STUDENTS FOR CONCEALED CARRY ON CAMPUS (CONCEALEDCAMPUS.COM) ANNOUNCES NATIONAL COLLEGIATE EMPTY HOLSTER PROTEST

During the week of October 22-26, 2007, college students throughout America, organized under the banner of Students for Concealed Carry on Campus, will attend classes wearing empty holsters, in protest of state laws and campus policies that stack the odds in favor of armed killers by disarming law abiding citizens licensed to carry concealed handguns virtually everywhere else.

In 39 U.S. states, thousands of collegiate students and faculty—age 21 and above—are licensed to carry concealed handguns throughout their day-to-day lives. And they do so without incident. However, despite the absence of any compelling evidence that these licensed individuals would pose any more threat to college campuses than they currently do to office buildings, shopping malls, movie theaters, grocery stores, banks, etc., they are prohibited, either by state law or school policy, from carrying their firearms onto most college campuses.
On April 16, 2007, twenty-seven students and five faculty members at Virginia Tech lost their lives to a madman who possessed one distinct advantage over his victims—He wasn’t concerned with following the rules. Undeterred by Virginia Tech’s status as a “gun free zone,” this mentally unstable individual carried two handguns onto the university campus and indiscriminately opened fire.

In the last twenty years, the vast majority of the mass shootings in America—from the Texas Luby’s massacre to the Columbine High School massacre—have happened in “gun free zones.” Labeling an area “gun free” may make some people feel safer, but as the shootings at Virginia Tech taught us, feeling safe and being safe are not the same thing.

For over a year, state law in Utah has allowed licensed individuals to carry concealed handguns on college campuses. This has yet to result in a single act of violence. Numerous studies* by independent researchers and state agencies show that license holders are five times less likely than non-license holders to be arrested for violent crimes. Clearly, license holders pose little threat to college campuses.

There is a wide discrepancy between the intent of campus gun bans and the actual consequences of such bans. It is this discrepancy to which the students of SCCC hope their Empty Holster Protest will draw attention. While opponents may argue that guns have no place in institutions of higher learning, SCCC contends that it is the threat of uncontested, execution-style massacre that has no place in America’s colleges. The students of the Empty Holster Protest respectfully ask that steps be taken to take the advantage away from those who seek to harm the innocent.

For more information, contact Scott Lewis or visit http://www.concealedcampus.com/.

*“Crime, Deterrence, and Right-to-Carry Concealed Handguns,” John Lott and David Mustard, Journal of Legal Studies (v.26, no.1, pages 1-68, January 1997); “An Analysis of The Arrest Rate Of Texas Concealed Handgun License Holders as Compared to the Arrest Rate of the Entire Texas Population,” William E. Sturdevant, September 1, 2000; Florida Department of Justice statistics, 1998; Florida Department of State, “Concealed Weapons/Firearms License Statistical Report,” 1998; Texas Department of Public Safety and the U.S. Census Bureau, reported in San Antonio Express-News, September, 2000; Texas Department of Corrections data, 1996-2000, compiled by the Texas State Rifle Association


ABOUT STUDENTS FOR CONCEALED CARRY ON CAMPUS - Students for Concealed Carry on Campus is a national, non-partisan, grassroots organization comprised of college students, parents, and concerned citizens who believe that holders of concealed handgun licenses should enjoy the same rights on college campuses that current laws afford them virtually everywhere else. SCCC is dedicated to persuading state governments and school administrators to approve laws and campus policies that will grant all citizens with concealed handgun licenses the right to carry their concealed handguns on college campuses. We are not affiliated with the NRA, a political party, or any other organization.


UPDATE:

Fits at Shooting The Messengers directs our attention to this item on the blog Call Me Ahab.

It seems that the University of Florida is worried that the sight of empty holsters will cause sensitive students to fall to the ground in paroxysms of foaming madness and wants them to know that the campus police will be there to protect them:

TO: Deans

FROM: Dr. Patricia Telles-Irvin, Vice President for Student Affairs

RE: Protest Event Next Week

A national group known as Students for Concealed Carry On Campus, which
advocates allowing students and others to bring concealed weapons to
campus, plans an Empty Holster Protest all next week. Students who
participate in the event are being urged to wear an empty holster to
class in order to protest state laws and university policies that
prohibit firearms on campus.

Neither state law nor campus policies prohibit carrying an empty
holster, so anyone who participates in this event is within his or her
rights. However, if any faculty member or student feels genuinely
threatened (emphasis mine), they should feel free to call the University
Police Department. If you would, please pass this along to your
department chairs and faculty.

The A, cravenness and B, stupidity of these people is almost impossible to believe.

UPDATE II:

Students for Concealed Carry on Campus have t-shirts for sale. You can see them here. This would be one way to support this fine organization. Other ways of sending them some financial support are being explored.

In the meantime it would be very helpful to spread the word as far and wide as possible. If you have a blog please re-post the press release. If there is a college in your town please write a letter to the local newspaper supporting the protest.