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Massacre propels bill to OK guns in parks
By SHEILA WISSNERStaff Writer Tennesseans who have handgun permits could carry their weapons into state parks legally under a bill on the move in the legislature, and its chances of passing are greater in light of the Virginia Tech massacre, one of its sponsors said. The proposal to allow permit holders to go armed in state-run parks was introduced well before the slayings of 32 people on the university campus last month. But Senate sponsor Tim Burchett thinks the killings may have "created a positive atmosphere" for changing the law this year. And House sponsor Frank Niceley said he may push next year to allow college students and teachers with permits to carry handguns on campuses. With a key vote slated this week, their bill is coming to the fore at a time of renewed national debate over gun control in the aftermath of the Virginia Tech killings. North Carolina's legislature is considering a proposal to ban guns from public parks. For Glenn Scarborough, the Virginia Tech tragedy is just one more reason he should be allowed to carry a handgun in a state park. "I really feel if any of those students or professors had handguns on them, they could have stopped a lot of people from dying," said Scarborough, a former grounds manager at a condominium complex.
Others are less enthusiastic. "I'm not anti-gun,'' said Cindy Mayes, who spent Friday afternoon target practicing at the Gun City USA indoor range on Murfreesboro Pike. But guns in public parks? "No, no, no, no, no,'' she said. OK, who's gonna stop the guy that takes a firearm to the park and starts shooting?
Niceley's original proposal would allow guns only in state-run parks, not city parks. He says it would make them safer. "People are realizing now that it's not these people with carry permits causing problems. It's these crazies that are causing problems,'' he said. Bingo. "Gun free zones" don't mean a thing to lawbreakers. His bill was amended in a House subcommittee to go even further, allowing permit holders to take their firearms to other public places such as city parks, playgrounds and civic centers. But that amendment could be stripped from the bill. Niceley said he might introduce an amendment to restrict handgun purchases to U.S. citizens. Such measures, including legalizing guns on college campuses, may have prevented the slaughter of Virginia Tech students and staff at the hands of a mentally troubled man who was not a U.S. citizen, he said. Niceley, R-Strawberry Plains, said he didn't think the Virginia Tech slayings would improve the bill's chances, but Burchett and state Sen. Mae Beavers, the Mt. Juliet Republican who is chairwoman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, disagreed with him. Beavers said the measure has a good chance of passing in the Senate. Some say guns heighten the chance of violence. More than two dozen Tennesseans with carry permits who contacted The Tennessean over the past week don't share that view, saying they have stellar records for acting responsibly and have been properly trained in handling their weapons. All permit holders must take handgun training. An analysis by the newspaper of the state's records on carry permit holders shows that less than half a percent of them have had their permits yanked for criminal behavior or other infractions. Scarborough said he has seen young men brandishing weapons at state parks and was robbed at an ATM years ago. He said he would feel safer if he could bring his firearm along to parks for protection. Mayes, a warehouse worker, said that she believes people have the right to own guns to protect themselves in their homes and cars, and that she might buy one herself. She has been the victim of a would-be purse snatcher in Nashville and a neighbor who broke into her basement. But she remains leery of guns in public places. "Just because people have a permit to carry a gun doesn't always mean they are going to use it responsibly,'' she said. Rana Douglas, a Shelbyville mother of three teen sons, said, "I believe we have the right to bear arms and to protect ourselves, but I don't think you should be toting a gun around." Notice how most the only people quoted are mothers with children. In a related story the Tennesean has published a list of concealed carry permit holders in Tennessee. I wonder if I can sue them for invasion of privacy? Posted by: Deacon Blues 2007-05-08 |
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