Editorial
Florida gun laws
need further revision
The Florida stale legislature voted to ban public display
of guns in most settings last week in a response to public
concerns about the open w earing of firearms. This is the first
step in redefining a law that currently overrides old gun con
trol laws and allows people to carry concealed weapons,
unless they have a criminal record.
Although it is our constitutional right to bear arms,
some restrictions must he applied in terms of lic ensing and
restricting concealed weapons for the public's safety.
By allowing everyone to carry a gun. publicly or hid*
den. it becomes difficult to distinguish the good guys’ from
the had guys.'
This can cause unnecessary stress for police officers
who already have to make potential life-threatening deci
sions in weapons-related situations.
The old Florida law provided the opportunity for
violence with a deadly weapon. It needed revision and
should lx- further restrictive, it does not allow people with a
criminal record to possess a weapon.
But on the same note, it is impossible to chec k on a per
son's mental health history because those records are con
fidential. This tempts fate and increases the risk of a< cidents
without any controlled menchanism to prevent abuse.
In a country that Idolizes Ramiro' and a war mentality,
the Florida law comes as no surprise. However, it should not
he overlooked or accepted.
It is ironic to note that guns can be publicly displayed in
Florida, but in California, plastic toy guns are banned
because police officers may mistake them for real weapons.
The differences between these two laws only emphasize the
dangers of carrying a weapon and the importance of chang
ing the Florida law
Lane County gun control
achieves needed balance
While Florida nun control laws have been opened to
allow people to carry concealed weapons. Lane County gun
control laws maintain a balance between constitutional
rights and public safety.
Even though it is legal for a person to carry a weapon in
plain sight with some limited restrictions, it becomes illegal
when the weapon is hidden from view, said Lieutenant
Woodworth of the Lane County Sheriff’s Department.
Woodworth issues gun permits and maintains a strict
policy of screening applications. Woodworth receives ap
proximately 30 applications a week for permits, and reviews
the people for past criminal records and traffic violations.
In l,ane County it is illegal to carry a concealed weapon
without a permit There are exceptions, however — in
schools, hospitals and courtrooms to maintain the overall
safety of the people in these institutions.
Although allowing the open display of a weapon
with or without a license — can cause problems. Wood
worth says that even in situations without weapons it is dif
ficult to judge whether the outcome w ill In* life threatening
Nonetheless, lame County has taken appropriate
precautions in gun licensing. Restricting gun use is a touchy
subject. Regardless, some constraints must In* applied.
Oregon Daily
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Letters
Outside view
Well, it has started again I
pii ked up the Oct 7 edition of
the Oregon Daily Kmerald and
the anti-('.reeks had turned in
another bias letter full of
hearsay.
One might ask. "Why didn’t
those Phi Dell boys rush to the
girl’s aid?" Because we are bar
baric ami selfish! We joined the
Greek system because we enjoy
shouting taunts and jeers when
we see people "bleeding
profusely."
At the time ot tnt* accident
our membership was busy plan
ttiiiK the evening’s activities: a
terrorist act on Saferide, the
bombing of PIX', and to top it
off, rallying the entire sexist,
racist, gang-fighting Creek
System into a collective mob -
turning them loose on the city
of Eugene.
Just as Tim was impressed by
our gallant and speedy action. I
too am impressed by his Im
pressed that he can ridicule a
system of which he’s not a
member.
Thanks for trying to save us
by atnilishing the infamous
Creek system, but no thanks
We prefer to suffer from within
You can sit and view the
system from the outside, mock
ing us. perhaps landing a job
with the National Enquirer.
Who knows? Maybe this Satur
day there will l>e a car accident
and you can watch as we throw
rocks at the injured.
Michael |. Klannigan
Political science
Specify penalties
Education has as a basic
premise the clear specification
of objectives. It also should
clearly specify the conse
quences of violation of the rules
that guide us toward these
objectives.
Today. 1 saw three hikes im
pounded outside Allen Hall.
They were fastened to a han
drail under a sign that read.
"No bicycle parking. Violators
will be impounded."
The objective of the sign was
clear; the consequences were
not. No where did it say that im
pounding entailed a $30 fine.
That is a large sum of money to
many students
How many people have
violated a ‘‘keep off the grass"
si^n. or pushed a ■ pull" sign
on a grocery store door? If you
knew your transgression would
have cost you Sill), you would
think twice about your actions.
Thirty dollars is too much for
parking your bike in the wrong
place If the University thinks it
is not too much, then at least a
sign should clearly state precise
penalties for our misdeeds
Hat Harold
Graduate
Not guilty
This is in response lo the
Wednesday. Oct. 7 issue in
which Tim Chauran. a jour
nalism student, suggests that
Greeks should be abolished. He
targeted his criticism on the
basis of a bicycle wreck in front
of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity.
However, at the time of the
accident, all but two Phi Delts
were still at the football game
cheering for the Ducks. These
two witnessed the whole
accident
In actuality, the girl biker
crashed into the male friend at
her side. This man.
(presumably the infamous Tim
Chauran). then aided the girl to
the curb, where they both
started laughing hysterically as
if intoxicated. Then they hugg
ed each other, untangled the
bikes and walked away.
There was absolutely no
■'taunting” or "jeering” of the
young girl by anyone.
Yet another example ot the
facts being twisted is the issue
of "g ingfights." Obviously
anothe misconceived impres
sion se! on degrading the Greek
system
The \ do story was blown
out ot | Mortinn using lies and
drama >.or like “bleeding
profus* j" simply to get the
reader's attention Clearly, this
is merely a case of Tim Chauran
misusing his journalism talents
for the simple purpose of
slandering Greeks
xluart Sandor
i'i>i Delta Theta
Letters Policy
The Emerald will attempt to print all letters con
taining fair comment on topics of interest to the
University community.
Letters to the editor must be limited to 250
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into the Emerald office. Suite 300, EMU.