campus crime

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We Don’t Know Much But We Are Going To Call For More Gun Control

May 1, 2019 by 2 Comments

I got an email today from North Carolinians Against Gun Violence (sic), a wholly owned subsidiary of Everytown, regarding the murders on the campus of UNC-Charlotte yesterday. The email epitomizes their “call to action” strategy even when we know next to nothing about the murderer, the victims, etc.

Yesterday, two people lost their lives and four were injured by a mass shooter at UNC Charlotte. North Carolinians Against Gun Violence mourns with their families, friends, and communities.

“Every shooting is a human tragedy and my prayers are with the victims and their families,” said Becky Ceartas, Executive Director of North Carolinians Against Gun Violence. “Today’s awful events are yet another urgent call to action to prevent this from happening again.”

While this story is still developing and we do not have much information about the shooter, including how he got his gun, we do know that certain gun reforms need to happen in our state. Specifically, we need to keep our college campuses and K-12 schools free of guns, retain our background check system on all handgun sales (pistol purchase permitting system), and preserve our concealed-carry weapons permitting system.

“We ask North Carolinians to join us in mourning those lost in this horrific act. And we ask North Carolinians to act with us to help prevent this from happening again,” said Ceartas.

For those that are not North Carolinians you might not know that university campuses are officially gun-free zones. North Carolina General Statute § 14-269.2. deals with this and makes it a Class I felony to carry openly or concealed any firearm on campus. Firing the gun is a Class F felony.

I have written extensively about the racist roots of the North Carolina’s pistol purchase permit system. It was instituted in 1919 as a means to keep African-Americans and especially those that were veterans returning from World War I disarmed. I can think of few other laws that were conceived in racism that still command the devotion and loyalty of progressives as do gun control laws.

About the only things about this heinous crime is the shooter’s name, his age (22), that he was a former UNC-C student, his victim’s names and ages, and that he was taken alive. We don’t know how the murderer obtained his firearm, his motive, or virtually anything else other than a statement from his grandfather that said he’d never shown any interest in firearms before and one from campus police saying he wasn’t on their radar.

So you have two murders (illegal), four attempted murders (illegal), and a total disregard for state law on carrying on campus (illegal) but yet we need to act so as to “prevent this from happening again.” Other than legalizing campus carry which is anathema to NCGV, I don’t see how any new law is going to prevent such crimes. Can you?

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Florida Carry Calls Out Everytown’s Astroturfing

March 10, 2015 by

It seems the Everytown Moms for Illegal Mayors has been running an advertisement that seeks to blur the lines and confuse the issue about campus carry in Florida. They are touting their initiative as “Backpacks, Not Bullets”. By blurring the lines, Everytown would have you believe that 20 or 30-something PhD student is the same as a 5-year old kid in kindergarten and both should be treated the same.

This is their ad.

Everytown is very slick using Wayne LaPierre’s words about firearms in K-12 schools as if he was talking about FSU or the University of Florida instead.

Here is what Florida Carry has to say about it. They point out the obvious and explain what the two bills in question would do. They also note that an armed home invasion took place on the University of North Florida’s campus this past weekend.

TALLAHASSEE, FL, March 10, 2015 — A new anti-gun advertisement produced by former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s astroturf propaganda efforts, Everytown for Gun Safety and Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America. Bloomberg’s attempt to sell Floridians magical elixirs to keep them safe amounts to little more than wishful thinking, wild imagination and frankly, snake oil.

Rather than addressing the realities of today’s on and off campus life, the release instead touts a new initiative – “Backpacks, Not Bullets”. It goes on to list the five bills dealing with school carry. Two of the bills deal with college/university campuses, and appear to be the focus of the Bloomberg release. Yet by combining the two disparate topics, the ad attempts to confuse viewers into seeing one issue – kids and guns together. That’s right, according to Everytown/MDA, a 25 or 30 year old grad student is no different than a five year old who has just mastered the shoelace!

