Students participate in VT Tech t-shirt fundraiser

By Kristi Oberholzer
Copy Editor

Thanks to a good idea from a caring Auburn student, Operation: Passion has started what hopes to be a successful fundraiser for victims of the Virginia Tech shootings.

Jordan Towns, a junior majoring in animal sciences pre-veterinary studies, created Operation: Passion as a response to the events at Virginia Tech on April 16. Being the T-shirt chair for Sigma Alpha, a professional agricultural sorority, Towns immediately knew how to organize the fundraiser.

"I got the idea that we need to do something to help those people, and this was the first thing that came to mind," Towns said.

Operation: Passion aims to raise money for the Hokie Spirit Memorial Fund, established to aid in costs for memorials and counseling, as well as communication and comfort expenses for the friends and family members of victims.

Students and community members are encouraged to go to the Concourse and in front of Comer Hall, where they can order a maroon and orange shirt which commemorates the date of the incident. Each shirt costs $11. The shirts are shipped within a couple of days and are available for pick-up at the same locations.

Master Graphics, located off of South Gay Street, printed the T-shirts for Operation: Passion. The corporation provided a discount rate to Towns to help with the donation.

"I can't say enough about Master Graphics," Towns said. "They've been so wonderful."

The developing organization has a few volunteers and recruits assisting in dispersing the orders. Through word of mouth, Towns hopes to gain more helpers.

Prospective faculty advisers include Dr. Elizabeth Wagner, assistant professor of animal sciences and Dr. William Hardy, the assistant dean of the College of Agriculture and Virginia Tech alumni.

Operation: Passion hopes to become a university organization in the fall semester. The group plans to aid other organizations like Impact and the World Food Programme.

Hunter Stone, a senior majoring in agronomy and soils, heard about Operation: Passion through Facebook, and contributed to the fundraiser.

"Well, I'm good friends with several Virginia Tech folks," Stone said. "If this money can go to them, it's the best thing I can do with my income."

With enough interest, a third order can be placed, and T-shirts will be handed out at the same locations with the date to be announced. If you are interested in buying a T-shirt, you can e-mail Towns at operationpassion@gmail.com with your name and shirt size. If you will not be residing in Auburn during the summer, T-shirts can be shipped to your mailing address with a additional $3 charge.

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Original Source:<a href=http://www.theplainsman.com/node/2533> Auburn Plainsman - May 1, 2007</a>

Kristi Oberholzer

Daily Nebraskan

2007-09-03

Sara AA Hood

David Ingram <ingradc@auburn.edu>

eng

Virginia shooting shows need for safety awareness on college campuses

By: Laura Chapman
Posted: 4/17/07
The university community was stunned Monday morning when a gunman killed more than 30 people, including students, at Virginia Tech University in Blacksburg, Va.

Though more than 1,000 miles separate the University of Nebraska-Lincoln campus from Virginia Tech, UNL students and faculty members felt shock as well. University Police said they have made plans for a response to similar emergencies.

David Solheim, the president of the Association of Students of the University of Nebraska, said the incident was almost surreal.

"I couldn&#39;t believe that something like this would happen on a college campus," said Solheim, a senior economics and international studies major. "It really makes you take your own daily life into perspective."

Ali Moeller, the president of the Academic Senate, also expressed disbelief at the shootings in an e-mail interview.

"It is difficult to find the words to describe such a monumental tragedy," she said.

Moeller also said she was angry that laws allowed the shooter to have a weapon.

"The lives of so many young men and women erased by the bullets of a madman is incomprehensible," she said.

Capt. Carl Oestmann of University Police said the department is prepared for situations such as this.

The preparation includes the ability to notify people of an emergency, plans to restrict access to academic and residence halls and investments in law enforcement equipment.

Oestmann said University Police also has working relationships with other law enforcement agencies in the city, county and state.

"It takes a combination of all of the systems to work together," he said.

