OCR Text |
Show THE DAILY CHRONICLE UTAH i . " IKKPM THE CHRONICLE'S hsF t w express our voices or at least attend a meeting that concerns civil rights, life and death? Of course should. they Although they dropped the ball this time, they still have time to make their and our voice heard. This is no easy task, ta be sure. Gun control is doubtlessly a topic the whole campus will not agree on. Even The Chronicle's editorial board is not unified on the subject But we have democracy. Guns on campus will probably become an issue in the approaching election. Students will have the opportunity to democratically elect those candidates who share their opinions on the JLJencornpass. Gun control If an issue v !,ere everyone has m opinion especially in a Western state like Utah where many people grew up with guns in their homes arid where the frontier spirit mandates protecting your homestead with a rifle for some. Bernie Machen doesn't want guns oa campus. The state Legislature doesn't want him to stop students from bringing guns to the U. But what do students think? Tragically, the only people stuare dents have la represent leaders ia the Asiociated Students, of the University of Utah, They're responsible for representing us. That's why they're leader$.Ja the- tha But none cf them ' Monday's hearing. If both the legislature sad the U president are dueling on the efj Ject both ostensibly with the in mndinterest of wouldn't it be important for voices to be heard? Should- n't e;:r elsctcd cr sppr.lr.tJ student leaders solicit ovr voice;, - s stu-den- ts' ' - Wifci" s The results of the election will help Machen know how the student whose interests he is isii'ie for protecting feel. If the majority 'of students don't wast guns on campus, that's what Machen should fight for. If the majority do, he should back down. But either way, our student leaders need to let h?rn in era That's why ft y're leadirs...la -- lit j i DON'T UNDERESTIMATE BERNIE'S guns-csn-camp- sitte-nde- ' I LETTER issue. ory, stu-knt- E 7 2f lie, dc th aad civil rights arc topics funt and gun control ' 1 I pTTi IS ,s 4f V TO THE it tl Editor: Once again I see that the powers that be are showing that their degrees far exceed their intelligence. Our distinguished University of Utah President Bernie Machen is a prime example. He can be told that the U's policy towards firearms is in violation of the law. He then will then say "Oh no it's not." He is willing to go to court over the issue. Well, I hope it is not on the taxpayers' dime. You are going to lose this court case Bernie, and it does not take an advanced degree to figure that one M OR Well, approximately 20 years ago, a young member killer Ted Bundy. I don't know about you, but my feeling of security just went right out the window! Boy, I feel safe! Bernie, please... just follow the law. Please save the U the money and allow the students who conceal and carry firearm permits to exercise their Second Amendment rights. You cannot guarantee the safety of the students when you disarm those who have the ability to protect themselves. Otherwise, the university is liable. JASON L. CLARK law-abidi- The powers that be think they have a competent campus police and security force. So there is no need to have firearms on campus. advance ideas. The notion that students need a weapon capable of administering death at any moment just to feel safe is paranoid and poorly grounded. It sets the whole campus on edge and undermines the university's educational LEY Chronicle Opinion Columnist at the Crazy-corral is to begin. On one side of the fence Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtlcff and his state Legislature deputies. On the other stand U president Bernie "the kid" Machen and his band of academic desperados. The battle is shaping up over the U's ban on concealed weapons on campus. Machen appeared before the Legislature's Administrative Rules Review Committee on Monday in defense of the policy. According to a legal ruling recently isucd by Shurtleff, the policy violates the state's 1995 concealed weapons carrying law. The law allowi properly licensed to carry their weapons in It also public. prohibits any state agency from formulating gun policy without specific legshoot-ou- The gun-owne- t U rs islative approval. In a front-pag- e article in the Salt Lake Tribune on Sunday, Machen argued that allowing weapons on campus would destroy academic freedom. "The presence of firearms on campus would undermine this exchange of ideas," he said. Machen is right At a good university, faculty and students