LETTER TO THE EDITOR

In response to your February 21 article entitled “back ‘packing.’”

Dear Editor

I agree with John C., the dissenting writer whose words you published in the latest edition of The Signal.

As a CHL holder and a veteran of the U.S. Coast Guard with 5 years of law-enforcement experience I am not concerned with what this new legislation will bring to campus…actually, I am concerned with people’s emotional reactions in response to your poor portrayal of the facts. Time should be taken to educate people on what might be allowed under an extention of the current law: what types of weapons can be carried, what people can LEGALLY do with those weapons, who and at what age people are legally allowed to carry a concealed hand gun etc. Articles like yours, with pictures that depict a gross over exaggeration of the facts only worry parents and concern fellow students. Instead, your efforts should focus on learning about the facts, reporting them and educating people about what to expect. You know, un-biased reporting! (It’s what real journalists do naturally.)

I understand this is a concerning topic for many people, my family included. My wife and children have the right to expect that I be allowed to take reasonable measures to ensure I return from work/school/shopping safely. The proposed house bill does that, it extends the law where it was previously lacking.

I have heard time and time again the concern that under the proposed house bill extention, police will not know who the real ‘bad-guy’ is in the event of a school shooting. Truthfully, this concerns me too. This is why I urge the school police department set up a half-day instructional, available to any CHL holder, instructing them on actions to take to protect lives in the class room in the event of a school shooting. Ideally, it would form a plan for CHL holders to stay in place, take measures to protect their classroom, not get further involved. A proactive plan should enable campus police to quickly contain the issue and avoid unnecessary additonal casualties.

Ian Horne