FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

At least six students were gunned down this morning in California on the same day that a national protest began to call attention to the fact that students are left helpless against such murderers.

The national Empty Holster Protest, organized by Students for Concealed Carry, involves students strapping on empty holsters to illustrate their defenselessness at the hands of college gun bans. The event runs through April 6 and involves hundreds of college campuses across the US.

“This is a poignant and ironic example of the very thing we’re protesting,” said David Burnett, the group’s spokesman. “Colleges invite these shootings by guaranteeing criminals their victims will be disarmed. It takes more than signs to fend off killers.”

Although the details of the massacre are still unclear, it remains apparent that prohibitions against firearms were completely ineffective. Over 20 such college shootings have occurred on so-called “gun-free” campuses since 2001. At the same time, more than 200 campuses in six states allow students to carry handguns to class without experiencing any such rampages.

“Gun-free zones are defense-free zones,” said Burnett. “Since our colleges can’t guarantee our safety, it’s time for them to allow us a fighting chance and decriminalize self-defense.”

Download a PDF version of this Press Release.

CONTACT:
David Burnett
Director of Public Relations
Students for Concealed Carry
david.burnett@concealedcampus.org
859-576-7522

ABOUT:
Students for Concealed Carry is a national, non-partisan, grassroots organization comprised of over 40,000 supporters which advocates for legal concealed carry on college campuses.

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Students nationwide are once again strapping on empty holsters in support of the right to pack heat. The nonviolent protest, organized by Students for Concealed Carry, runs April 2-6 and is designed to highlight the ineffectiveness of campus gun bans.

“Gun-free zones are defense-free zones,” said David Burnett, the group’s spokesman. “Announcing your campus is gun-free is a reckless invitation to psychopaths. We’re trying to show we have to put an end to such dangerous and irresponsible mandates.”

Hundreds of colleges have taken part in the protest in recent years, and the group expects this year to be no different. Enthusiastic students from dozens of major universities have already signed up for the protest via the group’s website, eager to raise awareness about self-defense restrictions on their campus.

Students for Concealed Carry was founded after the Virginia Tech massacre by students who noted the college’s gun ban failed to stop the shooter. More than 20 other college shootings have taken place on “gun-free” campuses since 2001, including six victims at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center shooting in March.

Colorado’s Supreme Court recently sided with the group, in a ruling that struck down a college gun ban. In 2011, five more states extended greater freedom to college gun owners, and over 200 campuses now allow some form of carry.

Despite their progress, Burnett says the group’s goals are often misunderstood. “We’re not out to arm everyone. We’re just saying if you have the legal permit and can legally carry virtually everywhere else, why is your right to self-defense suspended on campus? Guns in the hands of the right people can save lives, and universities are stopping the right people from protecting themselves. “

The group points to Utah and Colorado as proof that campus carry works. “These schools have allowed campus carry for years without incident,” says Burnett. “If anything, the crime rate drops.”

“It’s all about protection,” says Daniel Crocker, the group’s president. “Signs on the doors are just a government guarantee that criminals won’t encounter armed resistance. They won’t protect anyone, but a permitted handgun might. Until colleges can guarantee our safety, they shouldn’t criminalize self-defense.”

Download a PDF version of this Press Release.

CONTACT:
David Burnett
Director of Public Relations
Students for Concealed Carry
david.burnett@concealedcampus.org
859-576-7522

ABOUT:
Students for Concealed Carry is a national, non-partisan, grassroots organization comprised of over 40,000 supporters which advocates for legal concealed carry on college campuses.

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An unsigned editorial in the Winfield Daily Courier criticizes a Kansas concealed carry bill as being “cynical,” and ” nothing but a vehicle for raising a wedge issue for zealous Second Amendment supporters in this year’s elections.” There are a number of problems with this theory, but the substance is even more troubling.

In several states, legislation has been introduced which would require government facilities, including state-run colleges, to either allow concealed carry, or equip the facilities with metal detectors and gun storage lockers to ensure these “gun-free” zones are actually gun-free. What’s cynical about that? Anti-gun groups, and the editors at the Winfield Daily Courier, are trying to paint these requirements as extreme. They claim it will cost universities millions of dollars to comply, conveniently ignoring the free option—allowing responsible, law-abiding, licensed gun owners the same measure of personal protection they currently enjoy virtually everywhere else.