Solheim said Mobile Campus, a service ASUN has looked into investing in, could be a beneficial contact tool for the university in such emergency situations as the shootings at Virginia Tech. The service would allow UNL to send text messages to students.

Though some might find the service expensive, it could be worth it, he said.

"How much value do you put on a life?" Solheim said.

Oestmann also offered his condolences to the Virginia Tech campus.

In a late afternoon statement, Virginia Tech President Charles Steger said the university had already received condolences and messages of support from around the world. He said the well wishes were appreciated as the university worked to move forward in the next few days.

"I cannot begin to convey my own personal sense of loss over the senselessness of such an incomprehensible and heinous act," he said.

A convocation will be held on Virginia Tech&#39;s campus today to help students and faculty members grieve.

From her dorm room at Virginia Tech, Rachel Gicquelais, a freshman biology major, said she looks forward to attending.

"I may not know anyone personally who died," Gicquelais said, "but I know all of us are going to be affected by the fact that part of our student body is gone."

Gicquelais said she was in class when she found out about the first shooting, which took place in a residence hall around 7 a.m., leaving two dead. While the students in her class discussed the rumors behind that shooting, her building went into lockdown, she said.

After waiting in the classroom for a couple hours, where her teaching assistant let the students go online to look for updates, Gicquelais was allowed to walk back to her dorm.

Gicquelais had to take an alternative route back to her dorm, as the normal path would have taken her by Norris Hall, where 31 people were killed, including the gunman.

Gicquelais said university officials kept students informed with frequent e-mails. Despite the shootings earlier in the day, she said the university did its best to ensure the safety of students.

For the rest of the day, Gicquelais was glued to the television and Internet for updates. Watching the video footage of the campus has been strange for her, she said.

"I know exactly where the videos are taken," she said. "I&#39;ve walked where they are."

--

Original Source:<a href=http://media.www.dailynebraskan.com/media/storage/paper857/news/2007/04/17/News/Virginia.Shooting.Shows.Need.For.Safety.Awareness.On.College.Campuses-2845122.shtml> Daily Nebraskan - April 17, 2007</a>

Laura Chapman

Daily Nebraskan

2007-09-03

Sara AA Hood

Josh Swartzlander <jdwriter19@yahoo.com>

eng

ASUN to host Virginia Tech candlelight vigil

By: Chris Rosacker
Posted: 4/18/07
Students will gather tonight in remembrance of the school shooting that shocked the nation on Monday.

A candlelight vigil will be held tonight at 8:30 p.m. at the Nebraska Union Plaza to honor the victims and survivors of the Virginia Tech University shooting that took the lives of 33 people, including the gunman.

The ceremony is being hosted by the Association of Students of the University of Nebraska at no charge to students.

It is going to be open to anyone in the community, not just University of Nebraska-Lincoln students, staff and faculty members.

"We won&#39;t be exclusive - anyone who wants to come and show support for Virginia Tech is more than welcome," said Greg Gifford, a human sciences graduate student and ASUN senator. "We&#39;ll have candles for everyone who comes."

Speakers at the vigil will include ASUN president David Solheim and Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Juan Franco. Will Velander, chairman of the chemical and biomolecular engineering department and a former faculty member at Virginia Tech, will also speak about the impact on the community of Blacksburg, Va., as well as Lincoln, Gifford said.

"Students have to do what they think is the right way (to pay their respects), and we&#39;re providing one outlet in a simple and straightforward way," said Solheim, a senior economics major. "The idea is to provide a way to express how they (students) feel and connect with their peers in Blacksburg."

Gifford said he expects about 200 people to attend the vigil, but didn&#39;t want to guess the magnitude of response the community could have.

"We can point fingers in the weeks to come," Solheim said. "But this is about the students and how their lives are now affecting our lives."

