Students forewarned of gun protest at Miami University

BY SEEMA A. CHOUDHARY
OCT. 25, 2007

Miami University highlighted the term “empty gun holsters” in its university-wide e-mail sent on Oct. 17 to students and faculty last week alerting the Oxford community of a nation-wide protest. The email, issued by the University Institutional Response Team, was used to alert students about the activity on campus.

Students who strongly felt that any person should be allowed to carry a concealed weapon on college campuses and universities were seen wearing empty gun holsters around their waists in protest to this law. Students hoped to spark conversation and expand knowledge on gun possession issues.

After receiving word of the protest, Miami’s administration alerted the entire community and staff via e-mail and then alerted the police in order to monitor the situation.

Richard Nault, vice president of student affairs, said he didn’t believe there was any harm in wearing a piece of clothing and didn’t fear the protest turning violent. Nault considers speech extremely symbolic and holds the First Amendment as the most sacred in the United States Constitution. “…Any time we try to limit speech, it is destructive to the community,” Nault said.

The organization, Students for Concealed Carry on Campus, set a goal to recruit more than 100 universities and colleges in the US to participate in the protest. In Ohio, Ohio State University, Cleveland State University and the University of Cincinnati participated in the event.

Greg Bieler, a senior member of the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) and a Miami member of the Gun Club, participated in the nation-wide protest. “The reason I think that a lot of people are afraid of it, is that they feel that it is going to turn into the wild, wild west…where people are going to pull out their guns and start shooting at each other,” Bieler said. After spending time with the military he considers himself a responsible gun user and knows that in a heated situation pulling out his weapon is not his first instinct. “According to the law, my No. 1 duty is to retreat, so I can’t get into a confrontation,” said Bieler.

Some students feel that there is nothing wrong with owning a weapon, but believe places of higher learning should be off limits. After a traumatic break-in at his off-campus apartment last winter, fifth-year senior Dustin Abney purchased a personal handgun. Abney currently does not have a conceal carry permit. Within two hours he was able to register and pass a background check in order to obtain a weapon. His reasons for the purchase: “self defense, protection, and peace of mind…mainly for self defense.”

“Students should not be allowed to carry weapons on campus per se due to the lack of maturity and responsibility,” said Abney, but he feels that one should be allowed to own a gun for personal use if they choose to.

The Ohio Concealed Carry law, also known as House Bill 12, was passed in January of 2004 and enacted April 8. The bill was authored by former State Rep. Jim Aslanides and has since then been debated numerous times to add amendments to clean up vague language.

Those wishing to own a gun in the state of Ohio must be 21 years or older, successfully pass a background check free of drug or felony charges, and receive a minimum of 12 hours of handgun training. Handgun training consists of classroom time and range time. Through this training one must display a responsible competency through written and shooting exercises. Upon submitting an application to the county sheriff’s office and completion of the requirements, the applicant will receive a concealed carry license good for five years.

Owners of concealed weapons are restricted from bearing arms within specific locations such as university campuses, court houses, and government-owned or functioning offices. In the state of Ohio, guns are permitted in motor vehicles, with strict constraints that the vehicle must be locked, as well as restraints to how the weapon must be transported and holsters containing the weapon need to be in plain sight.

In 2006, Ohio residents obtained 19,000 licenses for guns according to the Ohio Attorney General’s Annual Report. In Butler County, for the second quarter of 2007, there were 341 licenses issued, six suspended, two revoked, eight were denied, and one license process was suspended.

It is mandatory under Ohio law for the attorney general of the state to publish a book listing the most up-to-date amendments to the conceal-carry law, safety issues, and other essential information in order to keep gun owners current on changes made for the protection of themselves and others. “I want to ensure that the process for obtaining a concealed-carry license…is efficient, and yet maintains adequate safeguards so that law-abiding citizens are not threatened,” stated Attorney General, Marc Dann, from the state website.

“The debate always has centered on not whether hand-guns, themselves, are problems, but whether their presence invites abuse and accidents,” Dann said. “The facts are that hand-guns are safe when owners obey the law, use common sense and act responsibly.”