By SARAH ROSS
Photo by graur razvan ionut / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
SALEM, Ore. – Carrying a gun on public university campuses cannot be banned by the Oregon University System, according to the Oregon Court of Appeals.
The Court released their decision Wednesday, overturning a previous ban on carrying firearms which had been enacted by the Oregon University System.
The case was brought to court by the Oregon Firearms Educational Foundation after a student with a concealed handgun license was expelled from Western Oregon University for carrying a concealed weapon on campus.
“We are pleased that the University System, which has ridden roughshod over the law and the rights of law-abiding Oregonians, has been reminded that they are expected to obey the rules,” said Kevin Starrett, executive director of the Oregon Firearms Educational Foundation, in an e-mail to Oregon Capitol News.
Starrett said he expects the university system to “do all they can to circumvent this decision” but hailed the decision for now.
The Court ruled that the university system ban, put into place through administrative rule and not law, conflicted with a previous Oregon law allowing only the Oregon legislature to regulate firearms.
In a statement to the press, OUS chancellor George Pernsteiner said he was disappointed with the ruling.
“Our greatest concern is for the safety of our students and the entire campus community,” he said. “Whether accidental or intentional, firearms violence continues to hurt or kill thousands of Americans each year in this country.”
Persteiner said the OUS will continue to examine the court opinion and consider its options “to protect the safety of our students, faculty, staff, and visitors.”
Score one for the good guys! Banning guns only puts people in danger, it absolutely does not make them safer!
I’m pretty sure alcohol kills a lot of people, and Universities are running rampant with that; so how concerned is the chancellor with “the safety of [their] students”?
Have you ever heard of accidental firearm violence? Me either. Besides, the people who carry firearms concealed legally and have undergone some kind of training as most states require is not the group of people the schools need to be worried about. Ever hear the old adage that if you outlaw guns only the outlaws will have guns?
Now I’m not saying that everyone should carry, because obviously some people do not have the right mindset, nor do they have the ability to face those kinds of situations and react in a manner that would be helpful to mitigating a threat, such as a shooter on campus. However, for those who are able to, and carry on a regular basis, having the skills and mindset, shouldn’t they be able to continue that and potentially end the violence before that shooter takes someone else s life; or even before they manage to take a life?
No parent wants to get that call that one of their children had their life taken away when someone could have done something. Especially when it comes down to split seconds, when the police may be minutes away. Legislation will not stop those who have the determination to commit one of these acts, it will only stop the ones who can stop it before innocent life is lost.
I am a college student, firearms instructor, competition shooter, and I carry every day of my life knowing that I may be called upon to defend myself, and those around me wherever I may be.
Why can’t these people in charge understand that when a person has a Concealed Pistol License, THEY are not the ones that you have to worry about? Someone who is at least 21, has gone through the background check, training, and licensing procedure is NOT likely to cause Gun Violence. Simply because you call them a “Student” does not make them irresponsible…
“A shoot-out is better than a massacre!”
“Our greatest concern is for the safety of our students and the entire campus community,” he said. “Whether accidental or intentional, firearms violence continues to hurt or kill thousands of Americans each year in this country.”
EXACTLY the reason why Chancellor George should be ENCOURAGING the safety trained, LAW ABIDING, students TO carry so that the “violence” commited by criminals who are only encouraged to commit MORE VIOLENCE in areas with gun bans can be kept at a minimum and stopped when it starts! Students are placed at GREATER RISK OF HARM FROM GUN BANS MORON! NOT MADE SAFER!
Good call from the courts on this one THANK YOU A MILLION TIMES OVER TO THE JUSTICES!
As a faculty member on an OUS campus, I’m disappointed by the ruling. There is no legitimate reason for carrying firearms on a campus, and I plan to dismiss any class I am responsible for if I discover one in the room, no matter who is carrying it. Guns simply do not belong in an academic venue.
“Our greatest concern is for the safety of our students and the entire campus community,” he said.
If that were true, then he would not endanger students and the entire campus community by giving criminals a blank check to murder, rape, maim, and commit lesser crimes with impunity against all victims the board forced to be defenseless.
“As a faculty member on an OUS campus, I’m disappointed by the ruling. There is no legitimate reason for carrying firearms on a campus, and I plan to dismiss any class I am responsible for if I discover one in the room, no matter who is carrying it. Guns simply do not belong in an academic venue.”
