UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Wednesdav. February 9. 1994
5
William Alix/KANSAN
Brian Farley, member of the Douglas County Rifle and Pistol Association prepares to shoot five shells at Lawrence Community Center's shooting range. The range has strict gun-handling rules to prevent accidents.
Handguns trigger mixed opinions
By Liz Chadwick Kansan staff writer
Country singer Reba McIntyre recently offered to trade concert tickets for guns. Former heavyweight champion Riddick Bowe paid $100 to everyone who turned in a gun to a Washington radio station. Rock star Ted Nugent went on the television show "Sonya Live" to explain why it's important to him to have a gun to protect his family.
Some, such as Sandra Albrecht, professor of sociology and women's studies, think that all guns should be banned.
All the recent news coverage of these events seems to reflect the national preoccupation with guns.
"I was raised around guns, and I understand why some people want them, but I would never have one in my house," Albrecht said.
Even those who handle guns on a regular basis differ widely in their opinions regarding what type of guns should be made available to the public.
Clay Barker, assistant professor of military science, said he would like to see all handguns eliminated.
"I know it makes people feel safer to
Farley said both male and female students attended the class.
But some see owning a gun as a right. Brian Farley, member of the National Rifle Association and a graduate of the School of Law, is a member of the Douglas County Rifle and Pistol Association. He teaches and supervises handgun target practice.
have guns around," Barker said. "Often, they end up shooting their own families. But this is a democracy, and if an individual wants them, what can you do about it?"
"The thing I hear from my women students in particular is that learning how to handle a weapon is a form of self-empowerment," he said.
"Essentially what we do is informal target practice with an occasional competition," he said.
Farley said supporters and opponents of gun control should try to find a compromise.
"Unfortunately, guns are becoming a radicalized issue," he said. "It's similar to the abortion issue or prohibition, and there's no compromising. We have a history of doing that in this country. We look for absolute solutions, and for some issues that just doesn't work."
Kansas is an "open carry" state in regard to guns. That means that if a person wants to carry a gun, it must be in full view.
Most states require that a gun be concealed and that the owner take gun safety courses and be familiar with the law. By doing that, the government can regulate who owns guns.
"This is a hold-over from frontier days," Fearley said. "The idea is that if the weapon is in full view, nobody will be surprised by an armed assault."
Aregulated concealed-weapons law makes more sense than an unregulated open-carry law, Farley said.
"In Kansas you don't have to register your gun," Farley said. "There's only a federal law that requires the gun dealer to take your name and put in on a list, commonly called a yellow sheet, that the federal government can have access to if it wants it. And now there's the Brady Bill, which requires a waiting period."
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