Comments on: Firearms on campus: I support the second amendment, responsibly

By: Lydia

Lydia — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 18:29:58 +0000

Well written, but where do you get your stats on crime rates in Canada and the UK?
And, 20/20 did a special in which they placed 5 armed young vets like you describe in a room with one crazy shooter, and not one of them was able to accurately shoot their weapon, or tell the good guys from the bad guy.
It’s not as ideal or easy as gun supporters would think it is.
Although there are responsible gun owners in America, there are many irresponsible ones, too. And it’s not worth an abused wife being shot to death, or some crazy guy shooting up a school, just so the gun zealots can carry their weapons. The risk outweighs the benefits for the few that want guns.
Are you part of a militia? No. Do we need a militia in this modern America? No. The Constitution was not written with today’s weapons or society in mind. It’s like going back to the Old Testament to make our laws today, it doesn’t relate nearly as much. Unless you don’t eat pork, and expect women to never cut their hair or wear pants.

By: Betz

Betz — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 16:49:25 +0000

Good article, Greg! Nice to read that someone on the Emerald staff has a different opinion than “guns are yucky!”

I am 23 years old, and a graduate of the UO. I do not own a gun (and probably never will), but I understand and defend the right for people in our country to carry guns, and to do so responsibly. Your stake re-claims everything I believe about the 2nd amendment: that it is, primarily, to serve as a deterrent to violence; and only secondarily as a form of defense.

@WarmFingers: Hypothetical “what-if” scenarios are useless – you are trying to make a point on subjective issues that may or may not be a reality. Explaining what to do in a scenario like this is equally as subjective – those responsible gun owners, with the correct training, will know what to do.

By: Oregon Commentator » Blog Archive » Things Looking Up for the Emerald

Oregon Commentator » Blog Archive » Things Looking Up for the Emerald — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 18:45:50 +0000

[...] readable in the pages of our campus newspaper. I’m just not used to it. I happened upon a blog post by opinion columnist Greg Dewar about concealed carry on campus and it made me [...]

By: WarmLiveFingers

WarmLiveFingers — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 22:12:24 +0000

“With well-trained and armed students, (I’m looking at you, veterans) any more massacre-style incidents would be quickly quelled.”

Okay, let me repost this from the comment thread in the news section, since nobody answered there:

Please explain what the protocol is for concealed weapon carriers in a VT type situation. You’re in class, suddenly you find out that there may be one or more shooters loose in the building (maybe you hear shots fired, maybe someone comes in the room and announces it). You don’t have any way to know how many shooters there are or what they look like. You also know that there may be any number of other good-intentioned concealed weapon carriers just like you. But you have no way of knowing how many or of distinguishing them from the bad guys. Do you draw your weapon? What do you do when you see someone drawing or visibly carrying a weapon — do you shoot them, aim at them, or wait until you see them overtly threaten someone (maybe you, maybe someone else)? What does a bad guy do when he sees you and your weapon aimed at him? Not aimed at him? What does a fellow armed citizen do when they see you and your weapon aimed at them? Not aimed at them? What do you do about the fact that you’re in a crowded building surrounded by panicked people and your hands are shaking?