In the haze of bickering and misinformation, it is easy to lose sight of the inconvenient truth: the staunch opposition to this measure is a tacit admission that these locations currently have no method of ensuring the so-called “gun-free” zones are actually gun-free. What is cynical about making college campuses live up to the standard they profess to hold? It is truly cynical for college administrators to insist they have a right to ban self-defense on campus without taking adequate measures to ensure student safety. It is truly cynical for administrators to disarm law-abiding citizens when they know and willingly admit that criminals could bring virtually any weapon onto their campus without detection.

Originally published as “What’s Cynical About Making Colleges Accept Reality?” on Soderstrome.com

DENVER, March 5 – Students in Colorado can now legally carry guns into college classrooms.

That’s the decision from Colorado’s Supreme Court, ruling in favor of Students for Concealed Carry (SCC), which brought suit against the University of Colorado, arguing that the college’s prohibition on guns violated the state’s concealed carry law, and that legislators intended for students to exercise their right to bear arms on campus when passing right-to-carry laws in 2002.

“We are very pleased by today’s ruling,” said Al Baker, the Legal Liaison for SCC. “The court upheld what we knew to be true all along, that public colleges and universities in Colorado are bound not only by the state constitution but also by the Concealed Carry Act from 2003. Today’s decision also sends a message to other public colleges and universities in this county that Students for Concealed Carry will persist in the fight to restore reasonable firearm policies which afford licensed adults the same personal protection on campus they already enjoy in off-campus.”

According to the Students for Concealed Carry, the Court’s decision will affect firearms policies on all of Colorado’s public college campuses. 220 campuses in six states already allow campus carry, without resulting injuries or deaths reported. “We expect other colleges to see the handwriting on the wall and comply with the court’s ruling,” said David Burnett, the national spokesman for the group. “If they refuse to adopt more reasonable policies, we may explore litigation against them as well.”

“Gun-free policies are an open invitation to psychopaths,” said Burnett. “Signs on the doors are an unenforceable lie that only robs licensed citizens of their ability to defend themselves. Until colleges can guarantee our safety, they can’t criminalize self-defense.”

CONTACT:
David Burnett
Director of Public Relations
Students for Concealed Carry
david.burnett@concealedcampus.org
859-576-7522

ABOUT:
Students for Concealed Carry is a national, non-partisan, grassroots organization comprised of over 40,000 supporters which advocates for legal concealed carry on college campuses.

###

SALEM – Recently, an Oregon Court of Appeals ruled that university bureaucrats don’t have authority to override state law when it comes to constitutional rights such as bearing arms for protection.

Since the law applied only to citizens already authorized to carry under Oregon law, college campuses failed to become the breeding grounds of murder which panicked opponents predicted five months ago.

Now, on the heels of the Chardon, Ohio high school shooting, proponents of an already-defeated campus carry ban resurrected the bill, claiming a desire to protect the public. Led by Senator Peter Courtney (D-Salem District 11), the measure would have criminalized law-abiding citizens’ ability to defend themselves on campus.

In a memo to the Oregon Senate, SCC reminded legislators that gun-free ordinances have done nothing to prevent more than a dozen campus shootings in the past ten years, and would only serve to benefit criminals by disarming their victims for them.

The bill failed by a vote of 15-14.

SCC wishes to thank Senators Whitsett, Hass, Edwards and Ferrioli for responding to our inquiries, particularly Senator Ferrioli for arguing against “the politics of fear” driving this bill, and forwarding a copy of his remarks to us.

Because of our victory, Oregon students, faculty and staff who meet state-mandated requirements for carrying firearms will not be deprived of the ability to protect themselves on campus.

In a desperate bid to promote a radical agenda of restriction and prohibition, gun control advocates converged on the Chardon, Ohio high school shooting, exploiting the deaths to promote their policies.

Facebook pages for groups like the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, Gun Free Kids and Students for Gun Free Schools immediately took to the airwaves in a dishonest bid to blame Ohio’s loose gun laws for the shooting.

Anti-gun spokesman Colin Goddard appeared on MSNBC, claiming no one is doing anything about gun violence and argued for additional background checks. Goddard also grossly distorted the aims of Students for Concealed Carry, arguing we want to “force students to carry guns.”