--

Original Source:<a href=http://media.www.dailynebraskan.com/media/storage/paper857/news/2007/04/18/News/Asun-To.Host.Virginia.Tech.Candlelight.Vigil-2848105.shtml>Daily Nebraskan - April 18, 2007</a>

Chris Rosacker

Daily Nebraskan

2007-09-03

Sara AA Hood

Josh Swartzlander <jdwriter19@yahoo.com>

eng

Faculty trained to refer students of concern to CAPS

By: Johnny Perez
Posted: 4/18/07
As the campus of the Virginia Polytechnic Institute awoke to a changed world this morning, new developments emerged about the alleged gunman whose shooting spree claimed 33 lives, including his own.

His name was Cho Seung-Hui, a 23-year-old senior at Virginia Tech who was majoring in English.

And according to Carolyn Rude, the chairwoman of Virginia Tech&#39;s English department, some of Seung-Hui&#39;s schoolwork prompted officials to refer him to the university&#39;s counseling service - though the date and outcome of that action is not known.

Though developments about Seung-Hui and his writing are only beginning to come to light, officials at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln say procedures are already in place that allow staff members to alert Counseling and Psychological Services about any concerns they may have regarding individual students.

UNL began taking a closer look at how it handled potentially troubled students, staff or faculty members in 1992, after Arthur McElroy, a former graduate student, walked into Ferguson Hall and attempted to open fire on his classmates with a semi-automatic rifle.

The weapon jammed and McElroy was institutionalized. UNL administrators acknowledged the need to do a better job of talking to each other when what CAPS director Bob Portnoy calls "students of concern" are noticed.

Portnoy, who has worked at UNL since 1991, said campus-wide efforts from the CAPS office, University Police and the vice chancellor for student affairs have improved lines of communication, but every year concerns appear on his desk about questionable students.

"I can&#39;t think of a semester where that hasn&#39;t happened," he said. "I&#39;m fairly confident we&#39;ve gotten at least one call every semester."

What typically occurs, Portnoy said, is that an instructor will call a CAPS representative with, say, a disturbing essay.

The staff member will forward the piece of material that has caused concern and will share his or her thoughts while having it reviewed by a professional.

At that point, Portnoy said, CAPS will work with the faculty member to see if he or she is confident enough to approach the student about the material.

If the faculty member is "sufficiently frightened" by the idea of meeting the student alone, Portnoy said, CAPS will ask for a plainclothes police officer to stand by while the faculty member meets with a student - but this avenue is rarely utilized.

"In most cases, what we recommend is that they share with the student their concerns ... and the issues they&#39;re writing about in this essay may go beyond the particular faculty member&#39;s area of expertise," he said.

From there, the faculty member may choose to walk the student to the CAPS office, or give them referral information - but the office is prepared to handle emergency cases as well, Portnoy said.

Joy Ritchie, the chairwoman of UNL&#39;s English department, said new faculty members in the department undergo training to deal with a variety of educational issues, including advice on how to respond to a student&#39;s writing when problematic issues arise.

"One of the pieces of information they get is about the fact that we are not trained professional counselors, and so when we have concerns, we know that we need to refer students to the right professional people," she said.

Student privacy is also essential, Ritchie said, and instructors are encouraged to consult with the chair and vice-chair of the department if they have any concerns.

Ritchie said she could not remember specific instances of violence or depression that were addressed by faculty members but said University Police and CAPS had always been quick and responsive in dealing with any issues.

"I think the university has a lot of systems in place to support students, and that&#39;s important," she said. "I never felt that those were inadequate."

Portnoy said there was a fine line between seeing a threatening piece as a product of an active imagination or as a sign of a problem.

Part of the training of mental health professionals, he said, is to understand the symbolic meaning of communication.

"And we tend, at least in these sorts of cases whenever possible, to try and err on the side of conservatism," he said.

"Active imaginations shouldn&#39;t be discouraged, but occasionally it is a cry for help or an expression of a destructive way of thinking ... we have to evaluate each case on an individual basis."

In the end, Portnoy said, the university&#39;s efforts to spot students who could be threats to themselves or others are only another method of keeping campus safe - not a catchall system to keep Lincoln from becoming another Blacksburg, Va.