engage in argument and discussion, trusting that no kind of force (administrative, academic, or violent) will be used to free-flowin- g EDITOR of the U's security staff was none other than serial Junior, German and Political Science mmmswmme tutun mmue us mi JOHN "RESOLVE." N Compromising the Safety of Students out! wham mi kttfi U tit wSUf art strictly iU opltiott f tm &ds. Tto tsnm crUS w tt Opinio tiat Sm8a9 tsifat toft it nt fctstS m trferftss SufctU, trisllt t tfet rttjttcL MtUiM fefKBftwv tt i fedsd tf $re fcest tf rc, ttfenJe fcKk$fB4, ft4f, tf uiuti erf- - ANTI-GU- mission. U students must keep in mind, however, that this gunfight is more about the fight than the guns. The 1995 law that placed firearm regulation under legislative control is a blatant power grab. The law attempts to override tra- ditional administrative oversight and symbolizes a larger struggle between the U and conservatives who resent its commitment to academic freedom. Traditionally, government functions on the basis of separation of powers. The legislature drafts and forms the law and the executive enforces it. This system allowi the governor and his appointed officials to administer the hibiting stafemployees from bringing their guns to work. With Salt Lake City and the governor safely placed in a cage, gun advocates arc now gleefully discussing the prospect of taming an even larger beast, the University of Utah, The antagonism between U administrators and conservative Republican state legislators n is and Many conservatives resent all of the "liberal" U. the see of out it as a thought coming They bastion of How else to well-know- well-publicize- d. so-call- ed When Sheriff Shurtleff and his posse come riding up, we need to have our political ready. six-shoot- law flexibly and efficiently. Conservatives in the state Legislature, how- ever, are intent on using the concealed weapons law to put the heavy on local administrative control. Legislators first passed the law in 1995 in response to a Salt Lake City ordinance requiring a waiting period for gun purchases. After the city won a court battle over its ordinance, the legislature cracked down and centralized firearm regulations. Conservatives used the law again just recently to handcuff Gov. Leavitt and force him demands. As a result of a to give in to pro-gu- n ruling issued by Shurtleff, the State Department of Human Resources (under the governor's direction) changed its regulationsro- - moww-- ers explain the U's poor funding? Though In many states the flagship universities (such as Berkeley, Wisconsin and Virginia) are and widely respected, conservative bias In favor of smaller, less "liberal" state colleges and Brigham Young University prevents the U from getting more government help. The gun Issue now offers conservatives a perfect chance to take revenge. It's highly polar and hotly debated and has President Machen in a bind. Conservatives are pulling out all the stops. For example, The Salt Lake Tribune quoted Charles Hardy, a spokesman for Gun Owners CHRONICLE OPINION EDITOR LAURA D. WEISS well-funde- LWEISSG-CHRONICLE.UTAH.ED- d OWQT r of Utah. He advocated "punishing" the U by passing "a 20 percent (budget) cut...until they pull their head out." Similarly, state legislators arc lining up in opposition to President Machen, threatening to force their will down his administrative throat. The conservatives' victory may be less BYU sweet, however, when LDS church-owne- d becomes subject to the same uniform regulations. If the state wins a lawsuit against the U, the church would also be forced to alter its policy at BYU Imagine church President Gordon B. Hinckley then speaking out against repealing the gun ban. LDS conservatives who've made their political career chanting "Guns, God and Country" would have to rethink their position if God no longer likes guns. Though conservative?! paint this most recent battle between President Machen and the state Legislature as a question, it's actualA about ly power. victory on this issue will allow legislative oversight to creep further Into the U, having potentially dire consequences for academic freedom. Legislators who control gun policy now may take control of decisions concerning hiring, academic departments and budget allocation in the future. U students, faculty and staff, therefore, must rally in support of President Machen. When Sheriff Shurtleff and his posse come riding up, we need to have our political gun-righ- ts rs ready. John welcomes feedback at: jmorlcychiOni-clc.utah.edor tend letter to the editor to: u . 581-704- 1 |