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Do you have to be 21 [to get a license to carry a concealed handgun]?
In most states you do. Six [states] issue concealed-handgun licenses starting at the age of 18 and these are all very rural, sparsely populated states. We're talking about Montana and some states like that.

So this might also be about getting that age lowered?
We're not seeking to get the age lowered … If you look at the Virginia Tech massacre, 19 of the 32 victims were over the age of 21. So we're not trying to change existing concealed-carry laws in any aspect—except removing college campuses from the list of places off limits to concealed-handgun license holders, in the states where it's prohibited. We also want to see states say that public, state-funded colleges cannot enact school policies that override state law. We want them to basically follow Utah's lead of saying, "Look, you're a state institution. You have to follow the state laws and allow people to use their state licenses on your property."

Have any of the Virginia Tech family members or survivors joined in the effort?
I don't believe we have any of the victims. We definitely have quite a large chapter at Virginia Tech. But we don't have, as far as I know … any of the actual [victims] or their family members [who] have joined us.

Is copycatting turning into a big issue? Does that increase the urgency?
That's definitely a factor. People are deciding, "I'm not just going to kill myself. I'm gonna go out in a blaze of glory and make everyone remember me."

If a few of these people who attempted this walked through the door with guns drawn and got shot down before they could do much damage, I think a lot of them would start to lose interest. Because they'd realize, "Wow, I'm not gonna get famous getting shot in the chest as I draw my gun on a classroom full of potentially armed students." So there's a chance that as far as the fame factor goes that it could be a deterrent.

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Member Comments

  • Posted By: thehappyamerican @ 05/07/2009 9:11:30 AM

    Many Americans still struggle with concealed weapon permits because there is a discrimination campaign against firearms owners in the USA, which seeks to confuse people ( theme: Those Peoplles' Rights Are A Threat!...Call to action: Remove Those Rights!) but itis established in the many States which allow concealed carry that violence is reduced.
    And that THE WORSTTE FEARFULL CONSEQUENCES as presented by anti-gun discriminators DON"T HAPPEN!.
    When the first States relaxed excessive restrictions, anti- gunners hissed " lisence to kill!" ....and our streets "The OK Corral!".
    Lies are an important weapon in any discrimination campaign.
    Campuses are most dangerous for 72 hours to one week following "news coverage" of a school shooting.And they happen in gun free zones!

  • Posted By: Mikee2009 @ 05/06/2009 12:02:31 PM

    Ten students at a birthday party in an apartment were saved from massacre by a concealed firearm carrier. Just a few days ago. Ten more non-victivms saved by the action of one gun owner. http://www.wsbtv.com/news/19365762/detail.html

  • Posted By: photoguy999 @ 03/29/2009 5:55:03 PM

    The best book analysis of all- Joseph A. (not the senator) Lieberman's book, *SCHOOL SHOOTINGS - What Every Parent and Educator Needs to Know to Protect Our Children* (Citadel Press, ISBN: 978-0-8065-3071-0) came out late last year and gives an excellent perspective of the entire spectrum of school shootings from the earliest in 1966 through Columbine and Virginia Tech to the most recent US campus massacre at Northern Illinois University on Valentine???s Day, 2008. I think it is THE definitive book on this subject. The Website is: www.schoolshootingsbook.com

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