"They&#39;re capable, but of course there&#39;s no absolute safeguard," he said. "It&#39;s hard to know how often we&#39;ve been right."

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Original Source:<a href=http://media.www.dailynebraskan.com/media/storage/paper857/news/2007/04/18/News/Faculty.Trained.To.Refer.Students.Of.Concern.To.Caps-2847956.shtml>Daily Nebraskan - April 18, 2007</a>

Johnny Perez

Daily Nebraskan

2007-09-03

Sara AA Hood

Josh Swartzlander <jdwriter19@yahoo.com>

eng

Vigil commemorates Virginia Tech tragedy

By: Marypat Heineman
Posted: 4/19/07
Nebraska Union Plaza was silent for a few moments Wednesday night as hundreds gathered in solemn remembrance.

The candlelight vigil was organized in honor of the tragic Monday shootings at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va.

Chancellor Harvey Perlman, Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Juan Franco, ASUN President Dave Solheim and Bill Velander, chairman of the chemical and biomolecular engineering department, addressed the large group that filled the entire space between Broyhill Fountain and the Nebraska Union.

Even after the candles were out and the speeches were complete, many students remained in the plaza consoling each other, signing a card for students at Virginia Tech and forming prayer circles.

The card will be in the Nebraska Union for the rest of the week and will be shipped to Virginia Tech along with cards from hundreds of other campuses around the United States.

For many present, the gathering was a chance to show support for those affected by the murders, as well as a way to cope with the reality of such a shocking event on a college campus, Solheim said.

"(This tragedy) means a lot to this campus and to Virginia Tech," he said. "The purpose of this evening is remembrance, so people can cope and support their friends and show support to those affected by the incident."

Many students attended the candlelit event, but Solheim said he knows that many other students at UNL are coping with the images of the shootings in their own private way.

For Velander, the tragedy has very personal connections. A former faculty member at Virginia Tech, Velander has many friends and colleagues still in Blacksburg. His daughter is attending medical school at Virginia Tech.

"It&#39;s a great place, just idyllic," he said. "That&#39;s what&#39;s so frightening. If it can happen to such an idyllic, golden, amazing place, it can happen anywhere."

Although the event touched him personally, taking the lives of two of his colleagues, he stressed that people, especially students, all over the country should take note of the tragic event.

"Anybody that has a father or a mother or a sister or a brother is affected by this, because these are the kinds of people who died," he said. "That&#39;s so many broken hearts. That&#39;s hundreds of broken hearts."

Vigils like these are positive experiences in the wake of such a dark moment in history, he said.

The events may be tragic, but the number of people willing to show support gives Velander hope that this generation is willing to make positive change.

"If there&#39;s anything positive that can come out of this, it&#39;s that young people can see such a tragedy, recognize the problem and work within society and solve it," he said.

"There&#39;s a heavy burden on students who have witnessed this either through the news or in Blacksburg. We have to realize when someone is down and work until they&#39;re up again. We can&#39;t let things like this happen."

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Original source:<a href=http://media.www.dailynebraskan.com/media/storage/paper857/news/2007/04/19/News/Vigil.Commemorates.Virginia.Tech.Tragedy-2852434.shtml>Daily Nebraskan - April 29, 2007</a>

Marypat Heineman

2007-09-03

Sara AA Hood

Josh Swartzlander <jdwriter19@yahoo.com>

eng

Letters to the Editor - April 19, 2007

By:Christopher Rodgers
Posted: 4/19/07

Guns, when put in the right hands, can be a good thing


This mass murder at Virginia Tech is a perfect example of how important an armed populace can be. Before you fly off the cuff, I am not promoting giving every child in America a gun. Well-trained, thoroughly background checked, responsible adults with concealed weapons can prevent a lot of damage. If this guy in Virginia had met with some well-armed resistance would he have killed 32 (at the moment, at the time of this writing there are some people still in critical condition) people? Remember also that a majority of guns used in crimes are illegal, so regulating legal guns to law-abiding citizens will do nothing to stop these crimes.

