Campus Carry Petition Project

[Guest LeagueOf1291]

Hi folks, I'm soliciting everyone's help on this. I welcome your contributions.

Objective: To elicit shock, dismay, and outrage at the fact that citizens are forbidden to carry weapons for self-defense on college campuses. After all, the bad guys have them.

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How you can help: Make an argument in favor of campus carry. Make it as pithy and succinct as possible. State the obvious. State your point in such a way that reasonable (reasoning, logical, right-thinking) people can't help but be persuaded.

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I'll compile the arguments to make a coherent case for campus carry and post the petition online. (I shoulda been a writer)

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</o> Many thanks!

[saintsfanbrian]

The argument for allowing Concealed Weapons Permit holders to carry on campus is a simple one "Criminals, and people bent on terrorism do not obey the laws that are on the books."

Unfortunately, the Tennessee Board of Regents will probably never let go of this one or allowing alcohol on campus. Remember, Universities, schools, et al are dens for indoctrination. The educators and the politicians do not want the populace to be "free" thinkers. They only want them to think they are "free" thinkers and to tow the party line of diversity is good and morals/accountability is bad. The government is here to think for you.

You are now returned to your originally scheduled programming.

[TGO David]

Here is a site to check. It might have some information helpful to the cause, or might even be an organization to align with.

http://concealedcampus.org/

[Guest Ghostrider]

IMO the only argument necessary is to compare and contrast VT with what happened at Applician State (know that's spelled wrong - to lazy to look it up )

But the point is, guns (in the hands of responsible citizens) save lives in these situations, the lack of guns costs lives.

Any questions?

[molonlabetn]

Imagine if the RA or 'love-interest'/girlfriend had been armed... This wouldn't even be an issue right now.

[Guest LeagueOf1291]

I've contacted Chris at concealed campus and suggested we align our efforts.

[Guest Len]

I reviewed the concealed campus website and found three schools in TN with contacts. I'm emailing them right now to let them know about TGO and this thread.

[Guest StudentsRightsAdvocate]

Hey, Len! Thanks for contacting me. I'm kinda surprised I wasn't already involved here.

First, a little about me:

I'm a 20 (juuust about 21) year old Vanderbilt Junior (soon to be senior, once all my grades post) mechanical engineer. I'm a libertarian and an staunch advocate of personal freedom. I shoot USPSA Three-gun (G22 w/ mods in Lim, RRA .223, and M2 Super 90), GLOCK matches, and just about any other shoots I can find. I was at the USPSA TN State match in Memphis, if anyone else was there...

Anyway, Len here referred me to y'all via email, as I had recently signed on to become the Campus Contact for Concealed Carry on Campus (alliterative!) here at Vandy. During my stay here, I've taught 5+ people the joys of safe, proper gun handling and firearm use, and am taking another newbie out this weekend (along with my girlfriend, if she isn't busy). Oh yeah, 3 of the five have been girls, and several other ladies have expressed interest. There lies an untapped market potential, methinks. Anyway, I digress.

There are few of us here at Vandy who would love love love to see that ridiculous state law struck down and Vanderbilt's own, even more restrictive (not even unloaded and locked! and no ammo whatsoever!!) policies rendered illegal and removed. The university is kind enough to extend to us lowly students the "privelage" of allowing the Vanderbilt University Police Department to store any legally-owned firearms for us, which we may, with a receipt and proper identification, withdraw at our leisure. Or, well, the PD's leisure, as it routinely takes 30+ minutes of sitting around to get a gun out, and this is after calling ahead FOUR hours (apparently they're trying to prevent crimes of passion or some other such nonsense). But walking around to clubs or eating establishments after dark sure doesn't feel any safer without optimal self-protection. I travel in groups when I can, as do most, and I carry the meanest, most deadly knives I'm allowed by law to possess and, soon, if I have my way, a combat-grade flashlight... but when I get the emails about Student X was (assaulted, mugged, raped: pick one) behind Restaurant Y, it's more than a little distressing. Add this VT thing in, and you've got a whole 'nother game of cards.

I for one would feel safer indeed were I allowed to carry a firearm on campus. When I mentioned this to a friend, they told me THEY would feel safer if I were allowed a firearm on campus. Even when debating the issue in the lobby of my (very Liberal) dorm, one of the most Liberal human beings I've ever met said she would be fine with me carrying, just now "any random guy, you know?" Typical Leftist "people just aren't responsible" nonsense, but still. We got an admission of "Yeah, if one of the professors had been armed, it likely would have reduced the body count", so we were happy.

Uh... where was I going with this?

Anyway, good to be here. Let's talk about stuff.

