor did I even claim in that email to have a CCW. Nevertheless, the Diocese in this meeting wrongfully accused me of the crime of unlawful concealed carry. [Not only had I never admitted to such carry on campus, but the Diocese without basis refused to acknowledge crystal clear statutory authority exempting CCW holders from the school carry prohibition. The exemption is at Penal Code section 626.9(l), and the Diocese falsely claimed it has no effect and applies only to police officers under "subsequent litigation and legislative history" (which my local CCW experts--one is a fellow Catholic lawyer and NRA officer--have never heard of; in their opinion, the Diocese is lying).] Anyway, by wrongfully accusing me of the crime and threatening to send the barsheviks after my law license, as well as "disruption" of my daughter's education, the Diocese coerced the promise from me not to carry. In drafting it, I included language that my promise was based on assurance by the Diocese that there was "no risk" of serious bodily harm from violent crime on campus. The Diocese of Orange demanded that I strike this language; they actually stated in the meeting that they could provide no such assurance. I then offered to substitute "an acceptably low risk" for "no risk" and the Diocese of Orange rejected even this language. I then pointed out to the Diocese that because there was clear authority for CCW holders to carry on campus, and because they recklessly ignored this authority and prohibited teachers and other adults from carrying on campus, the Diocese was responsible for creating a very dangerous situation.
I recently sent the Diocese of Orange a "request for compensation" (not a formal demand and I admitted I probably would not sue my own Diocese) for wrongfully accusing me of a crime. I did not request any money--just an apology, plus implementation of NRA's Eddie Eagle program, plus a certain amount of firearms training for teachers, my pastor, and the Diocesan general counsel. The training would have been free of charge through a combination of Front Sight's current teacher program plus certificates I would provide. The Diocese of Orange rejected all of my requests.
I believe the evidence in my possession will be relevant to show extreme recklessness on the part of the Diocese of Orange, in the unfortunate event a violent crime should ever occur on a Diocesan campus.
Dave Workman writes in the Columbus Dispatch ("Gun-free zones are fatal mistakes") that Texas Gov Rick Perry supports school carry:
Perry's sensible solution: Allow legally armed citizens to carry their defensive firearms anywhere -- schools, restaurants, churches. Perry correctly asserted that so long as such areas are legislated as "gun-free zones," killers who don't care about the law will enjoy risk-free opportunities in which good people cannot fight back.
Link: Reflections on Virginia Tech: Is there any defense against malice? (Catholic News Service)
The central thesis of this article is the need for spiritual preparation in case prevention fails, and I don't disagree with that, but the following statement goes way too far and is dangerously foolish:
Prevention -- as opposed to preparation -- neither is nor was possible at Virginia Tech.
Why?
Because there is no defense against malice in our world.
Perhaps the attack could not have been prevented, but much of the damage could certainly have been prevented. Fatalities could have been drastically reduced if students and teachers were armed.
For those opposing teacher carry, a major concern is that some child will grab a teacher's gun and start shooting everyone.
Obviously, this concern is over-inflated (and would be even less of a concern if kids were properly exposed to guns as useful but dangerous tools, and taught responsibility instead of ignorant fear), and a teacher could always stop the kid with a BUG or maybe pepper spray, but the concern might be quelled if we pointed out there are many different types of retention holsters out there, in use mainly by LEO's and armed citizens in open-carry states, such as this Level 3 retention holster, which requires training to operate:
The Safariland 0705 has a top thumb break, and a middle finger release tab. The patented molded ejection port detent only allows for a rearward weapon release. The Safariland 0705’s side strap and snap are designed as decoys and are not operational. When the gun is properly drawn, all of these retention features work together to achieve a smooth release in one natural motion.
Link: WorldNetDaily: Daily Poll.
Link: Campus Gun Policies - washingtonpost.com. This is yet another misleading article which inaccurately implies all concealed carry is prohibited at California schools. Even pro-gun sites perpetuate the rumor by ignoring repetition of this falsehood. The relevant statute exempts CCW license holders at Penal Code section 626.9(l). A sheriff may add restrictions to the license preventing such carry, but in OC we have "terms of the license" which are a bit ambiguous in nature. Specifically, the terms list "possession of a firearm at any school building and/or school grounds where prohibited by law." Even if the schools condition is enforceable in spite of the 626.9(l) exemption, some are of the opinion that the "terms of the license" are not actually "restrictions" (because they are not listed on the license as required by code) and may just lead to license revocation rather than criminal liability if violated. I hate to link to the Brady Campaign for anything because they are almost always wrong, but it would seem they are right on this one point: It is NOT categorically illegal in California for CCW license holders to carry guns into schools, though the CCW license may restrict such carry.
Press Release from Naish (story also picked up by WND):
Las Vegas, Nevada: In the wake of the Virginia Tech shootings, Front Sight Firearms Training Institute, which arguably is the world leader in providing intensified courses in the defensive use of firearms for private citizens, feels they have the answer to stopping further attacks on school children. Front Sight is offering free firearms training to any school administrator, teacher, or full time staff member designated as school Safety Monitors. Front Sight will accept for training up to three staff members from each school, college or university. Applicants must submit a letter requesting training on school letterhead signed by the top school district official and designating the applicant as the school's Safety Monitor.
Link: WorldNetDaily: Are meds to blame for Cho's rampage?.
Cho Seung-Hui's murderous rampage – during which he killed 32 students and faculty members at Virginia Tech – is prompting research into gun laws, resident aliens and graphically violent writings. Investigators also may want to check his medicine cabinet, because psychiatric drugs have been linked to hundreds of violent episodes, including most of the school shootings in the last two decades.
Link: My Way News - Tech Gunman Bought Ammo Clips on EBay.
"They're similar to what could be purchased in any sporting goods store around the country."
The magazines (not "clips" or "magazine clips") Cho used had only 10-round capacity, and therefore would not have been banned under AWB. He could easily have bought higher capacity mags if he wanted, but the fact is that mags can be changed quickly (tactical or emergency reload) and capacity is largely irrelevant in a target rich victim disarmament zone. Capacity is much more important to a defender who must act quickly under surprise and may not even have spare mags or remember where they are in time, if same carry position not used routinely.
Link: WorldNetDaily: Death toll limited before campus gun ban.
Most news reports of the incident failed to mention the presence of two armed students and their role in subduing the shooter, saying only that he was tackled by bystanders.
Link: European Press Reactions: Blaming Charlton Heston - International - SPIEGEL ONLINE - News.
In the strongest editorialized image of the day, German cable news broadcaster NTV flashed an image of the former head of the National Rifle Association, the US gun lobby: In other words, blame rifle-wielding Charlton Heston for the 33 dead.
NB: "Civilized" Europeans have a nasty habit of first disarming and then genocidally eliminating large groups of people for political convenience. Yes, American gun culture is unique and worth preserving.
Link: WorldNetDaily: You're dead, I'm healing. Dennis Prager writes:
Why is the Virginia Tech murderer always referred to as the "gunman" and not the "murderer"? Had he stabbed a dozen students to death, would he be the "knifeman"?
