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LEGISLATURE & POLITICS

Athletics officials criticize allowing guns on campus

  • By JORDAN BLUM
  • Advocate Capitol News Bureau
  • Published: May 13, 2008 - Page: 1A - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.

Legislation that would allow some handguns on college campuses was delayed on Monday after more than 20 LSU athletics officials, including football coach Les Miles, signed a letter in opposition.

State Rep. Ernest Wooton, R-Belle Chasse, said he was angered by the “half-truths” being presented by opponents to his House Bill 199.

Wooton vowed to bring the measure back to a vote in two weeks.

Wooton challenged a coach to attend a funeral after a young person is killed on a college campus and say: “We had a bill in Legislature that maybe could’ve prevented this. … But guess what, we signed that linebacker we wanted.”

HB199 would make it legal to carry licensed, concealed handguns on all public and private colleges, from technical schools to universities.

To apply for a permit, a Louisiana resident must be at least 21 years old, take training courses and not have a felony record.

The LSU letter was signed by Athletic Director Skip Bertman and most of the university’s head coaches.

The letter argued Wooton’s legislation would make campuses more dangerous.

The letter contends that coaches would have to tell recruits and their parents that more guns are allowed on campus.

“Athletes, students, staff and visitors will be able to carry concealed weapons into our practice facilities and in locker rooms,” the letter states.

“When young children visit our campus from schools throughout our community and our state for academic and sporting events or for enrichments programs, we would need to remind their parents and teachers that anyone on our campus will be able to carry concealed weapons,” the letter reads.

New men’s basketball coach Trent Johnson and baseball coach Paul Mainieri were also among those who signed the letter.

State Commissioner of Higher Education Joseph Savoie has argued the bill would allow guns into Tiger Stadium during football games.


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newsfan
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
1:21 AM

To quote this guy. "State Commissioner of Higher Education Joseph Savoie has argued the bill would allow guns into Tiger Stadium during football games." I'm just one of those wild permit holders but can't you drink in the stadium now? If so you can't carry a concealded weapon.
joe
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
1:46 AM

I am not a sports fan so I really do not like the fact that a coach at LSU has or thinks he has that much influence. You cannot take alcoholic beverages into the stadium and the bill probably should be amended to exclude the stadium from allowing firearms. A firearm discharged in a crowed stadium has a higher chance of hitting the wrong person. However, schools and the college campuses have become worse than the wild wild west because the people who plan to kill and main can plan to do so knowing that not too many other people on the campus will have a weapon. Police cannot be everywhere at the same time to protect everybody so, why should people be denied the capacity to defend theirself and others? Guns are already in schools, they have already failed to stop that from happenning, but not in the right hands. Why would anybody resist the efforts to balance the scale?
gmo
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
5:05 AM

One problem with guns on campus is that students are among the dumbest, most irresponsible people on Earth....they have a hard time controlling a bottle of beer, how they going to handle a .45?...this bill passes, look for massacres every Saturday night...forget the murderer coming on campus to kill, look for the student angry over a bad grade.
joe
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
6:11 AM

This bill only allows people who have concealed gun permits to possess guns on campus. Obtaining a permit takes several months and requires a back ground check and passing a course on how and when to use a firearm. Very few college students have these permits. This is not a wild wild west deal like some uninformed people claim. People with these pemits have proven to be very safe, they want to keep their permits.
Richard
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
6:18 AM

This is te smary for House Bil 199. Authorizes concealed handgun permit holders to carry concealed handguns on college campuses. Skip Betman's letter is not really true. Only people who have concealed handgun permits will be able to carry weapons of campus and I bet he does not have a clue how many that would be. For some reason he has an agenda that includes opposing this bill even if he has make stuff up to do so. Somebody in authority should make him retract his letter and apologize.
C. Heston
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
7:11 AM

Hey gmo, what effect would this bill have on students who: (a) have no concealed carry permit, (b) got a bad grade, and (c) are mad at the world? They'd still walk into campus with a gun and shoot people. The effect of the bill is that it would at least give his victims a fighting chance, and MINIMIZE the carnage. How can that be a bad thing? You can't lose sight of the reality that bad people don't care about laws. The whole point of this bill is to give students/visitors to campus a means to protect themselves and others.
Maurice
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
7:52 AM

I'm amazed how university officials can trust a Mr. Cho to obey a sign, but distrust those who have undergone the FBI and state police background checks and the training needed to get a concealed carry permit. Utah permits concealed carry on state university campuses. I spoke with Scott Folsom, chief of police at the University of Utah, a university of 28,000 students. He reports that only 20 or 30 students have actually obtained concealed-carry permits, and that there has never been an incident involving misuse of a gun by a permit holder. At Virginia Tech, two permit holders were in the building -- but their guns weren't. One was killed, the other escaped. Had either of them been allowed to carry a gun on campus, Mr. Cho would not have been able to kill 32 people.
Bo
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
8:20 AM

Les Miles, isn't he the guy that is always flanked directly by State Troopers with GUNS at EVERY FOOTBALL GAME? I thought I liked Miles but now I see he is just another jock that thinks his opinion matter to the rest of us. Tell ya what coach, you worry about 4th down calls and who to keep on the team and let the PUBLIC worry about our issues regarding law abiding gun owners rights. So please save us your thoughts as you obviously find yourself important enough to protect with GUNS on CAMPUS. Or perhaps we value the life of football coachs as worth more than anyone elses and as such they should receive protection while we little people are left defenseless? Sorry to tell you coach but in my mind my life is and will always be worth as much as yours.
Mr. 2ndAmendment
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
8:29 AM