Although Students for Concealed Carry addresses only college campuses (historically populated by adults) and does not address the issue of guns on high school campuses (traditionally attended by minors who are prohibited from carrying guns to school by federal law), there are many lessons to take away from the shooting.

1) There were warning signs.
As is the case in almost every notable public shooting, warning signs exhibited by the suspect were ignored. In this case, the Ohio suspect left a threatening rant on his Facebook page. Likewise, perpetrators of events such as the Virginia Tech massacre or the Tuscon shooting of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords all exhibited painfully obvious warning signs which went unheeded. In fact, when pressed on solutions, Goddard correctly pinpointed behavioral detection rather than firearm laws as the answer. (Mental health records, not gun records, were the reason the VT shooter was able to obtain a firearm.)

2) Gun-free laws did nothing to prevent the shooting.
High school campuses are covered by the National Gun-Free Schools Act of 1994.

Additionally, Ohio forbids anyone under the age of 18 from purchasing or carrying a handgun, as well as carrying or discharging such a weapon on school grounds. (Presumably, the suspect also ignored local ordinances criminalizing assault and murder.)

Despite blaming loose laws for the spree, anti-gun criticisms were silenced abruptly when it emerged that the shooter had illegally stolen the firearm from his uncle.

Since the shooting suspect broke multiple laws to execute his acts of murder, it does not follow that the passage of additional firearm laws would have made any difference.

3) An UNARMED civilian’s intervention cut the shooting spree short.
High school athletics coach Frank Hall braved the gunfire to charge the armed assailant, eventually causing the suspect to flee the scene where he was apprehended a short time later. (This is considered to be the option of last resort, which experts recommend only when throwing pencils and t-shirts at the shooter have failed.)

4) The shooting was unexpected.
Students of Chardon High School doubtless felt safe in the hours leading up to the spree, illustrating once again that feeling safe is not the same as being safe.

While not addressing the debate of concealed carry on K-12 institutions, there are multiple lessons to be learned from high school shootings – not least of which a tragic fervency of exploitation from a dishonest anti-defense agenda.

February 20, 2012 — Students for Concealed Carry (SCC) is pleased to announce the first overhaul of its online presence in nearly three years.  The revamped site offers a refreshed look to complement the organization’s new logo and recent name change.

In addition to the design changes, a revamped framework will allow SCC to put more control into the hands of our campus leaders and state directors.  Over the next few months, SCC will begin to roll out new state sites for our most active regions.  These new sites will be maintained by our state leaders, the dedicated volunteers who have the most up to date information about what is happening on their campuses.

We’ve already launched this initiative with our Texas chapter, and Texans can now find up to date information about events in their state at texas.concealedcampus.org.  For states without dedicated sites, our members can still find everything they need to know about their state’s leadership and available opportunities at concealedcampus.org/states.

CONTACT:
David Burnett
Director of Public Relations
Students for Concealed Carry
david.burnett@concealedcampus.org
859-576-7522

ABOUT:
Students for Concealed Carry is a national, non-partisan, grassroots organization comprised of over 40,000 supporters which advocates for legal concealed carry on college campuses.

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Earlier today (12/8/2011 @ noon ET), a routine traffic stop at Virginia Tech turned deadly. A police officer conducting the stop as well as a second individual were shot and killed, apparently the same assailant. At the time of this post (3pm ET), the status of the assailant is unknown and Virginia Tech remains on lockdown.

Students for Concealed Carry offers our condolences the victims, and deepest hopes that the suspect(s) responsible be brought to justice.

SCC also sadly recognizes this incident proves yet again that nothing has changed at Virginia Tech. The college still entertain delusional beliefs that signs and stickers will prevent illegal weapons on campus, even as they protest paying fines for their failing to notify students of the initial murders preceding the worst shooting spree in history three years ago.

This latest event shows evil people still exist in the world and all the laws in the world will not stop them from committing violent crime. Guns are not the solution to every problem, but they are a solution to some problems – a solution completely ruled out by college campuses in Virginia and nationwide.

With licensed campus carry now a successful policy at over two hundred campuses in six states without incident, it is time for Virginia Tech and colleges nationwide to end the ban on campus self-defense.

Expecting a sign saying an area is a “gun free zone” to work is a dangerous and deadly fiction.