FACT: Adults are NOT kids. Colleges and universities are NOT elementary schools. HB 4005 and SB 176 would simply remove colleges and universities from the prohibited places list for licensed adult carriers, who can legally carry practically everywhere else in the state, and who do so with more responsibility than even law enforcement according to state government data. Licensees are prohibited by law from being able to protect themselves, yet the criminals who commit violent crimes on campus don’t seem to mind the fact that carry without a license is a felony.

FACT: Colleges and universities are not as safe as one might think. According to the US Department of Education, 392 violent crimes (homicide, aggravated assault, forcible sexual assault, robbery, and arson) occurred on Florida campuses and in on-campus housing in 2013. Almost 400 felons didn’t care that what they did was illegal, and almost 400 victims were denied the potential of avoiding or stopping that crime. And this doesn’t count what happens in off-campus university housing, frat houses, or in the neighborhoods immediately surrounding campuses in the state. What does Everytown/MDA say about the safety and security of those “children”?

Just this weekend an armed home invasion attack took place in campus housing at the University of North Florida. The armed attacker was out on bail when the attack occurred. Despite being too young to have a concealed carry license, despite being prohibited from possessing guns pending trial, and despite the campus gun ban… The only people who followed the law were the only people who didn’t have a chance to defend themselves.

This isn’t about allowing guns on campus. Guns are already ON CAMPUS, in the hands of those who don’t care about laws or victims.

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Tell Me Again How Gun-Free Zones Are Safe And Crime Free

November 17, 2014 by 2 Comments

The gun prohibitionists argue banning guns in certain locations make them safer. They especially push this argument with regard to schools and universities. The argument against allowing firearms on university campuses is that college students are impulsive irresponsible drunks who would go around shooting up the place. At least that is the impression left by the Brady Center from their amicus brief in the case of D’Cruz* v BATFE (later renamed Jennings v BATFE).

So it was with interest that I read this notice sent out by the Western Carolina University Police Department last Wednesday.

WCU Police are investigating a report of an armed robbery that occurred at approximately 9:15pm this evening. Suspects are two white males and one black male. Armed with what appeared to be a semiautomatic handgun and a baseball bat. Occurred in the area of the old Brown cafeteria. Suspect #1 is described as a white male, mid 20’s, 5″8″, thin build, facial hair, white t-shirt, blue jeans, dark colored knit type hat, armed with a handgun. Suspect 2 is a white male, mid 20’s, no further description. Suspect 3 is a black male, mid 20’s 5’10”, thin build, dark t shirt. Suspects were last seen in the area of the Old Brown Cafeteria. Police are searching the campus for the suspects. Anyone with information is asked to call WCU PD at 828-227-8911. Thanks. University Police

Didn’t these miscreants know that the University of North Carolina and all its constituent institutions like WCU are supposed to be gun free? I’m sure the baseball bat was only for use in intramural games.

The only firearms allowed on campus are those of concealed carry permit holders which must be kept locked in their cars. And even that modest measure upsets the university’s administration.

So I would say to the university chancellors and police chiefs who were united in their opposition to any guns on campus, tell me again how gun-free zones are safe and crime-free.

* James D’Cruz, the original plaintiff, was demonized and vilified by the Brady Campaign. Josh Horwitz of CSGV even wrote he “sounds like a school shooter.” I wonder what they would make of the fact that James is now a first year law student at Harvard Law School.

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Crime On Campus

June 26, 2012 by

I received an email yesterday from CollegeStats.Org about crime on college campuses. I was a little skeptical until I read the article in question.

It was fair and made excellent use of graphics to get the point across that the number of targeted assaults on college campuses has more than doubled from when I was in college in the 1970s until now.The article breaks down where you are more likely to be attacked and with what weapon.



From CollegeStats.Org

The author of the article then examined the status of bills in ten states that would allow students or faculty to have a firearm on campus. I found the article well written and full of useful information.

You can find the full article on campus crime here.

H/T Shanna Houston