How many news stories have you read where the crazy person who decided to go into the public and murder as many people as possible, actually had a permit to carry a concealed weapon? Did the Virginia Tech shooter have a concealed weapons permit? The criminal mind doesn't ask for permission before committing a crime. In addition, the citizen that goes through the proper channels to obtain a permit to carry a concealed weapon usually have more common sense on "when" and "when not" to use that weapon.
Lee
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
8:39 AM

Amendment II A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed. End of comment
Mr. 2ndAmendment
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
8:40 AM

And for those making comments regarding alcoholic beverages on campus. LSU requires anyone possessing, distributing, selling alcohol on campus to obtain a permit. How many tailgaiters obtain such permits? Also, alcohol is not allowed in LSU stadium for the average ticket holder? Get real! How many people intentionally sneak alcohol into LSU football games? Probably a large percentage of the thousands of people attending the game. How many people already carry a concealed weapon into these games?
LSUalum1984
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
9:01 AM

I am really saddened that the need for this topic even exists. I believe that we are overlooking the root issue, the amount of violence in our society and how we are going to address this. In my opinion, equipping students and professors with handguns is not the solution. The civilized and responsible thing to do is to put systems into place in our schools and elsewhere that will hopefully identify symptoms of potential violence before they occur. Is our best response to this tremendous increase of violence in our "civilized" society to return violence? If so, we had better prepare ourselves to turn in our pistols for automatic weapons....our automatic weapons for hand grenades....our hand grenades for tanks.....and so we continue. If not, as a society we had better make a decision to address some of the core issues. Using the statistics cited in another post regarding numbers of persons with permits at University of Utah....what are the chances that of the 28,000 students on campus I will be sitting in a classroom with one of the 20-30 students who have applied for a permit and actually have the gun with them on the day that a shooting occurs? But, if I am in that scenario....what are the chances that the person will be able to effectively pull the gun out of where he/she has it stored and shoot the gunman instead of me? I am no statistician, but the I don't think my chances are that good! I believe that as a society our better choice is to figure out where we ventured off course and make a joint decision to pool all of our resources together to correct the issue on the table. The issue is not whether or not to allow handguns on campuses. That is only a smokescreen!
Seth
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
9:11 AM

I'm torn on this bill. I'm not wholly convinced that it would truly be much of a deterrent, but neither am I convinced that LSU's campus would become akin to a wild west shootout. During the early post Katrina days, I was working in New Orleans and a few incidents made me consider going through the permitting process, which is extensive to say the very least. I don't have any statistics, but I'm sure many are denied. On the other hand, the idea of "if there are more guns out on the streets, we'll all be safer," sounds distinctly on the insane side, to me. There are plenty of intelligent, well-meaning, and level-headed folks out there who could surely go through the permitting process with no problem, yet all things considered would be a danger to themselves and others with a gun. As for the LSU athletic officials and their letter- I suppose it's their right to voice an opinion, like everyone else. Perhaps they DO feel like their opinions matter more than the general publics' (that's not for me to say- I can't in good conscience question their personal motives) but c'mon, people- it's the public that has been treating these folks as celebrities (nay, royalty) for ages. Is it any surprise that they've developed a superiority complex?
Common Sense
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
9:59 AM

As some may know, cerebral construction is not complete until around ages 20 to 25, most scientists agree with that theory. The frontal lobe is one of the last areas of the brain to develop. Without the frontal lobe on board, it becomes physiologically harder for a young adult to completely understand the future consequences of his or her emotional or impulsive actions, the scientists has contended in their studies. This bill in the Legislature wants to allow young students to carry licensed, concealed handguns on all public and private colleges, from technical schools to universities. Did we not learn from the shooting at the Louisiana Technical College? College kids are full of emotions such as jealously and rage. Anything is possible if a gun is put in the wrong hands of a college kid who is stressed over final exams, breakups, jealousy, mental illness, etc.. Baton Rouge?
jerome
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
11:05 AM

I would like to ask do you honestly think that there are no guns on campus right now? Can you be that totaly stupid? I have been through the classes that would be required and i agree on them being part of the policy. however i hate the fact that some one or several people out there are going to let someone that scared them stop me from being taking advantage of my own rights. THE RIGHT TO BARE ARMS. Hey if you want it on your hands knowing that you had part in some one killing someone elses child that is your problem. I like to sleep well at night. as usual guns dont kill people. people kill people and if it isnt a gun its a knife hell if one wanted to kill bad enough they could use there damn pin are they going to ban writing pins next. please find something better to put a stop to and put government money to good use.
cgs_prof
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
11:12 AM

I will believe in the sense and sincerity of the state lawmakers who want to arm college students if and only if they vote to allow concealed weapons on the floor of the legistlative chambers. After all, what if a shooter opens up on the legistlature? Shouldn't all those concerned senators and representatives be able to defend themselves in a firefight? Personally I favor the Wyatt Earp concept of gun control: check your weapons at the city (campus) limits. Or maybe the NRA thinks Earp was soft on crime?
CybScryb
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
11:52 AM

If any college or university wants to disregard the Constitution, simply remove any indemnification against the massive class-action lawsuit they'll face when slaughter on campus occurs. Perhaps the people will wake up and demand that all state and private entities honor the Constitution in its entirety after the next "incident" takes the lives of their children. Just remember, it will be the taxpayer footing the bill for the legal result of such slaughter of those unable to defend themselves on a college or university campus.
PT
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
12:10 PM

1. An individual has a statistically higher chance of