Adolf Hitler is quoted as saying, "This year will go down in history. For the first time, a civilized nation has full gun registration. Our streets will be safer, our police more efficient, and the world will follow our lead into the future." Proponents of gun control favor taking guns from citizens because they fear an informed and armed populace; Hitler is a perfect example of this. Before he started his "changes" in Germany, he made sure that no one had the ability to stop him by insuring that the only legal guns were in the hands of the military.

Guns are not inherently bad. When used responsibly, they are a tool that can help a lot of people. How many could they have helped at Virginia Tech?

Christopher Rodgers
Junior computer science and math major

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Original Source:<a href=http://media.www.dailynebraskan.com/media/storage/paper857/news/2007/04/19/Opinion/Letters.To.The.Editor-2851212.shtml>Daily Nebraskan - April 19, 2007</a>

Christopher Rodgers

Daily Nebraskan

2007-09-03

Sara AA Hood

Josh Swartzlander <jdwriter19@yahoo.com>

eng

Bomb threat called in to Othmer Hall

By: Andy Boyle
Posted: 4/20/07
A man called in a bomb threat to Othmer Hall around noon Friday, university officials said.

Authorities did not find any explosives during an initial search of the building. After being closed for about two hours, the building is now open to students and faculty.

At a 3 p.m. press conference, Chancellor Harvey Perlman said Friday&#39;s bomb threat was not real.

"I do want to observe that several other campuses around the country ... have had similar threats over the course of this week," he said. "And to some extent, unfortunately, these are to be expected when we had a major event like we had at Virginia Tech."

University officials said if students feel uncomfortable being on campus Friday, they should leave.

Kelly Bartling, a university spokeswoman, said there were no classes Friday at Othmer Hall, Nebraska Hall and Walter Scott Engineering Center, which are all connected, because of an engineering college event.

Several hundred people were scheduled to visit the building Friday because of the event, called EWeek. Those events are now canceled.

Bartling said a man called the dean&#39;s office and told an assistant, "I planted a bomb in the building, you bitch."

Othmer Hall contains the Biological Process Development Facility, which researches vaccines for biological warfare agents, according to the facility&#39;s Web site, www.pbdf.unl.edu.

John Ballard, associate dean of the college of engineering, didn&#39;t know if there was a hazard involved because of that.

The university has sent out three e-mails notifying students of what&#39;s happening. The e-mails suggest students avoid the area.

Othmer Hall was the first building to be evacuated, said University Police Chief Owen Yardley. Nebraska Hall and Walter Scott Engineering Center were evacuated about 20 minutes later.

The last bomb threat called in to the university was in late September, when a man approached a group of sorority members at the parking garage at 17th and R claiming to have a bomb.

Yardley couldn&#39;t comment on how the search of Othmer was conducted or what was used in it.

He also would not confirm that the caller was a man. Earlier, Bartling told the Daily Nebraskan the caller was a man.

"We know it was a phone call that was received by somebody in the department," Yardley said.

Police procedure is to attempt traces on the phone call and investigate who is involved, Yardley said. He said the bomb threat would be a felony charge.

Perlman said if a student were involved, he would like them to punished as seriously as the university allows.

"I would hope that the campus community would take this seriously," he said, "and if anybody hears or sees anything that would help in this investigation, they would notify campus police or Crime Stoppers or provide us with information."

University Police can be reached at 472-3555. The Crime Stoppers number is 475-3600.

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Original Source:<a href=http://media.www.dailynebraskan.com/media/storage/paper857/news/2007/04/20/News/Bomb-Threat.Called.In.To.Othmer.Hall-2871697.shtml>Daily Nebraskan - April 20, 2007</a>

Andy Boyle

Daily Nebraskan

2007-09-03

Sara AA Hood

Josh Swartzlander <jdwriter19@yahoo.com>

eng

Virginia Tech shooting a sign for contemplation and change

By:
Posted: 4/23/07
Last week was one of tragedy as schools and universities across the United States faced the terror of threats of bombs and shootings on their campuses.