So you plan to dismiss your classes because criminals aren’t kept safe by having all their victims defenseless? That’s sick and wrong, man.
@walkingprof…
First off, I want to state that although I do not agree with your opinion I do respect it as a member of the academic community. I was a little disappointed when you stated:
“I plan to dismiss any class I am responsible for if I discover one in the room, no matter who is carrying it.”
What would you do if something like the VA Tech shooting happened again and the only thing standing between you and that active shooter was one of your students?
I do agree with you in a traditional sense that firearms should not have to be an issue in an academic environment, however with how many school shootings have happened in recent years, don’t you think times may have changed enough to warrant a shift in thinking? Those of us who have the training and ability should be able to defend those who don’t.
There is a survey somewhere out there from members of a university that had a shooting at it, I cant remember the location off hand, but it was overwhelming the number of students and faculty that said that if someone on campus had been legally carrying they believe the level of bloodshed would have been greatly reduced. If I find the link I will post it.
@D. Bennett:
Neither would be preferable. As a person who carries I can tell you I hope I never have to use those skills in a real world situation. But I do carry should I regrettably ever have to use them.
@walkingprof, I’m going to have to side with DocJ on this one. While I may not agree with what you say, I’ll defend to the death your right to say it (as the old adage goes). Continuing on though, I’ll say that what you are referring to, is perhaps one of the more less informed statements I’ve ever heard. First off, you have just come out and said that whoever is carrying it doesn’t matter… are you familiar with H.R. 218? Better known as the Law Enforcement Officer’s Safety Act, LEOSA is a federal statute allowing all off duty law enforcement officers the ability to carry concealed off duty with few exceptions. Are you telling me that if you had a peace officer carrying concealed in your class you would dismiss class because he had a gun? Being employed in the law enforcement field I take offense to that.
Further more, did you also know that the majority of states require similar levels of training to that of law enforcement to get concealed carry permits? The class is shorter because LEO’s are allowed to use their firearms in more diverse situations (protection of life, against great bodily harm, and various other forcible felonies) relating to all people rather than just self defense and life defense of another; but the level of proficiency with a firearm required is near the same. Did you also know that when compared with officer involved shootings, properly licensed CCW permit holders were consistently found to be more accurate and effective with their weapons/ammunition than peace officers?
This leads me to my final topic for this discussion, when people refer to removing guns to quell the gun violence, only a small number (less than 2%) of all gun crimes are committed with legally owned weapons, and even less are committed by CCW permit holders. It would be far more practical to ban pocket knives, pens, pencils, and other ordinary objects that are commonly found in the learning environment, as more violent crimes are committed each year with them than with firearms.
A subject will generally plan an attack on campus over time, it is rarely a spur of the moment thing. Days, weeks, months, etc; but it takes time. It takes 9-1-1 an average of 4 minutes to respond. It takes a CCW holder a matter of seconds. And when seconds count, would you rather wait for the cavalry (not to put down my profession) or have someone take immediate action?
@walkingprof, you are correct. Guns do not belong in an academic venue.
However, criminals are already carrying guns in academic venues. And as has unfortunately happened repeatedly over the past few decades, including at the Oregon high school my father-in-law taught at, people have gone to schools and carried out mass shootings. None of these people possessed a Concealed Handgun License.
It is not the people who comply with the law you need to worry about. It is the people who don’t. And in those cases, wouldn’t you rather have someone who IS complying with the law armed as well?
I don’t know why it would be correct to state, “guns do not belong in an academic venue”.
What reason, excepting gross ignorance of the nature of firearms, could be offered as reason they should be excluded from a classroom when possessed by lawful, responsible bearers?
In the VT shooting the Professor that blocked the door to his classroom and allowed his students to escape (saving their lives)was killed by the shooter. Had he been properly trained and armed, many fewer would have died. For the last 30 years I have been teaching classes on the College Campus and I would love to CARRY, everyday, in every class. FREE MEN own guns-slaves DO NOT!
Honest, trained, ARMED citizens DISCOURAGE CRIME!
How can you tell if a person carry to the campus? Will he/she tell you? Noooooooooooooooooooooo, that is not happen.