FOR PRESS INQUIRIES, CONTACT DAVID BURNETT, DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC RELATIONS WITH STUDENTS FOR CONCEALED CARRY

MONMOUTH, September 29 – A state Court of Appeals has overruled an Oregon University System prohibition on carry of firearms.

The suit was brought by the Oregon Firearms Federation (OFF) after student Jeff Maxwell, a US Marine, was arrested for carrying a small derringer on campus. All charges were dropped, but Maxwell was suspended from the college for violating its rule against firearms.

The OFF then filed a lawsuit on behalf of Mr. Maxwell. (Maxwell was not a party to the suit due to a rule stating anyone involved in litigious action could not be involved in a dispute regarding the policy.)

Two years later, the Oregon Court of Appeals returned its verdict, stating that:

“[The college's policy] is an exercise of an “authority to regulate” firearms that is not expressly authorized by the Legislative Assembly, and that it is preempted by ORS 166.170. Accordingly, the rule exceeds the agency’s authority, ORS 183.400 and is invalid.”

Although the ruling overturns campus bans on carry, the court ruled only on grounds of institutional authority, not Second Amendment or state preemption.

Oregon Revised Statute ORS 166-170 states that “the authority to regulate in any matter whatsoever the sale, acquisition, transfer, ownership, possession, storage, transportation or use of firearms or any element relating to firearms and components thereof, including ammunition, is vested solely in the Legislative Assembly.”

The Oregon University System comprises seven public universities, including the University of Oregon, Western Oregon University, Oregon Institute of Technology, Eastern Oregon University, Southern Oregon University, Portland State University and Oregon State University. In a statement of response, OUS stated they were “disappointed” with the ruling and would consider their options.

“Students for Concealed Carry is obviously pleased with the court’s decision,” said David Burnett, a spokesman for SCC. “It’s ridiculous that a United States Marine trained to defend America’s freedom with an M-16 on the streets of Fallujah can be suspended for carrying a tiny little pistol on campus. Colleges nationwide consistently fail to protect campus populations, yet flagrantly ban the fundamental right of citizens to protect themselves. We’re happy with the ruling, and we look forward to similar victories in the near-future.”

In July, Virginia Attorney-General Ken Cuccinelli ruled that blanket university gun bans are invalid, and on November 1, campus carry external to college buildings will become legal in Wisconsin.

CONTACT:
David Burnett
Director of Public Relations, Students for Concealed Carry

ABOUT:
Students for Concealed Carry is a national, non-partisan, grassroots organization comprising over 40,000 college students, professors, employees, parents and concerned citizens who believe that licensed concealed carry permit holders should be allowed the same measure of personal protection on college campuses that they enjoy off-campus.

| – To follow Students for Concealed Carry, visit www.Facebook.com/ConcealedCampus

Clearly, not even Virginia Tech officials have much confidence in their alleged “gun-free zone.”

Virginia Tech, like most colleges, demands the right to ban guns on campus, but they continue to show an appalling lack of interest in enforcing those bans or creating any practical mechanism to protect students.

“Colleges have entered into an informal alliance with criminals,” said David Burnett, spokesman with Students for Concealed Carry. “By banishing lawfully-armed citizens, the college is denying the right to self-defense and creating a defense-free environment which leaves colleges extremely vulnerable – and attractive – to criminals.”

Last month, in denying the college a blanket right to disarm law-abiding citizens, Virginia Tech’s Attorney-General Ken Cuccinelli stated that gun-ban polices “are ineffectual because persons who wish to perpetrate violence will ignore them, and that the net effect of such policies is to leave defenseless the law-abiding citizens who follow these policies.”

With over 600 acres of ground to cover, declaring the area “safe” may take a while, but with today’s quick notification, it appears Virginia Tech has at least taken to heart the lesson it learned in blood back in 2007 where they failed to notify students of the danger for nearly two hours.

“We hope Virginia Tech will continue to learn from their mistakes and stop disarming the very people who could make a difference in a life-or-death situation,” said Burnett.

CONTACT:
David Burnett
Director of Public Relations, Students for Concealed Carry

ABOUT:
Students for Concealed Carry is a national, non-partisan, grassroots organization comprising over 40,000 college students, professors, employees, parents and concerned citizens who believe that licensed concealed carry permit holders should be allowed the same measure of personal protection on college campuses that they enjoy off-campus.