The events of April 16 have brought the issues of gun control, freedom, mental health and emergency preparedness to the forefront of the news and our minds.

But no one suffered more than the students, teachers, family and friends affected directly by the Virginia Tech shooting on April 16. For all of those with connections to Virginia Tech who are grieving from the tragedy, we&#39;d like to express our sincere condolences.

We&#39;d also like to commend everyone who has given University of Nebraska-Lincoln students, faculty and staff members opportunities to contemplate. We&#39;ve been impressed by the outpouring of compassion that occurred on the UNL campus in many forms: signs, cards and candlelight vigils.

But Friday&#39;s events on the UNL campus put a damper upon the solemn nature of the week.

Like dozens of other college campuses around the country, UNL endured its own copycat scenario on Friday, the anniversary of the Columbine shootings in Colorado.

We can&#39;t fathom what would motivate a person to say a bomb was planted in the College of Engineering - or anywhere else for that matter.

Early Friday afternoon, a man called the dean&#39;s office claiming he planted a bomb in the engineering college. Othmer and Nebraska halls and the Walter Scott Engineering Center were subsequently evacuated and closed while police searched the building.

The terrorist threat led to the cancellation of the engineering college&#39;s recruitment day, for which some prospective UNL students traveled hundreds of miles to attend. It also fostered a sense of fear that had already emerged for some on campus who realized the Virginia Tech shootings could have happened anywhere, even here.

Luckily, the threat was an empty one, as were the dozens of other threats that shut down college and high school campuses across the country last week.

Not that the threats shouldn&#39;t be taken seriously. Virginia Tech encountered two bomb threats during the two weeks before the shooting. Police are still investigating to see if the threats and the shooting were related.

Of course, no one wants to live in fear of a similar shooting. And no one should advocate restrictions on our freedoms and civil liberties like those invoked as the United States embarked on the war on terror. At the same time, we&#39;re all left asking what can be done to prevent this from happening again.

Some are saying we need to strengthen our gun-control laws - or even more extreme, allow people to carry concealed weapons on campus for their own protection.

According to an article published in The New York Times, Virginia Tech shooter Cho Seung-Hui should never have been allowed to purchase guns.

In 2005 he was declared a danger to himself and referred to psychiatric treatment, which according to federal law should have prohibited him from buying a firearm.

But Virginia&#39;s background checks failed, and Cho fell through the cracks.

To prevent gun-related tragedies of any magnitude in the future, our state government leaders need to ensure Nebraska&#39;s background checks are accurate and thorough, let alone invoking stricter gun-control laws.

Gun-control laws would not be enough, however, in a culture that is so immersed in violence. It&#39;s on our prime time television and in our movies. Early investigations suggest Cho studied violence. And as his video released to NBC indicated, he glorified the Columbine High School shooters and considered himself a martyr.

Politicians and lobbyists on both sides of the gun-control debate will use the Virginia Tech shooting to further their own interests.

But our only true solution will be to cultivate an environment in which violence is no longer seen as the first answer to every problem, a sign of masculinity or an expression of power.

Without that attitude change, what happened at Virginia Tech could happen anywhere. And we shouldn&#39;t have to live in fear.

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Original Source:<a href=http://media.www.dailynebraskan.com/media/storage/paper857/news/2007/04/23/Opinion/Virginia.Tech.Shooting.A.Sign.For.Contemplation.And.Change-2873861.shtml> Daily Nebraskan - April 23, 2007</a>

Anonymous

Daily Nebraskan

2007-09-03

Sara AA Hood

Josh Swartzlander <jdwriter19@yahoo.com>

eng

WAITE: Shootings show a need for change in gun laws

By: Cyndi Waite / Junior film studies major
Posted: 4/23/07
Guns kill people. People kill people. Guns help people kill people.

It&#39;s an inevitable truth that firearms in the wrong hands lead to the deaths of innocent people. As a nation, as students, we witnessed and felt the tragic deaths of 33 individuals; Virginia Tech is a forever-changed campus, cloaked in confusion and fear, anger and resentment.

