The Red and Black

Amen Hannah Rose. I have a concealed weapons permit but the permit has always excluded schools/school zones, large gathering places (stadiums etc), places that serve alcohol, and any government office or building. The police email confirms this, and only reminds students not to have weapons on campus.

Adam, you're misinformed on many of the places you believe can "get rid of our Second Amendment rights." Private businesses that don't serve alcohol can put up "No guns allowed" signs until they're blue in the face, but they have absolutely no legal standing. Anyone with a valid Georgia Firearms License can still carry in these places unless asked to leave, which, if you're carrying concealed, is unlikely to happen. If you refuse to leave, all they can do is call the police and have you charged with a misdemeanor trespass. Furthermore, your argument that our right to do something that is legal in many places, carrying a firearm, should be stripped away on college campuses because of something being done illegally, IE "all the alcohol floating around," (most of which, except on game days, is no doubt being possessed by those under 21) is absurd. By the same logic, I shouldn't be allowed to carry my gun walking down the street, because something else illegal could happen - I could get robbed! Gee, isn't that why I'm carrying in the first place? I challenge you to find statistics indicating that licensed GFL holders, or those holding reciprocal out of state permits, are going around binge drinking and shooting babies, or some other FUD nonsense. GFL holders have passed background checks, have not committed a felony, have not been committed or otherwise deemed mentally defective, are not addicted to a controlled substance, and haven't been involved in committing acts of domestic violence, among other things. Can you say that about the crackheads that infest downtown Athens? I thought not. Nobody said you have you carry a gun everywhere if you feel uncomfortable being empowered to defend yourself, but please, don't endeavor to prevent others who WOULD like to be able to defend themselves in the maximum number of situations from doing so.

My previous comment appears to have been deleted, but I will presume that this was not an intentional attempt to censor anything by the part of the Red and Black and try again:

Adam, you're misinformed on many of the places you believe can "get rid of our Second Amendment rights." Private businesses that don't serve alcohol can put up "No guns allowed" signs until they're blue in the face, but they have absolutely no legal standing. Anyone with a valid Georgia Firearms License can still carry in these places unless asked to leave, which, if you're carrying concealed, is unlikely to happen. If you refuse to leave, all they can do is call the police and have you charged with a misdemeanor trespass. Furthermore, your argument that our right to do something that is legal in many places, carrying a firearm, should be stripped away on college campuses because of something being done illegally, IE "all the alcohol floating around," (most of which, except on game days, is no doubt being possessed by those under 21) is absurd. By the same logic, I shouldn't be allowed to carry my gun walking down the street, because something else illegal could happen - I could get robbed! Gee, isn't that why I'm carrying in the first place? I challenge you to find statistics indicating that licensed GFL holders, or those holding reciprocal out of state permits, are going around binge drinking and shooting babies, or some other FUD nonsense. GFL holders have passed background checks, have not committed a felony, have not been committed or otherwise deemed mentally defective, are not addicted to a controlled substance, and haven't been involved in committing acts of domestic violence, among other things. Can you say that about the crackheads that infest downtown Athens? I thought not. Nobody said you have you carry a gun everywhere if you feel uncomfortable being empowered to defend yourself, but please, don't endeavor to prevent others who WOULD like to be able to defend themselves in the maximum number of situations from doing so.

And of course now it's back. Yay internets!

"Most businesses won't let employees or visitors carry weapons while on the property". This simply untrue. Only a fool would allow declare to the world that his property is a "gun free zone". If your ability to legally carry a gun is restricted then your second amendment rights are restricted; it's as simple as that. To say that a law-abiding citizen does not need and should not be allowed to carry a gun is like saying you shouldn't wear your seatbelt on this particular road because there are few accidents or that healthly non-smoking people in their 30's shouldn't have life insurance because statistically they don't die much.

As for the slightly irrelevant issue of why someone might want hunting equipment on campus, there are many of us who attend the university and live very far from our homes and traditional hunting places. Nobody would attempt to hunt squirrels on campus, although squirrel is good with dumpilns or in stew, and Lord knows there are enough of them around here. There are, however, many public hunting areas near Athens on which many students hunt. I am not saying that it should be legal for guns to be stored on campus. But if I lived in a dorm (which I do not) and wanted to hunt near Athens (which I do), I might be compelled to avoid the long ride home to retrieve my hunting gear and simply store my equipment somewhere out of the way in my room or car trunk/toolbox. This is, of course, illegal for students. It is illegal for students to have guns on campus.

Why is this issue irrelevant? Because the ability to store hunting equipment on campus is completely different from the right of good, productive, law-abiding students to defend themselves effectively--without the threat of prosecution--from bad, unproductive, law-breaking maniacs (with guns). The very fact that there is a law prohibiting armed assault cannot stop an armed assailant. In the same vein, the Bill of Rights does not empower me to guard my own life and those around me. Some rights just run deeper than formal law. They are born with and are carried with every member of every species to its inevitable death. Except for students at school. It is illegal for students to carry guns to school and should not be attempted.

It is, however, legal (with proper credentials) to carry guns at businesses that do not serve alcohol or house public gatherings. Also irrelevant? Perhaps.


This Opinion was written by Matthew McKinney on 21 September 2007 and should not be printed unless unedited and full-length.