The bill (backed by Republicans) was approved by both - the House and Senate on this past Tuesday (July 23, 2013) that would allow gun owners (concealed-carry permit holders) to take firearms into restaurants, bars and other places where alcohol is served. Bar and Restaurant owners still have the option to ban firearms on their property if they see fit!
The bill will also allow those with legal gun permits to store their firearms in locked cars on collage campuses as well as any other public school or university. Guns will also be allowed on playgrounds, parks, greenways, hiking trails and any other public recreation area!
The bill once included a repeal of the long-standing law that requires that you get a background check and permit that is issued by County Sheriffs for handgun purchases! Luckily this was dropped on the final bill and was an extreme controversial provision!
It's said that the bill now sits on North Carolina's Republican Governor - Pat McCrory's desk and he is expected to sign it in the next few days!!
We can't let this happen! I understand the concern about the safety of our children and the Sandy Hook event was extremely tragic and we don't want anything like this to happen again but I don't agree with everything that this new bill consists of.
First off - Collage is a very special and sometimes stressful time during a young persons life. Noone wants to admit this, but... lots of parties, anger & stress are formed throughout a young adult's years while attending collage and I don't believe that allowing guns to be so closely available to these collage students, would be a good idea! All it takes is for one student to decide that they've had enough and get their hands on one of these guns. We may find ourselves witnessing another horrific event being broadcasted throughout our news stations.
Secondly - Playgrounds and Parks? Really?? Why would you need a gun when your talking your child to go play? I understand that there are many predators in this world but shooting one of them if they bother your child will just land you some major jail time... Am I right? Please correct me if I'm wrong. I want to protect my children as much as the next mom but I don't believe that broadening the gun allowance is the answer to our problems. The hiking trails could be dangerous as well but doesn't worry me as much as some of the others... But it still crosses my mind.
My next concern about this new bill is about guns possibly being allowed into Bars and Restaurants that serve alcohol! Hello!! Has no one heard of the drunken ex-boyfriend that legally owns a gun, ends up drinking too much (trying to wash away the pain of a recent break-up) and runs across someone who he either doesn't like, did him wrong or just happen to make him mad at the wrong moment.... I've been drunk before and I've learned that you rarely ever think your actions through until you wake up the next morning and regret the events that happened while you were 3 sheets to the wind. Alcohol and Firearms do NOT make a good pair!
Last but maybe a bit more important is the possible allowance of firearms being allowed in our public schools. I somewhat believe in what Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam and TN State Sen. has mentioned: (Posted below via Huff Post Politics)
Gov. Haslam says he will consider a Tennessee plan to secretly arm and train some teachers, TPM reports. The legislation will be introduced by State Sen. Frank Niceley (R) next month.
"Say some madman comes in. The first person he would probably try to take out was the resource officer. But if he doesn’t know which teacher has training, then he wouldn't know which one had [a gun]," Niceley told TPM. "These guys are obviously cowards anyway and if someone starts shooting back, they’re going to take cover, maybe go ahead and commit suicide like most of them have."
Even though I am not a fan of any gun being inside of my daughters' school... They have a good point but I still have some big concerns. Elementary Schools and possibly Middle Schools may do fine with random teachers getting secretly trained to handle a firearm and be allowed to LOCK it away in their classroom but High-School is a whole other story! High-School students are nothing but smaller collage students and tempers flare up often. Has anyone payed attention at the size of kids these days? It seems like the difference of a normal 15 year old child 10 years ago is quiet smaller than a normal 15 year old child in 2013! It wouldn't take much for one of these students
to over power a teacher if they are angry enough. A concern that may happen more often than a student overpowering their teacher for the gun, is figuring out where the gun is hidden (once they figure out who in the school has one) Teachers are not always in their classrooms at all times and I seriously don't believe that any hiding place will be good enough for a determined teenager! You can say that the firearms would be locked up safely and tightly but if this is so - Then how would the teacher get the gun out fast enough if a madman does happen to attack? The weapon would be needed in a matter of seconds and if the teacher has to go to the closet, unlock a safe, load and then shoot.... It would of already been too late and lives would be lost.
I don't have any answers to my own questions, even though I wish I did... I have no suggestions on how we can keep our children and community safe from violence ... I truthfully and sadly don't believe it's possible! There are some extreme consequences on both sides of each subject that I've mentioned and the idea of being able to stop violence completely is just about as impossible as raising a flying pig... Having nice and caring people starts with how a child is raised and treated throughout their life and we can't control how parents, bullies, Ex (or current) Boyfriends/Girlfriends, Classmates and Co-Workers are going to treat each person that they meet and it can take one wrong thing said or a collection of wrongs to cause someone to flip. Violence is a part of life and placing firearms where our over-worked and stressed out children/young adults are, can't be the answer that we are all looking for. Maybe we should post an armed Military man outside of EVERY SCHOOL to protect the school and students. At this moment... That option sounds like a wonderful starting point!
I would love to hear your opinion on this subject. Wither your from NC or not, your opinion matters!
Do you believe that the new NC bill should or should not be passed?
