Buckeye State collegians earn national headlines over empty holster protest
Anyone worried about the future of our nation's most cherished rights and freedoms need look no further for a good dose of hope than the college students in Ohio and elsewhere who are making local and national news by taking part in the National Collegiate Student Empty Holster Protest throughout this week.
Click 'Read More' for news links and story excerpts.
Cybercast News Service: Student Group Launches 'Empty Holster' Protest
- The grassroots group Students for Concealed Carry on Campus (SCCC) noted that in the last twenty years, most of the mass shootings in America -- from the massacre at a Luby's cafeteria in Texas to the Columbine High School shootings -- 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," SCCC said in a news release on Wednesday.
The group noted that the Virginia Tech "madman" had an advantage over his victims: "He wasn't concerned with following the rules."
The group argues that licensed gun owners pose little threat to college campuses. "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 Empty Holster Protest, taking place Oct. 22-26, will be peaceful and "limited" to students wearing empty holsters, organizers said.
"The significance of the empty holsters is to symbolize that students, faculty, and guests are left defenseless on college campuses; therefore, no protestor will carry anything resembling a firearm in his or her holster," the group said on its Web site.
Cincinnati Enquirer: Some protest for right to bear arms
- Almost a dozen University of Cincinnati students participated Monday in a nationwide protest of concealed-carry laws on college campuses that they say prevent them from protecting themselves by carrying firearms.
The students were wearing empty holsters to protest the laws.
Organizers said students at Miami University and the College of Mount St. Joseph also participated.
Columbus Dispatch: Protesters want guns on campus
(This story has been syndicated by Associated Press (AP) news wire service, and run in various news outlets including Toledo's CBS affiliate [WTOL 11], Cleveland's ABC affiliate [WEWS NewsNet5], the Canton Repository and the Zanesville Times Recorder, which is running a web poll asking whether or not students should be allowed their constitutional right to self-defense on campus.)
- It's what Evan Peck didn't carry around the Ohio State campus that he wanted people to notice yesterday.
Peck, 21, walked to his classes wearing an empty gun holster on his waist.
"You can carry (a gun) in several places, but Ohio prohibits you from carrying at a university or college," said Peck, a senior majoring in math and sociology.
"But this campus is the one place where I spend the most of my time, and I should be able to protect myself."
This week, students across the country -- including about 15 members of the OSU pistol club -- are wearing empty holsters to spark conversations about concealed-carry rules.
About a dozen students protested at Miami University and the University of Cincinnati.
About 5,000 people are expected to have joined the protest by the end of the week, said Michael Flitcraft, a 23-year-old sophomore at the University of Cincinnati and a protest organizer.
The national group, Students for Concealed Carry on Campus, used the social-networking tool Facebook to seek support.
Yesterday, the group listed more than 6,000 members. Its Facebook site says that students can't stop school shootings but that they should have the right to defend themselves.
Like others, Peck said he has a concealed-carry permit.
Mark Noble, a National Rifle Association instructor, said he hated leaving his gun in his car when he took classes at Ohio State.
"Thieves know that if you are a student, then you are not allowed to carry a weapon and so they'll target you," said Noble, 31, who graduated in June and is the chairman of the Franklin County Libertarian Party.
"But if they changed the law, then thieves wouldn't know who is armed and they would move on to other targets."
Dayton Daily News: Students will strap on empty holsters to oppose gun restrictions
(This story has been syndicated by United Press International (UPI) news wire service, and run in various news outlets including the Cincinnati Post.
- College students across the United States are protesting gun control laws by wearing empty holsters around campus.
Organizers of the protest said students will be wearing the holsters until Friday.
Stephen Feltoon, a psychology major at Miami of Ohio, said about 15 students at the school are expected to participate.
"We're not expecting overnight change," Feltoon said. "We want students to come up and ask, 'Hey, what's with the holster?'"
The protest follows arguments that laws against carrying concealed weapons on college campuses do more harm than good. Some claim an armed student could have prevented the Virginia Tech massacre last spring that left 33 people dead.
"We strongly believe that, when used legally, firearms can save lives," Feltoon said.
Miami spokeswoman Claire Wagner said the university considers the protest to be an act of free speech, but ordered students participating to keep the holsters in plain sight.
"If it's partly under a shirt, it does nobody any good," she said.
Related Stories:
Univ. of Cincinnati students join rally for self-defense on campuses
- 2054 reads
