Nevada Gun Law Changes - Some Good, Some Bad

Las Vegas Review Journal

link provided by George Jefferson with the following remark:

"Nevada Gun law Changing for the better‏"

The Assembly on Friday passed a gun bill that would expand and clarify Nevada’s justifiable homicide law and prevent people convicted of misdemeanor domestic violence from possessing firearms.

The Assembly voted on party lines 25-17 on Senate Bill 175.

The bill, which has already passed the Senate, goes to Gov. Brian Sandoval’s desk. The governor’s office didn’t indicate if he will sign the bill.

SB175 would expand the definition of justifiable homicide to include killing someone in defense of an occupied motor vehicle or someone who intends to enter a vehicle to assault a person inside. The bill also would grant civil liability protection to those who use justifiable force.

It would end a handgun registration requirement in Clark County and establish “state control over the regulation of policies concerning firearms.”

Under the bill, anyone convicted of domestic violence, including a misdemeanor offense, could not own a firearm. Doing so would be a felony.

SB175 would also expand the current law recognizing other states that offer concealed carry permits and allowing residents of those states to carry weapons in Nevada. States that require a class, program or training to obtain a permit would be granted reciprocity, expanding the number of such states by about 10.

Assemblywoman Dina Neal, D-North Las Vegas, opposed the measure, saying it’s too subjective and tips the scales in favor of shooters who claim they were afraid.

“How do you determine fear?” Neal said.

In another development, the Assembly introduced a new “campus carry” bill on Friday that would allow permit-holders to carry a concealed weapon on college campuses. Assembly Bill 487 was referred to the Assembly Judiciary Committee.

Just a day earlier, legislators in the Assembly rejected an amendment to SB175 that would have allowed campus carry. The Assembly voted 24-18 Thursday to kill the controversial proposal, with eight Republicans helping defeat it.

Most of the eight Republicans who voted against campus carry Thursday had a change of heart Friday.

Texas High School Teacher with Concealed Carry Permit Loses It

Local news reports via Southern Beale

A teacher at Fayetteville High School had a medical issue and fired his handgun twice inside his vehicle Tuesday afternoon, according to the Fayette County Sheriff's Office.

Lt. David Beyer with Fayette County Sheriff's Office said deputies arrived around 5 p.m. Tuesday and called EMS after they found the teacher in distress.

The teacher refused transport to a local hospital and deputies took him to the sheriff's office to get a statement. The man was unable to make a coherent statement, and he was released to his family.

No students were on campus at the time. The teacher has a concealed handgun permit.

The incident is under investigation for possible criminal charges.

Bumbling Permit Holder Drops Gun in Idaho Classroom - Shoots Himself - Sparks Insurance Questions

Local news reports

On Sept. 2 at Idaho State in Pocatello, a few weeks after a new guns-on-campus law took effect, chemistry professor Byron Bennett was lecturing a classroom containing 20 students when a gun somehow fell out of his pocket and fired.

No student was hit, but Bennett himself—a former University of Nevada, Las Vegas instructor—was shot in the foot. He had weapons permits from both Idaho and Utah and had apparently taken instruction in gun use because the Idaho law requires it.

It was the kind of incident college administrators fear will happen under guns-on-campus laws, and the kind that insurance companies also watch.

Nevada legislators who are now considering enacting a law allowing guns to be carried on campus by people over 21 have given very little attention to the insurance issue, and the measures they are processing do not contain language providing funding if insurance costs rise following the approval of any legislation.

North Carolina College Shooting - 1 Dead

Yahoo news reports

One person was killed in a shooting on Monday morning at Wayne Community College in Goldsboro, North Carolina, and the campus was on lockdown as authorities searched for the shooter, according to media reports.

At least one person was shot in a school library, Daniel Wiggins, assistant operations manager for Wayne County, North Carolina, told CNN.

The suspect is a white, bald man, about 5-foot-11, with a goatee and tattoo over his left eye, CNN reported, citing Wiggins. The suspect was wearing a blue jacket and light-colored pants.

Wiggins told CNN that multiple law enforcement agencies were at the site. The motive for the shooting was not known and it was not clear if there were other victims.

California Vice-principal Charged with a Gun On Campus - Then Charges Dropped

from ssgmarkcr

    I came upon this a few days ago and I sat on it a few days to get a chance to throw some questions about it to a long time friend who recently retired as a state investigator in California. 

