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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 18, 2005)
Ducks record comeback win in wrestling dual I 9 Oregon Patty Emerald An independent newspaper www.dailyemerald.com Since 1900 | Volume 106, Issue 81 | Tuesday, January 18, 2005 PARTI OF2 Firearms on campus Today: Concealed handgun advocates challenge the OUS policy Wednesday. Seeking solutions to the handgun dilemma Revealing concealed handguns Two out of 50 people over 21 in Lane County will have a license to carry a concealed handgun. Controversy continues over the Oregon University Systems policy on concealed firearms BY PARKER HOWELL SENIOR NEWS REPORTER One year ago this month, Uni versity graduate student and Concealed Handgun License holder Brian Stubbs challenged an Oregon University System policy for bidding him from carrying his gun on campus. A federal judge dismissed Stubbs’ suit against the Oregon State Board of Higher Education in June, but key play ers on both sides of this ongoing con troversy — whether to allow students, faculty and visitors with licenses to car ry concealed firearms to bring them onto campus — agree the matter has yet to be resolved. Source of contention Statewide, 98,537 people had a CHL as of December 2004, according to Law Enforcement Data System information. In Lane County, 9,566 or about 4.1 per cent of people over 21 held licenses, compared with 9,921 (about 3.2 per cent) in Washington County and 11,673 (about 2.4 percent) in Multnomah County. Some of these holders think the OUS is violating state law by forbid ding concealed weapons on university campuses for license holders. Once people obtain licenses in Oregon, the Oregon Revised Statutes allow them to carry their concealed handguns in “public buildings,” including hospitals, public and private schools and univer sities, with the exception of court rooms. Some private establishments, such as bars and movies theaters, may post signs banning concealed weapons. However, the Oregon Administrative Rules for Oregon universities — regula tions created by the board of higher ed ucation to interpret Oregon statutes — bar CHL holders from carrying con cealed guns at OUS facilities, such as in University buildings. Obtaining a license Oregonians interested in carrying a concealed handgun must obtain a per mit from their local sheriff’s office after meeting eligibility requirements and completing a firearms safety course. However, laws governing con cealed handgun licenses vary on a state-to-state basis. About 35 states, including Oregon, have “shall issue” laws allowing anyone who applies and meets state requirements to carry a concealed handgun, according to Packing.org. Several other states, such as California, have limited laws allowing lawenforcement to deter mine whether to issue a license to a specific applicant. Concealed weapons are prohibited in five states, including Illinois and Wisconsin. Special Deputy Paige Payne, who works in the Washington County Sher iff’s Office Concealed Handgun License Unit, said law enforcement agencies around the state share information about concealed carry licenses. If a CHL holder is accused of com mitting a crime or has a restraining or der placed against him or her, the local sheriff’s office that issued the person’s CHL will be notified, and the license can be revoked. Payne said her agency revokes licenses “quite often.” The Baron’s Den employee and firearm safety instructor Raye Gunter, who said he has put more people through the Lane County Sheriff’s Of fice for CHLs than any other instructor in the state, said he’s seen the number of people interested in having a con cealed handgun rise as more people come of age and make a decision to carry for self-defense. Gunter — who also teaches a basic handgun safety class at Lane HANDGUN, page 6 WAYS TO CARRY A HANDGUN People with Concealed Handgun Licenses can choose to conceal their weapons in a variety of ways, depending on the size of the weapon, the clothing appropriate for the climate and the person’s body type. • Inside the waistband One of the most common and most popular styles of concealed carry, IWB holsters allow the bulk of the weapon to fit inside the pants so that only the gun's butt needs to be covered. Source: www.gunnersalley.com • Outside the waistband Few OWB holsters will be suitable for concealed carry because they create a bump in the holder's clothing. OWB holsters work well with smaller firearms for people who have trouble carrying IWB. I • Ankle holsters These holsters provide an other option, but they may require time to get used to and only work with small er guns. Pocket holsters are a similar option. Bret furtwangler | Graphic artist Downtown the target of loan programs To encourage local growth, a committee allocates funds to beginning businesses at city's 'core BY MEGHANN M. CUNIFF SENIOR NEWS REPORTER City officials are hoping to turn downtown Eu gene into an active, inviting and economically strong area, and, if they invest the city’s money wisely, they say they may soon have just that. The Business Loan Program and the Down town Revitalization Loan Program are two city programs designed to give the Eugene economy an edge in tough economic times and promote business growth within the city’s core, City Loan Analyst Denny Braud said. “We’re trying to impact how they develop and where they develop, ” Braud said of the programs’ effects on area businesses. Braud, who oversees the two programs, said the success rate of the city loan programs has been high and is only expected to increase, “de spite some initial failings.” The Dive Bar & Grill was one of those initial LOANS, page 12 Community at center ofMLKJr. celebration Keynote speaker Bebe Moore Campbell addressed the current status of racism and diversity BY KARA HANSEN NEWS REPORTER At least 600 people gathered to bridge the gap between races and to build a connection between students and the Eugene community at the 19th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration at the EMU Ballroom Monday night. Musical performances, awards announce ments and greetings from the University’s Vice Provost for Institutional Equity and Diversity Greg Vincent and Mayor Kitty Piercy led to the event’s keynote address, given by author and journalist Bebe Moore Campbell under the theme “Cele brating Diversity Through Shared Humanity. ” In her speech, Campbell said although times have changed and equality is stronger than in years past, challenges still exist for minorities in the United States that “plague the black commu nity in disproportionate numbers.” “If white children were failing in schools the way some black and brown children are,” Camp bell said, “America would not allow it.” But attending college has helped open up op portunities for minority communities, she said. There are 305 black students at the University out of a total enrollment of 19,450, or 1.57 per cent, according to the Registrar’s Office. MLK, page 8