Pointing fingers and placing blame does no good, but learning and moving forward in such a way that will prevent similar future tragedies is not only a good idea, but a necessary one. And in order to make positive, permanent, preventive change that will ensure not one more innocent life will be taken from mass shootings in our nation, we must address the issue of gun control.

This is not a liberal or a conservative issue. It&#39;s not a rural or urban argument. This is a conversation among Americans who value their lives and their neighbors&#39; lives.

Gun control has become such a politically taboo subject that politicians, on both sides of the fence, avoid discussing it and refuse to make it a part of their campaigns for fear they will lose Midwestern, Southern, rural and many conservative voters.

"Cries for stricter gun-control laws by some Democratic lawmakers following the Virginia Tech mass murders have been met with caution from their party leads," William Douglas wrote in his Fort Wayne News Sentinel article "Democrats unlikely to revisit gun-control legislation."

"Other Democrats recommend steering clear of the issue because it could jeopardize their party&#39;s recent gains in pro-gun Southern and Western states," Douglas wrote.

It&#39;s still unclear as to whether or not the Bush administration plans to officially address the issue; the Chicago Tribune quoted the administration as saying, "We understand that there is going to be, and there has been, an ongoing national conversation about gun control ... We are going to be participants."

Whether those conversations happen in a few days or in a few weeks, they need to happen soon.

Regardless of what our forefathers meant by "the right to bear arms" in the Second Amendment, we live in a society where legally bearing arms has proven to be lethal. Admittedly, only a few of the many who purchase and own guns use them in inappropriate ways, but when the few engage in destructive behavior that affects the masses, they have to give up some of their rights in order to protect all of society.

Social contract theories have been around since Locke, Hobbes and Rousseau. When individuals have full autonomy, they argued, their choices are completely their own - whether those choices are negative or positive, and no matter how they affect others. In order to live in a society where we don&#39;t live in constant fear for our safety, we agree to give up some autonomy to provide social order.

Relinquishing the right to own personal firearms to ensure the safety of the society at large seems like a pretty decent compromise.

While a full ban on firearms may be outlandish and farfetched, stricter restrictions are not. Currently, gun owners have to go through a registration process that involves, among other things, submitting a record of one&#39;s mental health.

These restrictions need to be stricter, enforced to higher standards and maintained better. Only 17 states send medical information in for full background checks, reported Michael Luo of The New York Times in his article "Gun control questions raised."

Virginia Tech shooter Cho Seung-Hui had a "stay in a psychiatric center under a magistrate&#39;s order" in 2005, the article reported. Virginia officials say that Seung-Hui was found to be legally eligible to purchase handguns, an immediate red flag about the inadequate gun-ownership registration policies that are currently in place.

The Bush administration and other sources keep reiterating that it&#39;s "too soon" to have these gun-control arguments, that we need to "take a deep breath" for a while before we deal with these issues.

It&#39;s not. And we can breathe while we make policy changes. Gun abuse is an issue far too serious to put on the back burner until the country calms down, until everyone heals. It&#39;s in this time of pain that we need to begin these conversations; that we need to pressure our representatives to consider changing their views.

Thirty-three lives were taken on April 16. Are we going to wait around for another mass shooting before we consider changing our policies, or are we going to step up and speak out against gun-violence and demand change?

I choose safety. I choose change. I hope you do, too.

Cyndi Waite

Daily Nebraskan

2007-09-03

Sara AA Hood

Josh Swartzlander <jdwriter19@yahoo.com>

eng

Guest Editorial: Stricter gun-control laws will only lead to more danger

By: David Smith / Junior horticulture major
Posted: 4/23/07
Naturally, with the recent atrocity that occurred in Virginia at a college campus not unlike ours, there has been talk of tighter gun control and even outright bans to stop such incidents in the future. Do we not have enough failing gun laws already on the books?