"Kent Williams, the vice principal of Tevis Junior High School, was arrested on Aug. 28 when he brought his handgun on to the Bakersfield, California, campus. An unidentified school employee told district officials that Williams had a gun in his backpack. Williams claimed that he carried the gun to protect himself and students from possible danger (video below). Williams, who has a concealed carry firearms permit, has filed a claim (the first step to filing a lawsuit) against the City of Bakersfield and the Bakersfield Police Department (BPD) for false arrest."

"According to the BPD, officers thought that Williams may have violated the California Gun Free Zone Act. However, Williams' case was dropped by the Bakersfield district attorney's office."

"[The police] tell [Williams], he has a concealed weapons permit, everything seems in order and the higher up said, arrest him anyway," Rodriguez told ABC 23. "Was it just sloppiness, indifference, laziness? I don't know. What I do know, is that you cannot have probable cause, if you have a mistake," stated Rodriguez."

http://www.opposingviews.com/i/society/education/vice-principal-fights-keep-his-gun-junior-high-school-video

    I got hold of my friend in California and asked how it was that the charges ended up being dropped and he pointed me to this apparent exception to the gun free school law,

"(l) This section does not apply to a duly appointed peace officer
as defined in Chapter 4.5 (commencing with Section 830) of Title 3 of
Part 2, a full-time paid peace officer of another state or the
federal government who is carrying out official duties while in
California, any person summoned by any of these officers to assist in
making arrests or preserving the peace while he or she is actually
engaged in assisting the officer, a member of the military forces of
this state or of the United States who is engaged in the performance
of his or her duties, a person holding a valid license to carry the
firearm pursuant to Chapter 4 (commencing with Section 26150) of
Division 5 of Title 4 of Part 6, or an armored vehicle guard, engaged
in the performance of his or her duties, as defined in subdivision
(e) of Section 7521 of the Business and Professions Code."

http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/displaycode?section=pen&group=00001-01000&file=626-626.11

    My first thought is that this is heavy stuff, so far, it appears that the only potential sanction he might get will be getting fired.  At first glance, this seems to put California's gun free school law on par with Minnesota's carry permit law regarding carry in post secondary schools, only it applies to ALL schools.

    In Minnesota, carry in post secondary schools is legal for permit holders, however, the schools are allowed to ban carry by students and employees.  So while they couldn't be charged criminally, they could be fired or expelled for breaking school rules.

    I'm sure that currently someone is likely burning the midnight oil feverishly trying to find something to charge this guy with.  Especially with a potential false arrest suit in the works.  And he has apparently been armed in school since he got his permit which if I remember from another article was in 2010. 

    All that being said, there is one aspect of this event which makes me want to whack this guy upside the head to reset his thinking.  Lets see if anyone notices it.  I'm betting/hoping its someone who carries who answers first.  I'll let Mike call the winner since he can likely see who replies first.  I've emailed Mike the answer that has been kept in a #2 mayonnaise jar on Funk and Wagnall's back porch since noon today.

    And no, its something besides the kneejerk answer of him having a gun in school.

Answer to the question to follow

Florida Judge: Schools Can Ban Guns from Dormatories

The Tampa Tribune

Universities are justified in banning guns in residence halls, a judge has ruled in a case that challenged the University of Florida's policy.

The gun-rights group Florida Carry Inc., which has filed suit against several universities and municipalities, argued in a suit filed in January that the state law making it legal to possess a firearm at home trumped another that bans weapons on school property.

But Alachua County Circuit Judge Toby Monaco entered a summary judgment on Wednesday stating that UF and President Bernie Machen were not violating Florida law by recognizing the Legislature's prohibition against guns in housing on university property.

Florida Carry last year won a decision by the 1st District Court of Appeal asserting that the Legislature has sole jurisdiction for gun policy, and universities could not ban weapons stored in vehicles.

“Unlike the right to have a firearm in a vehicle, the Legislature's recognition of a person's right to possess a firearm in a home does not extend to a residence hall on a university campus,” Monaco said in this week's order. “There is no exception in (state law) for a residence hall like there is for a vehicle.”

The university released a statement saying it was pleased with the ruling.

“The University of Florida fully complies with Florida law that allows individuals 18 years or older to store their guns securely in vehicles while on campus, as determined by a 1st DCA decision last year, and the university will continue to do so,” the statement said. “Florida law otherwise bans guns on university, college and K-12 campuses and at their events, with limited exceptions such as for law enforcement.”

