Asheville-Buncombe-Technical school to participate in concealed firearm protest
by Ken Bagwell
The Tribune Papers
ASHEVILLE – Students and faculty at A-B-Tech will participate in a nationwide protest Monday, April 21, through Friday, April 25, to emphasize the right to self defense on campus. Participants will simply wear empty holsters. Organizers emphasize that NOTHING is to be in the holster.
The holsters will most assuredly spark conversation and people will be directed to http://concealedcampus.org for more information.
Students for Concealed Carry on Campus (SCCC) is a national, non-partisan, grassroots organization comprised of over 25,000 college students, college faculty members, parents of college students, and concerned citizens who support the right of concealed handgun license holders to carry concealed handguns on college campuses. Students for Concealed Carry on Campus is not affiliated with the NRA, a political party, or any other organization.
In the wake of recent school shootings, such as the massacre at Virginia Tech, SCCC contends it is now abundantly clear that “gun free zones” serve to disarm only those law-abiding citizens who might be able to mitigate such tragedies.
SCCC has two main objectives. The first is to educate the public about the facts of concealed carry and dispel misconceptions. The second objective is to push state legislatures and school administrations to grant concealed handgun license holders the same right—the right to carry concealed handguns—on college campuses that these license holders currently enjoy at most other places including movie theaters, office buildings, shopping malls, and banks, to name a few.
Criminal Justice major Chris Hickman is SCCC’s representative on the A-B Tech campus. When WLOS TV’s Charu Kumarhia showed up on campus and asked the administration for his contact information for a story she is doing on the anniversary of the Virginia Tech massacre, he was asked to meet with the Vice President of Student Services, Dr. Dennis King, and Campus Chief of Police, Kara Keller, to inform them as to what was going on. Hickman explained that this is a nationwide protest asking for the right for properly trained and licensed Concealed Carry Permit holders to be allowed to carry their sidearm on campus. It will be a silent protest simply wearing an empty holster. Participants will answer questions but no literature will be handed out.
Though cool toward the idea, after consulting attorneys, Dr. King viewed it as a First Amendment issue and granted permission. Chief Keller, after gaining more information from Hickman, saw it as simply using a tactical piece of equip in a symbolic way. Most campus law enforcement is supportive.
The Virginia Tech shootings clearly showed that a deranged gunman can do a great deal of damage in the few minutes it takes for armed assistance to arrive on the scene. Campus police simply cannot be dispatched in time to stop a madman from taking innocent lives. Only the people at the scene when the shooting starts--the potential victims--can stop such a shooting rampage before it turns into a bloodbath. In a few states, Concealed-Handgun license holders are allowed to carry on college campuses.
Since the fall semester of 2006, state law in Utah has allowed licensed individuals to carry concealed handguns on the campuses of all public colleges. Also, concealed carry has been allowed for several years at both Colorado State University in Fort Collins, and Blue Ridge Community College in Weyers Cave, VA. This has yet to result in a single act of violence at any of these schools. Numerous studies, including studies by University of Maryland senior research scientist, John Lott; University of Georgia professor, David Mustard; engineering statistician, William Sturdevant; and various state agencies, show that concealed handgun license holders are five times less likely than non-license holders to be arrested for violent crimes.
Chris Fay, Chairman of the Criminal Justice Department at A-B-Tech, has no misgivings about the protest. “Chris Hickman is very level-headed and responsible. The people participating in this statement are not the ones law enforcement should be concerned with. All Concealed Carry holders I know are law-abiding people. Empty holsters will not alarm LEOs.” He added, “It is an expression of free speech; a silent message that they are not going to be easy targets.”
“The bottom line,” says Hickman, “is that we want to even the odds. If someone did come onto our campus and try to do what was done at Virginia Tech, they would not necessarily be facing classrooms full of easy victims. If they allow us to carry concealed weapons, the perpetrator would have in the back of his mind that possibly someone in that hallway or in that room may have a firearm. The armed person could save a classroom full of people. It is about protecting yourself and those around you.”