[SkWaShDeM]

Anyway, good to be here. Let's talk about stuff.

Like how Tennessee is going to crush the Commodores this fall? (=

ETSU has the same backasswards policy on firearms, with a couple differences. Students can leave their weapons in their cars if they commute to class, or check them into the campus police's evidence vault for the time we're on campus. It takes about 15 minutes to check the gun in or get your gun back, not that they're very happy about having to provide the service of storing our legally owned and carried weapons. The same applies to dorm students. I have a handicap placard for my car left over from knee surgeries a few years ago, so I can park right next to the building I have class in, but I still don't like leaving my weapon in my car.

The other option, is to join the marksmanship club on campus, and then, after filling out lots of paperwork, you can leave your weapons at the campus rifle range under our basketball stadium to shoot on campus, and just bring ammo when you want to shoot. Unfortunately, the range hours aren't posted, and I don't know much about the club itself. I also don't trust very many people to store my guns for me if I'm going to be gone for a long time.

[TGO David]

Hey, Len! Thanks for contacting me. I'm kinda surprised I wasn't already involved here.

First, a little about me:

I'm a 20 (juuust about 21) year old Vanderbilt Junior (soon to be senior, once all my grades post) mechanical engineer. I'm a libertarian and an staunch advocate of personal freedom. I shoot USPSA Three-gun (G22 w/ mods in Lim, RRA .223, and M2 Super 90), GLOCK matches, and just about any other shoots I can find. I was at the USPSA TN State match in Memphis, if anyone else was there...

Allow me to say Welcome, first and foremost. It's very good to have you here with us and I look forward to seeing you participate as much as your time allows.

If we ever have a middle TN get together, it'll be nice to meet you in person.

[Guest SomeGuy]

One college student to another (Nursing major, UTC) welcome.

We won't see campus carry in TN this session, and probably not next year either. Naifeh is good at killing our bills.

That said, I am hopeful about 08. We could really see a giant switch in TN laws that year. Granted, I graduate that year and will not benefit, but isn't that life.

Either way, being in Nashville, you may wish to join up with the Nashville chapter of the TFA. So all you middle Tennessee folks can get together and meet.

http://www.tfaonline.org/memberforum/viewtopic.php?t=1141

[RandyC]

What if ... just thinking here ... you could strike a sort of compromise with administrators while the big battle for campus carry is going on?

Like, maybe, still forbid campus carry but minimize the penalty for doing so. Sort of a nudge-nudge wink-wink compromise that would allow you to carry but also allow the administrators to save face until legislation "forces" them to accept campus carry.

Life would be a lot safer and you're only risking a slap on the wrist.

[Guest LeagueOf1291]

Hello all!

The petition is now live. I urge you to sign and to recruit more signatures. See the petition here. I've also set up a MySpace page to help promote it.

What you can do:

1. Sign the petition.

2. Tell others about it and encourage them to sign it.

3. If you have a MySpace page, add Campus Carry as a friend, and repost all the bulletins.

I'm going to use the signatures to bolster my case when I have my state rep out here to make him a pizza in my wood-fired oven. We'll watch a Braves game, and at the seventh-inning stretch I'll mention the concept, and after the game I'll show him the signatures.

So help me get all the signatures I can get!

[Branket]

Signed it, still alot of signing that needs to be done if this will ever be taken seriously. I'll be sure to tell others.

[Guest jackdog]

Signed by me and the better half

[Guest Phantom6]

Signed it!

[Guest LeagueOf1291]

This is interesting. There was a surge in signature during the last two days, and I'm not sure why. We nearly doubled in two days.

[Guest Len]

I saw an article in the paper that mentioned it, maybe that was it.

[Guest LeagueOf1291]

Len, you're kidding?

[RedHead_1911]

signed

[Guest LeagueOf1291]

Len, if you remember where you read that, would you mind telling me? Many thanks!

[DaveTN]

State the obvious. State your point in such a way that reasonable (reasoning, logical, right-thinking) people can't help but be persuaded.

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Okay.... The obvious is that if they were "reasoning, logical and right-thinking" you wouldn't need to explain it to them.

The other obvious thing is that you need to be sending emails and letters to legislators and college officials; on-line petitions serve no purpose.

[Guest TNDixieGirl]

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but most online petitions aren't worth the paper they're printed on. Electronic signatures aren't verfiable, so they aren't counted in the real world. A good old fashioned paper and pen petition would speak volumes louder and be more readily accepted by the person it's presented to. Just a thought.

[fury2neon]

Petition signed!

Hey StudentsRightsAdvocate, it nice to someone advertise that they are a Libertarian.