Here's a letter to the editor from the 5/16 Advocate
"I am not a gun-control advocate, but HB27, the bill that would allow licensed handguns on college campuses, brings new meaning to the term “lunacy.”
The apparent purpose of the bill is to allow students to carry guns on the campus to protect themselves from nuts who might start shooting up the campus with illegal guns.
But the result of the bill would allow the nuts to carry guns on the campus. I guess Rep. Ernest Wooton, R-Belle Chasse, thinks things would be better with a Shootout at the O.K. Corral.
Louisiana is already the butt of jokes from the late-night comics. You can imagine what they will do with this.
Gov. Bobby Jindal should nip this in the bud and declare that he will veto this legislation if it passes.
William Bonin
lawyer
New Iberia"
And here is the response I submitted.
In response to New Iberia attorney William Bonin’s letter characterizing Rep. Wooten’s HB 27 as lunacy, I suggest he read proposals before commenting on them. The bill would not allow “nuts” to carry guns on campuses, nor would it allow most students to carry on campus. The bill expands the carry rights of those who already possess a concealed carry permit. Among the qualifications for a permit are a medical records check and that the applicant be twenty-one years of age. So most students and most nuts are screened out.
Moving past the uninformed knee-jerkery, the bill has merit in that it allows law abiding citizens the opportunity to protect themselves on campuses. Concealed carry permit holders are law abiding citizens who have passed a prescribed course of training and background checks.
Criminals carry guns without regard to the law. Gun free zones simply insure that the rest of us are defenseless in the face of criminals. Until each citizen can be assigned a personal police officer, this bill is a worthwhile empowerment of the law abiding in our society.
"I am not a gun-control advocate, but HB27, the bill that would allow licensed handguns on college campuses, brings new meaning to the term “lunacy.”
The apparent purpose of the bill is to allow students to carry guns on the campus to protect themselves from nuts who might start shooting up the campus with illegal guns.
But the result of the bill would allow the nuts to carry guns on the campus. I guess Rep. Ernest Wooton, R-Belle Chasse, thinks things would be better with a Shootout at the O.K. Corral.
Louisiana is already the butt of jokes from the late-night comics. You can imagine what they will do with this.
Gov. Bobby Jindal should nip this in the bud and declare that he will veto this legislation if it passes.
William Bonin
lawyer
New Iberia"
And here is the response I submitted.
In response to New Iberia attorney William Bonin’s letter characterizing Rep. Wooten’s HB 27 as lunacy, I suggest he read proposals before commenting on them. The bill would not allow “nuts” to carry guns on campuses, nor would it allow most students to carry on campus. The bill expands the carry rights of those who already possess a concealed carry permit. Among the qualifications for a permit are a medical records check and that the applicant be twenty-one years of age. So most students and most nuts are screened out.
Moving past the uninformed knee-jerkery, the bill has merit in that it allows law abiding citizens the opportunity to protect themselves on campuses. Concealed carry permit holders are law abiding citizens who have passed a prescribed course of training and background checks.
Criminals carry guns without regard to the law. Gun free zones simply insure that the rest of us are defenseless in the face of criminals. Until each citizen can be assigned a personal police officer, this bill is a worthwhile empowerment of the law abiding in our society.