‘OnTheSpot’ makes me embarrassed to call myself a Wildcat

Wednesday, I read Andi Berlin’s piece “”OnTheSpot”” where she told a young Girl Scout in uniform that one of her badges looked like a Nazi swastika. What is wrong with the Wildcat’s contributor that she would conduct such an “”interview””? And what is wrong with the Wildcat that this would actually get published?

This piece not only reflected poorly on the newspaper but also on the entire student body that it claims to represent. Hopefully I’ll never have to find a job through this little girl’s parents. “”Oh, so you’re from that school that called our young daughter a Nazi?”” Next time, I hope that the Daily Wildcat will think before it publishes. Thank you.

Garrett Lebby
business management senior

Jefferies needs to back up his claims

James Jefferies’ letter “”Hathaway misses a critical point, 2/20″” may sway some with his emotional appeals, but many caught the lack of evidence backing up his proclamations. If the presence of guns on campus is “”completely detrimental”” to our learning environment, as he says, then how does this not apply to the police? Does he want them to patrol without guns? In the event of a lunatic on campus, bent on murder, what would Jefferies have the police respond with? Guns in the hands of good people on campus does not affect our learning environment because the guns are (metaphorically) transparent. Who would think twice about a University of Arizona Police Department cop with a gun in the open, on his/her hip? You’ve probably thought just as much about their guns as all the people you’ve sat next to in movie theaters and walked by in malls with guns well-hidden and carried legally, with a permit. Jefferies further states that we all lose in reacting to these killers by allowing law-abiding citizens to protect themselves on campus. I remind everyone that our constitution has made this country great by clearly spelling out our rights. By supporting SB 1214, most simply, we are reasserting our rights as Americans, getting back that which has been taken away from us and providing a real solution that will save lives.

During the hearing for SB 1214, there were those who testified both for and against the bill. You can see all of the testimony with your own eyes by going to our state capital’s Web site, www.azleg.gov. There were many in favor of the bill, including a retired Mesa, Ariz. police officer of 20 years who is now a teacher of 10 years, an elementary school teacher and numerous students from the UA, among many others. These people were not being paid to testify, unlike the police chiefs and other paid lobbyists. I urge everyone to go watch the video, listen to the arguments on both sides and decide for yourselves.

James Knitter
pre-physiology sophomore

‘UA ready to handle disaster of NIU scale?’

In response to Tuesday’s article “”UA ready to handle disaster of NIU scale,”” I think not. I was present at the senate hearing regarding SB 1214. At that hearing, police chiefs from NAU, ASU and the UA were expressing their disapproval of the bill. The panel asked the police chiefs various questions regarding what they called the “”Rapid Response Team.”” I was taken aback by the chief’s responses to the expected response to the scene of a school shooting. It was between three and 15 minutes. To me, that is far too long. Especially considering someone of proficient gunmanship can easily destroy at least 15 lives in three minutes alone; and that is a conservative estimate of one person fatally shot every 16 seconds. Three minutes is a long time to wait for help when one is in such an event. By the time police arrive at the scene too many lives are lost or damaged. And in many cases, the perpetrator would have already taken their own life. In essence, the responding police are mere janitors of crime, cleaning up the bloodbath and carnage left over from a deranged lunatic.

One of the main reasons stated by the police chiefs who did not want other guns on campus was because it would add confusion to the situation. I am sorry but no matter what the situation is, there will be mass confusion. It is inherent with any violent event. Police officials are supposed to be trained individuals protecting the innocent and attacking the perpetrator. I think it would look pretty obvious that someone with a gun leading a class or other innocent bystanders out of a building is not the perpetrator. If the officers shoot or are worried about shooting a person in the situation, then they are being trained to be too trigger happy or not being trained properly, period.

I have noticed a trend regarding school shootings. These people have some sort of mental illness or are on some sort of anti-psychiatric drug. The day you get all the people on anti-psychiatric drugs off campuses is the day campuses will be safer. Until then, I would like to carry my pistol on campus to protect myself and my fellow classmates in the unfortunate event of a school shooting and for my protection while walking around campus late at night; where I have already been mugged twice, something I won’t allow to happen that easily again.

Jason Lewis
aerospace engineering junior