Indiana Governor Signs Pro-gun Bill into Law, Protects Guns in School Parking Lots

Gov. Mike Pence (R) expanded gun rights in Indiana this week by signing SB229 into law (Photo Credit: Indiana Courier Journal)

Guns dot com

On Wednesday, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence (R) signed SB229 into law, which changes the way gun laws are enforced in school parking lots.

The new law comes from Senate Bill 229, which allows otherwise legal gun owners to have a firearm on school property, parking lots specifically, so long as it’s locked inside their vehicle.

This protects the Second Amendment rights of parents and attendees at school functions, such as sporting events.

“Governor Pence believes in the right to keep and bear arms and that this is a common sense reform of the law that accomplishes the goal of keeping parents and law-abiding citizens from being charged with a felony when they pick their kids up at school or go to cheer on the local basketball team,” said a statement from the governor’s office.

Authored by state Senators James Tomes, (R-D49), Brent Steele, (R-D44), and Johnny Nugent, (R-D43),SB229, removes from Indiana law the provision which makes possession of firearms on school property is a felony.

Moving forward, legal gun owners will be able to bring firearms onto school property so long as they are secured and out of plain sight inside vehicles.

Eastern Florida State College Changes Gun Policy Following Shooting in Parking Lot

Local news with video

Eastern Florida State College has changed its policy to allow guns that are secured in cars following a shooting in the parking lot last week.

The school did not previously allow guns in cars, despite an appeals court ruling in December that recognized the students' right to have them.

Landrick Hamilton, 24, said he shot another man in self-defense as he was being attacked Thursday.

Amado Contreras, 25, was hospitalized in fair condition with a gunshot wound to the chest.

The new policy allowing guns has not been written yet, but it will apply only to cars in the parking lot, with the gun secure and out of sight.

Several students told WESH 2 News they support the policy change.

"I saw the guy getting beat down. The gun practically saved his life," said student Rio Gonzalez.

Colorado School Shooting - One Dead - One Wounded

Local CNN

A student who opened fire Friday inside a suburban Denver high school appears to have been seeking revenge against a faculty member because of a "confrontation or disagreement," the Arapahoe County sheriff said.

The shooter, identified as 18-year-old Karl Halverson Pierson, shot one student before turning the gun on himself and taking his own life, Sheriff Grayson Robinson told reporters.

The shooting began after the student walked into Arapahoe High School in Centennial with the intention of confronting a specific faculty member, Robinson said.

"The suspect has been found inside the school and he has deceased as a result of what appears to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound," Robinson said in one of his first statements after the shooting.

Arkansas School District Finds a Way to Arm Teachers Even Though It's Against the Law

The New York Times

The slim, black 9-millimeter handguns that the school superintendent David Hopkins selected for his teachers here weigh about a pound and slip easily into a pocket. Sixteen people, including the janitor and a kindergarten teacher, wear them to school every day.

Although state law prohibits guns on campus, Mr. Hopkins found a way around it.

Like rural educators who are quietly doing the same thing in a handful of other states, Mr. Hopkins has formulated a security plan that relies on a patchwork of concealed-weapons laws, special law enforcement regulations and local school board policies to arm teachers.

Without money to hire security guards for the five schools he oversees, giving teachers nearly 60 hours of training and their own guns seemed like the only reasonable, economical way to protect the 2,500 public school students in this small town in the Ozark foothills.

“Realistically, when you look at a person coming to your door right there with a firearm, you’ve got to have a plan,” Mr. Hopkins said. “If you have a better one, tell me.”

Still, in Arkansas and other states, the notion of arming teachers is meeting strong resistance.

“The idea that a single relatively untrained teacher is going to bring this person who is heavily armed down is a stretch,” said Mark Glaze, the director of Mayors Against Illegal Guns. “The idea is to keep the guns from the hands of the shooter.”

Those who have spent their lives in the classroom have similar concerns.

“No teacher that I know of could ever receive enough training,” said Steve Gunter, a retired history teacher in Bentonville, Ark.

“If I had a gun in my room with some of these students where I taught? They’d get it from me and shoot me,” he said. “They’d say, ‘Mr. Gunter, you gave me an F? Here’s your F.’ ”

I'd be more concerned about one of these Ozark hillbilly teachers deciding to shoot up the joint.

