Guns: carry on or checked?
G. Michael Thomas
Issue date: 4/9/09 Section: ViewPoint
There are two schools of thought concerning handguns on school campuses. One is to ban guns everywhere and everyone will be safe. The bill to allow handguns died in committee on April 1.
On ETSU's campus, Jack Cotrel, director of Public Safety, said he believes that Knoxville Rep. Stacey Camfield's proposal to allow qualified faculty and staff with a carry permit to carry weapons on campus is "a bad bill."
Cotrel is quoted in the April 1 Johnson City Press, saying, "We simply don't think it's good for college campuses. Our objective is to eliminate a threat in a shooting situation, any shooting situation. And if we go into a situation and there's five or six people with guns, you don't have time to say, 'Hey, do you work here?'"
Really, that is his argument? When a law officer rolls up on a situation where there is gunfire are they really going to check and see if the citizens ready to defend themselves are faculty or staff? Is that their top priority in an emergency situation?
Let's look at the results of two infamous university shootings.
January 16, 2002: A despondent student who had dropped out of the Appalachian School of Law in Grundy, Va., came onto the campus with a handgun. He shot and killed two faculty members and a student as well as wounding three others.
Nigerian Peter Odighizuwa was challenged and subdued within minutes by three students who were off-duty policemen. Two of these men went independently to their cars to retrieve their personal firearms, approached Odighizuwa and ordered him to drop his weapon. The third cop helped tackle and subdue Odighizuwa, having him in handcuffs before the first police car arrived.
April 16, 2007: After killing two students in West Ambler Johnson dormitory on the campus of Virginia Tech, Seung-Hui Cho, a South Korean student with a long history of mental problems, went into Norris Hall a few hours later and began a mass murder spree that claimed the lives of 30 more students and faculty and wounded 17.
On ETSU's campus, Jack Cotrel, director of Public Safety, said he believes that Knoxville Rep. Stacey Camfield's proposal to allow qualified faculty and staff with a carry permit to carry weapons on campus is "a bad bill."
Cotrel is quoted in the April 1 Johnson City Press, saying, "We simply don't think it's good for college campuses. Our objective is to eliminate a threat in a shooting situation, any shooting situation. And if we go into a situation and there's five or six people with guns, you don't have time to say, 'Hey, do you work here?'"
Really, that is his argument? When a law officer rolls up on a situation where there is gunfire are they really going to check and see if the citizens ready to defend themselves are faculty or staff? Is that their top priority in an emergency situation?
Let's look at the results of two infamous university shootings.
January 16, 2002: A despondent student who had dropped out of the Appalachian School of Law in Grundy, Va., came onto the campus with a handgun. He shot and killed two faculty members and a student as well as wounding three others.
Nigerian Peter Odighizuwa was challenged and subdued within minutes by three students who were off-duty policemen. Two of these men went independently to their cars to retrieve their personal firearms, approached Odighizuwa and ordered him to drop his weapon. The third cop helped tackle and subdue Odighizuwa, having him in handcuffs before the first police car arrived.
April 16, 2007: After killing two students in West Ambler Johnson dormitory on the campus of Virginia Tech, Seung-Hui Cho, a South Korean student with a long history of mental problems, went into Norris Hall a few hours later and began a mass murder spree that claimed the lives of 30 more students and faculty and wounded 17.
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 2
Steve Blevins
posted 4/09/09 @ 9:11 AM CST
Mr. Thomas,
I am inclined to agree with you for the most part. I support Chief Cotrel's stance on the issue. In the heat of battle you can't tell who is the good guy. (Continued…)
Natalie Perry
posted 4/09/09 @ 3:06 PM CST
I completely agree with you. I have noticed that in these days leading up the HR 45 bill, that more and more mass media are trying to make guns out to be bad. (Continued…)
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