I would like to thank Sarah Brady, Ted Kennedy, Nancy Pelosi and others of their ilk for giving us "gun-free school zones." Of course, I am being sarcastic, hoping that somebody out there will see the problem here and begin to think rationally.

This did not happen

because of a gun. More gun laws would not have changed the outcome. We need to stop passing feel-good legislation that only disarms lawful citizens who could be able to defend themselves and save others should one of these criminals attack them. Why make an estimated 60 million to 80 million law-abiding gun owners pay for this tragedy rather than hold the shooter accountable?

I&#39;ll try to put this in terms that gun-control advocates will understand. Every man in the world who possesses a penis has the potential to rape someone. However, most choose not to do so. No politician would try to introduce legislation to ban the said body part, and so, I ask, why is it any different with firearms?

There are literally millions of rounds fired legally for every one round fired criminally. Currently, there are 48 states that allow their citizens to carry concealed weapons in some form, and Nebraska was recently added to that list. One would think there would be bullets flying everywhere in these states from these permit holders - but that just is not the case.

I believe students at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln who have a valid concealed-carry permit should be allowed to use that permit on campus if they so desire. Had someone been at Virginia Tech last week with a concealed firearm, I am confident the gunman would not have been able to murder so many people.

Because the doors to the hall were chained shut, the police were unable to get in. The only way the rampage could have been stopped is if someone in the room would have had sufficient means to fight the gunman. This is why I believe students with a valid permit should be able to carry on campus.

Under Nebraskan law, you must be at least 21 years old to obtain a concealed-carry permit. For this reason, only upperclassmen would be allowed to carry concealed firearms. People should also know that the process of obtaining a concealed-carry permit, similar to most states, is far from easy or cheap. Many states charge about $100 for the permit alone. Then, one must also pay the instructor of the safety course another $50 to $100.

After one has paid for the permit and the safety training, the state then does an extensive background check of the individual, which takes months in many states. By the nature of the issuing process, only the most mentally stable and oldest of the university population would even be allowed to carry.

It seems that every day Americans are becoming helpless, socialist sheep to a greater extent. When there was a mass shooting at Virginia Tech, we threw the blame on GLOCK and the university for not canceling classes sooner. When Hurricane Katrina hit Louisiana, we blamed the Federal Emergency Management Agency for not doing enough. When are people going to wake up and take responsibility for themselves and their own safety?

No university, police force or government agency can be there all the time to save everybody when a tragedy of even the smallest magnitude strikes. Our increasing lack of personal responsibility and situational awareness, as well as our attitude of pacifism, only encourages these shootings.

It seems gun violence has become a real problem in our country only in the last 50 years. Before that, high-school students would often leave their rifles in their cars during school so they could hunt afterwards. Why were there no mass murders then? That certainly was a much simpler time. That was a time when people were very politically incorrect by today&#39;s standards.

A lot has changed for the better since then, but not everything. We all should step back and rethink what we call "progress." It is interesting to me that Hollywood, which is mostly left wing and hates guns, has no problem churning out film after film loaded with guns and violence. We are bombarded with violence every day, and, yet, when something such as the Virginia Tech shooting happens, we blame the gun. When people actually commit crimes, we slap them on the wrist and call them "rehabilitated."

We need to stop blaming the inanimate piece of plastic and steel that is the gun, try to improve the constant bombardment of violence in our culture and turn our legal system into an actual justice system. If lawmakers continue only to concentrate on passing more gun-control legislation and do not allow law-abiding citizens to carry concealed weapons, all of their work will be in vain, and I am certain we will find ourselves in this position in the future.

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Original Source:<a href=http://media.www.dailynebraskan.com/media/storage/paper857/news/2007/04/23/Opinion/Guest.Editorial.Stricter.GunControl.Laws.Will.Only.Lead.To.More.Danger-2873866.shtml> Daily Nebraskan - April 23, 2007</a>

David Smith

Daily Nebraskan

2007-09-03

Sara AA Hood

Josh Swartzlander <jdwriter19@yahoo.com>

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