What's your opinion?  Please leave a comment

Community College Campus Shooting near Virginia Tech - 2 Wounded - Shooter Arrested

Officials say two women were shot at a community college section of New River Valley Mall in Christiansburg, Va., on Friday.(Photo: Daniel Lin, AP)

USA Today

An 18-year-old community college student was charged with wounding two women with a shotgun at a mall branch of the school in southwestern Virginia Friday afternoon.

Just before the attack, writing from inside the school, he posted his intentions to an online message board, noting he was "10 minutes away from Virginia Tech."

Police said Neil Allen MacInnis, of Christiansburg, was subdued by an off-duty mall security guard and two officers shortly about 2 p.m. at the New River Valley Mall. He is being held without bail at the Montgomery County Jail.

Last year, MacInnis, who is enrolled at New River Community College, completed the Christiansburg Citizen Police Academy training, Police Chief Mark Sisson said at a Friday night news briefing.

Amanda Collins Testifying in Colorado

Arkansas Guns on Campus Debate

Further to our report at the time of the incident

Shooting on Houston Texas College Campus

Yahoo reports with video via democommie

A maintenance worker was wounded in the crossfire during a shooting at a Texas community college on Tuesday, school and police officials say.

The shooting on Lone Star College's North Harris campus began when an altercation involving two individuals escalated shortly before 1 p.m. local time, according to police. The maintenance worker suffered multiple gunshot wounds and is listed in serious condition. A second victim, thought to be a student, suffered an apparent heart attack during the incident. Both victims were conscious when they arrived at the hospital, officials said.

One of the suspects was taken into custody at the scene, while a second fled the campus on foot. According to a Harris County Sheriff's Maj. Armando Tello, five law enforcement agencies searched a wooded area near the school, where the second suspect was taken into custody. Both suspects, whose names were not released, were also wounded. Charges have yet to be filed.

Guns are not allowed to be carried on college campuses in Texas. But earlier this week, Texas Sen. Brian Birdwell introduced legislation that would allow students to carry concealed weapons "on university property for personal protection."

According to the school's website, Lone Star College prohibits "knowingly, intentionally or recklessly" setting foot on school property with a firearm.

Who Wants to Live in a Gun Dorm? - Nobody - Not Even Gun Owners

Local CBS News reports

Colorado’s new segregated “gun dorms” for students with valid concealed-carry permits have attracted zero students. 

The Daily Camera newspaper reports that since the University of Colorado’s Boulder and Colorado Springs campuses began segregating dorms for students with valid concealed-carry permits this year, not a single student has asked to live where guns are allowed.

This is the funniest gun story of the year. The gun-rights bullies pushed this through and there were no takers.  

Stop laughing and leave a comment.

The Utter Stupidity of Guns on Campus

Local news reports

Two people suffered minor injuries on Nov. 9 when a gun accidentally went off at the University of Colorado School of Dental Medicine at the Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora. 

A spokesman for the university says the owner of the gun is a CU employee and is currently on administrative leave. 

The injuries did not require hospitalization. 9NEWS received two newstips about the incident on Monday, one of which identified the person who owned the gun as a female staff member. 

University spokesman Dan Meyers says campus police are investigating the incident, and that the gun's owner had a concealed carry permit for it. 

The University of Colorado for many years enforced a ban on all weapons on its campuses, but in March 2012 the Colorado Supreme Court struck down the university's gun ban, which means visitors and staff members with a valid concealed carry permit are allowed to have guns on campus.

Where there are guns there is gun misuse.  It's a scientific and philosophical axiom.  In spite of all the pro-gun claims to the contrary, concealed carry permit holders are no safer or more responsible than anybody else. Why would they be, the requirements for obtaining the permit are so lax that anybody can get one.

What's your opinion?  Please leave a comment.

USC Campus Shooting - 4 Wounded

via Florida Today

Authorities say four people have been shot and wounded during a Halloween party on the University of Southern California campus. 

 Capt. David Carlisle of the USC Department of Public Safety says two people were detained following the shooting shortly before midnight Wednesday. Los Angeles police say the four victims were rushed to hospitals after the shooting at Tutor Campus Center. 

According to KNBC, Assistant Chief John Thomas of the USC Department of Public Safety says a dispute between 2 non-students led to the shooting. The Los Angeles Times reports that the violence occurred outside the party attended by about 100 people. 

Police then declared the campus "shut down" and issued an alert urging students to remain indoors. Campus police did not provide any details on the two people who were detained.

