Lady Di
02-11-2008, 07:24 AM
Here's a story from our local news last night. I can't tell you how disappointed I am that our state senator, who promised to support our bill, voted no. The bill was one vote short of passage. Here's the story. We have some educating to do.
State Senators Consider Gun Legislation
Updated: Feb 10, 2008 07:30 PM EST
State Legislators recently considered a bill that would have drastically changed where people could legally carry a gun. The Senate bill was one vote short of passing on to the House.
It would have allowed people with a permit to carry a gun on any public property except courtrooms, airports, and jails. One place guns would have been allowed, is universities. Republican Senators Brandt Hershman and Ron Alting are both strong supporters of the right to bear arms, but had different votes on this bill.
"Obviously I support the right to bear arms I've been endorsed by the NRA ever since I joined the senate but regardless of that there's no way I could support this bill. The second part of the bill would have allowed college students, obviously 18 years and older which is the majority, to carry guns into our universitie," said Alting.
"I voted in favor of the bill for a couple of reasons, one I'm a pretty strong believer in the second amendment and secondly the data I've seen in years past has indicated that there's almost no crime that is being committed by people that legally possess firearms," said Hershman.
Supporters of this bill say in cases such as a school shooting, if more people had guns perhaps the gunman could have been stopped. "There has been cases where people who legally possess a firearm have been able to interrupt the commission of a crime and certainly I think that is a possibility," said Hershman.
Alting said, "I'm one that just doesn't buy that. I think that carrying handguns in lockers and backpacks and for students in our universities to have the potential 35 thousand guns in West Lafayette is just not good public policy and not a safe one at that."
Hershman says he does not think this legislation would mean more guns in class because he doubts most students have a gun permit. Alting says he knows he helped kill a bill many Republicans supported, but says he voted as a parent who wouldn't want to see guns in school.
State Senators Consider Gun Legislation
Updated: Feb 10, 2008 07:30 PM EST
State Legislators recently considered a bill that would have drastically changed where people could legally carry a gun. The Senate bill was one vote short of passing on to the House.
It would have allowed people with a permit to carry a gun on any public property except courtrooms, airports, and jails. One place guns would have been allowed, is universities. Republican Senators Brandt Hershman and Ron Alting are both strong supporters of the right to bear arms, but had different votes on this bill.
"Obviously I support the right to bear arms I've been endorsed by the NRA ever since I joined the senate but regardless of that there's no way I could support this bill. The second part of the bill would have allowed college students, obviously 18 years and older which is the majority, to carry guns into our universitie," said Alting.
"I voted in favor of the bill for a couple of reasons, one I'm a pretty strong believer in the second amendment and secondly the data I've seen in years past has indicated that there's almost no crime that is being committed by people that legally possess firearms," said Hershman.
Supporters of this bill say in cases such as a school shooting, if more people had guns perhaps the gunman could have been stopped. "There has been cases where people who legally possess a firearm have been able to interrupt the commission of a crime and certainly I think that is a possibility," said Hershman.
Alting said, "I'm one that just doesn't buy that. I think that carrying handguns in lockers and backpacks and for students in our universities to have the potential 35 thousand guns in West Lafayette is just not good public policy and not a safe one at that."
Hershman says he does not think this legislation would mean more guns in class because he doubts most students have a gun permit. Alting says he knows he helped kill a bill many Republicans supported, but says he voted as a parent who wouldn't want to see guns in school.