Newspapers / Elon University Student Newspaper / Sept. 23, 1999, edition 1 / Page 11
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Focus September 23, 1999 11 Findings prove gun laws harmful Cameron Dejong The Pendulum Recent findings by the U.S. Congress may prove that firearm laws do more harm than good. The issue of firearm restrictions has a mixed variety of opinions that spread from one extreme to an other. One extreme believes that there should be no firearm restric tions at all, while the other extreme believes that all firearms should be banned and taken away by any means necessary. The Second Amendment to the United States Constitution states that the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. The Constitution is considered the highest law in the land, and many believe it should be considered be fore anything else. Law-abiding citizens use guns to defend themselves against criminals as many as 2.5 million times every year - or 6,850 times a day. This means that each year, firearms are used 60 times more often to protect the lives of honest citizens than to take lives. Of the 2.5 million self-defense cases, more than 200,000 are by women de fending themselves against sexual abuse. And as many as one-half mil lion times every year, someone car rying a gun away from home de fends him or herself. Of the 2.5 million times citizens use their guns to defend themselves every year, the overwhelming majority merely brandish their gun or fire a warning shot to scare off their attackers. Citizens shoot and kill over 1,500 criminals a year, which is more than twice as many as police kill. Less than 8 percent of the time, a citizen will kill or wound his or her attacker. Handguns are the weapons of choice for self-defense. Citizens use handguns to protect themselves over 1.9 million times a year. And finally, police cannot possibly pro tect every individual citizen. Cur rently, there are about 150,000 po lice officers on duty at any one time to protect a population of more than 250 million Americans - or almost 1,700 citizens per officer. The fact seemed to over whelm most Elon students when they were shown to them. One stu dent was quoted as asking, “Are you sure the United States govern ment found this information?” Yes, as funny as it sounds, the government sometimes does provide us with real information on occasion. What is even funnier is that only one U.S. Representative is actively touting these facts to the American people. Even at Elon, it can happen to you Lisa McChristian The Pendulum Violence and crime, it can’t happen to me. I’m at Elon, in the middle of nowhere, what’s the worst I would frequently have to hop on a bus and go across town on my own or walk several blocks for errands. I heard numerous tips on how to stay safe: don’t talk to strangers, look like you know where you’re vision of reality took a hit. The attacks were completely different situations and involved completely different people, but to women on campus it should be a sign that we are all vulnerable. The that can happen? Elon is a city like any other. Crime happens and I’m not talking about public urination, drunk driv ing, speeding or illegal possession of drugs. My assignment this week was to find someone that was the victim of a crime. I hit a snag when we found that no one wanted to talk about it. Are we afraid of reality? Over the summer I did an internship on a newspaper in down town Baltimore. As part of my job going, hold on to your bag, etc. I wanted to be safe. I wanted to protect myself. Upsettingly I can’t say that I have behaved the same way at Elon. Instead of continuing these prac tices I have been stupid and walked across campus alone in the wee hours of the morning. I’ve gotten into my car without checking it. These are stupid, stupid ac tions that I never thought of until last week. Two sexual assaults at Elon College were reported and my “Elon Bubble” is not spared from real life events, no matter how un pleasant they may be. Sexual assualt is not our fault, but there are things that we can do to try to prevent it. If you go out at night try to have someone with you. Call cam pus security at ext. 2407 to get an escort. If you are at a party and de cide to drink, make sure that you have a friend that stays sober and can make sure you get home safe. Most Elon College Students... c r rins commwni. I w ra Ur Elon College Position Statement on Alcohol: Elon's position on the use of alcohol is not one of prohibition but one of education and accountability. While we observe the law, our primary appeal to students who choose to drink is that they will make conscious and low-risk choices that do not diminish their success and the success of others. d^ost Of Us^ This is part of an advertising campaign to inform Elon College students about consuming alcohol in moderation.
Elon University Student Newspaper
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Sept. 23, 1999, edition 1
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