Too bad a few of the other party-goers weren't armed too. They could have added to the fun.

What's your opinion?  Please leave a comment.

More on the Guns on Campus Debate

from an op-ed in The Statesman by Aaron Abel

I wish humanity had never created nuclear weapons. But we did, and despite their horrific nature, we can’t get rid of them. As long as there are those in this world willing and able to obtain and use them for purposes of evil, we can never destroy our greatest weapons without surrendering to evil altogether.

By this same logic, it follows that we cannot disarm our own people and leave them defenseless to the moral traitors in our midst. Thankfully, we are a country with great liberties like those granted by our constitution’s second amendment. Consequently, I am allowed to obtain a permit to carry a handgun for my own protection. I can take it with me almost anywhere I go on a daily basis, just not where I happen to be most of the time, on ISU’s campus.

This is a perfect example of a simplistic argument which doesn't even make sense.  The gun-rights advocates repeat it over and over again as if it does.  They call it  the "you can't put the genie back in the bottle" argument.  They think it's cute.

The only problem is no one is wishing guns had never been created. No one wants to disarm everyone.  No one wants to take their guns away.

In his close-minded way, Mr. Abel goes on to completely disparage the following sensible observation.

The USA Today staff argued, “More guns on campus—places where binge drinking, drug taking and immature judgment are common—will undoubtedly cost more lives than they save.”

The USA Today staff goes on to argue that assuming everyone with a concealed gun permit is well trained is a recipe for disaster, citing the nine bystanders shot by NYPD during the Empire State Building shooting this summer.

Basically he says armed civilians with concealed carry permits are better trained and more responsible than cops. Now that's a self-serving argument which is more wishful thinking than anything else.  Just think about it for a minute.  Police officers have a basic training to undergo in the beginning of their careers and often mandatory follow-up training.  Civilians have none of that. In some states they literally have no requirements to carry concealed. How could they possibly be better equipped to handle guns than the cops?

The simple fact is that where there are more guns there is more gun violence. Sometimes that violence takes subtle forms, for example, imagine an aggressive and armed student angry over his grade on a term paper.  In confronting the offending professor he lets it be known that he's carrying.  Does anyone think this kind of interpersonal dynamic will improve the university environment and  increase higher learning?

No, the prohibition of guns on college campuses is a sensible and reasonable restriction on general gun rights. The proof is that even in some of the most gun-friendly states it is the policy. In fact only six states allow it and that's after years of non-interference by the government in the expanding gun-rights situation.

What's your opinion?  Please leave a comment.

Kansas Senate Says "No" to Guns on Campus

Local news reports

In Kansas, concealed carry laws prohibit people from bringing any firearm or weapon into a public building, which includes every building on K-State’s campus. 

Recently, a bill was presented before the Kansas Senate that contained a proposal forbidding “no firearms allowed” signs on public buildings unless there is some kind of visible security. If the bill would have passed, the security in place would have monitored and prohibited every potential weapon entering the building; however, the bill the Senate did not pass it.

Although the state of Kansas has not shown any inclination toward giving people with concealed carry licenses the ability to carry on college campuses, other states have done so.

According to the National Conference of State Legislatures website, “Five states now have provisions allowing the carrying of concealed weapons on public postsecondary campuses.  These states are Colorado, Mississippi, Oregon, Utah, and Wisconsin.”

Why is this such a hard win for the gun-rights movement? If their argument were as good as they say it is, why do states like Kansas and 45 others say no guns on campus?

Some of the states that say this are very gun-friendly.  What gives?

Please leave a comment.

No Guns on Mississippi State University Campus - Still

The Reflector reports

Mississippi State University has not changed the policy prohibiting students from carrying firearms on MSU property, according to Thomas Bourgeois, Dean of Students.

Interest was sparked among Mississippians when House Bill 506 went into effect July 1, 2011. This amendment states Mississippians who have obtained an Individual Firearms Permit are allowed to carry a concealed weapon in previously-banned places such as churches, bars and schools.

Bourgeois made it clear MSU’s campus laws have not been affected by House Bill 506.

“Guns are still illegal for students to carry on campus,” he said.  He said this policy applies to MSU faculty and staff as well.

Why is it that if guns are so obviously beneficial and that being able to carry them is a god-given right, the gun advocates cannot even succeed in places like Mississippi and Texas with guns on campus?

Why is that?

Please leave a comment.