Soapbox: USU campus gun laws make no sense
Well, I know I feel safer.
Several important issues have risen to the surface in light of the recent threats made toward feminist media critic Anita Sarkeesian, including feminism, internet anonymity and portrayals of women in media. But perhaps the most heated debate birthed out of the frightening situation is the university’s — and by extension, the state’s —somewhat controversial laws concerning gun control.
Sarkeesian, who had to cancel her scheduled talk Wednesday due to threats of the “deadliest school shooting in American history,” aborted her planned visit due to the university’s inability to screen for firearms at the event.
In her own words, she explained that she cancelled not because of terrorist threats, but because she “didn’t feel the security measures were adequate.”
This is not a woman unfamiliar with intimidating threats. However, Utah’s laws ensuring the right to carry weapons on a state university’s campus gave her reason to believe the situation wasn’t safe. And she was right.
No matter what side of the gun control debate you happen to fall on, I would hope the fact that Nerf blasters are currently banned from Humans vs Zombies matches while actual handguns are allowed into events threatened with terrorism bothers you a little bit.
No, seriously.
The rules and stipulations for carrying yellow plastic foam-shooters on campus are as extensive as they are detailed. Students in charge of the popular Humans vs Zombies simulation are in constant contact with student housing, school administration and the local police department to make sure they are within their restrictions, which include avoiding the Quad, the Legacy Fields, anywhere on campus outdoors or any place indoors with exits and entrances difficult to patrol.
To hold a Nerf blaster fight on campus, it takes a Fieldhouse reservation and someone literally locking the only entrance shut after all participants have filtered in under the direction of the police department.
Meanwhile, the dude in my billiards class last spring walked around with his Baretta jammed down the back of his pants and nobody said a word.
Now is a good time to point out that I am not against guns, and the emails defending firearms I’ll almost certainly receive after publishing this will probably include statistics showing the ineffectiveness of gun-free zones and lengthy remarks on the importance of Utah’s uniform firearms policy and the castle doctrine.
I get it.
But how does anyone find any sense in the banning of plastic blasters for resembling real firearms when real firearms themselves are accepted without hesitation? If I get my concealed carry permit, can I walk around with a battery-powered six-shooter strapped to my hip?
On a more serious note, if there are those around campus who feel Nerf guns, which often fail to resemble actual guns in any way, present some sort of danger to the student body, why is it that actual firearms are untouchable, especially under threat of attack?
The concealed carry rules on campus probably aren’t going anywhere. But it’s tough to blame a speaker like Sarkeesian, who’s had to deal with threats on her life on more than one occasion, for wanting to avoid sitting in a room for an hour with potentially armed students who can come and go as they please.
—Logan Jones is a sophomore majoring in journalism. He writes sports for the newspaper and talks sports on Aggie Radio. He is currently seeking a concealed carry permit for his Nerf six-shooter. Contact him at logantjones@aggiemail.usu.edu.
Logan: Although I respect your views, I however have to disagree. Can you seriously not see a difference between the nerf gun and a real gun? If you were to see actual training for police officers it isn’t only what the gun looks like that they are shooting back at. Unfortunately they are also shooting at you “drawing” a weapon. If Officers wait until they figure out it is a nerf gun it may be too late for them especially at night time. With the world being more and more violent there are more law enforcement officers that are being shot and killed because they don’t always see an actual weapon so please think about that. As for carrying a concealed, statistics show that people who carry a concealed properly ie: take the class actually have a permit aren’t about wanting to shoot someone. Most never have to draw their weapon at all during a lifetime of “carrying”. Most are carrying as a protective measure. I am willing to bet you don’t know the real number of people who carry here at the university or in Logan at any given time. I think you would be surprised. Too many states are taking away the rights of the people by taking away their rights to protect themselves. Because mentally ill persons use guns illegally is totally different then having one for your protection. In the instance of Sandy Hook, who knows that if one of the teachers had been carrying could they have taken the bad guy down sooner. Although we do have the right to open carry as well, my personal opinion of that is mixed feelings. But think of this… if there was an active shooter on campus who would you rather have next to you… someone with a toy nerf gun or someone you never suspected has an actual weapon and helps save your life?
You misunderstand the article; Logan did not dis concealed weapons permits, he merely suggests that it seems a bit unfair to allow concealed weapons into a gathering threatened with “the deadliest shooting in American history,” while Nerf guns aren’t allowed on campus. Your last question has nothing to do with the article; Logan doesn’t suggest that we get rid of concealed weapons and replace them with Nerf guns, he is suggesting that we allow the two to coexist for one week a semester. So, to answer your question, I’ll say both.
Can YOU seriously not see the difference between a nerf gun and a real gun? You get a lot of stuff wrong here, but just to hit one big thing; there are not “more law enforcement officers that are being shot and killed.” FBI statistics show officers feloniously killed in the line of duty is down for 2013, not up. Care to guess how many? 27. Compare that to 49 officers who died in accidents, mostly vehicle-related, in 2013. General crime and violence statistics are down across the US. The world is not “more and more violent.” I’d love to also report that cops having to shoot citizens is down, but I can’t, not least because apparently nobody is required to keep track of that, so no one has any idea how many people were shot by police in 2013. I’d be willing to bet it’s considerably higher than 27, though…
I have to comment again on this issue… just since this article was published there have been several more shootings at schools, colleges & Universities. We can no longer say “It won’t happen to us” because it IS happening to schools all over. and NONE of them were persons who had a Permit to carry. Still think we should ban guns? Oh and John the Nobody I DO know what I am talking about. I worked in Emergency Medicine and Law Enforcement for 20 years, YOU should check your facts.
It comes down to whether you live your life in fear of others and feel a part of society, or whether you trust others and the commonality of being human. Take your pick. The ebola/gun/immigrant/criminal fear clouds the judgement of the real dangers of the common flu, cars, and falling down the stairs.
I am ok with concealed being on campus, and i am hoping that for some reason or another nerf guns are allowed for human vs zombies in future games…and i for one feel safer with my concealed carry on me even though i have never had to use it…honestly i hope i never do.
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I simply don’t know what to say to this whole article. The author himself says “I get it” regarding the benefit that an armed citizenry provides. And then proceeds to talk himself out of something that he “gets” by comparing it to nerf guns (which have very little to do with anything). Even if the nerd gun thing is illogical it wouldn’t make me touch the gun laws.