The Tribune Papers
ASHEVILLE – Students and faculty at A-B-Tech will participate in a nationwide protest Monday, April 21, through Friday, April 25, to emphasize the right to self defense on campus. Participants will simply wear empty holsters. Organizers emphasize that NOTHING is to be in the holster.The holsters will most assuredly spark conversation and people will be directed to http://concealedcampus.org for more information.
Students for Concealed Carry on Campus (SCCC) is a national, non-partisan, grassroots organization comprised of over 25,000 college students, college faculty members, parents of college students, and concerned citizens who support the right of concealed handgun license holders to carry concealed handguns on college campuses. Students for Concealed Carry on Campus is not affiliated with the NRA, a political party, or any other organization.
In the wake of recent school shootings, such as the massacre at Virginia Tech, SCCC contends it is now abundantly clear that “gun free zones” serve to disarm only those law-abiding citizens who might be able to mitigate such tragedies.
SCCC has two main objectives. The first is to educate the public about the facts of concealed carry and dispel misconceptions. The second objective is to push state legislatures and school administrations to grant concealed handgun license holders the same right—the right to carry concealed handguns—on college campuses that these license holders currently enjoy at most other places including movie theaters, office buildings, shopping malls, and banks, to name a few.
Criminal Justice major Chris Hickman is SCCC’s representative on the A-B Tech campus. When WLOS TV’s Charu Kumarhia showed up on campus and asked the administration for his contact information for a story she is doing on the anniversary of the Virginia Tech massacre, he was asked to meet with the Vice President of Student Services, Dr. Dennis King, and Campus Chief of Police, Kara Keller, to inform them as to what was going on. Hickman explained that this is a nationwide protest asking for the right for properly trained and licensed Concealed Carry Permit holders to be allowed to carry their sidearm on campus. It will be a silent protest simply wearing an empty holster. Participants will answer questions but no literature will be handed out.
Though cool toward the idea, after consulting attorneys, Dr. King viewed it as a First Amendment issue and granted permission. Chief Keller, after gaining more information from Hickman, saw it as simply using a tactical piece of equip in a symbolic way. Most campus law enforcement is supportive.
The Virginia Tech shootings clearly showed that a deranged gunman can do a great deal of damage in the few minutes it takes for armed assistance to arrive on the scene. Campus police simply cannot be dispatched in time to stop a madman from taking innocent lives. Only the people at the scene when the shooting starts--the potential victims--can stop such a shooting rampage before it turns into a bloodbath. In a few states, Concealed-Handgun license holders are allowed to carry on college campuses.
Since the fall semester of 2006, state law in Utah has allowed licensed individuals to carry concealed handguns on the campuses of all public colleges. Also, concealed carry has been allowed for several years at both Colorado State University in Fort Collins, and Blue Ridge Community College in Weyers Cave, VA. This has yet to result in a single act of violence at any of these schools. Numerous studies, including studies by University of Maryland senior research scientist, John Lott; University of Georgia professor, David Mustard; engineering statistician, William Sturdevant; and various state agencies, show that concealed handgun license holders are five times less likely than non-license holders to be arrested for violent crimes.
Chris Fay, Chairman of the Criminal Justice Department at A-B-Tech, has no misgivings about the protest. “Chris Hickman is very level-headed and responsible. The people participating in this statement are not the ones law enforcement should be concerned with. All Concealed Carry holders I know are law-abiding people. Empty holsters will not alarm LEOs.” He added, “It is an expression of free speech; a silent message that they are not going to be easy targets.”
“The bottom line,” says Hickman, “is that we want to even the odds. If someone did come onto our campus and try to do what was done at Virginia Tech, they would not necessarily be facing classrooms full of easy victims. If they allow us to carry concealed weapons, the perpetrator would have in the back of his mind that possibly someone in that hallway or in that room may have a firearm. The armed person could save a classroom full of people. It is about protecting yourself and those around you.”