Campus/Area
University Daily Kansan / Wednesday, March 8, 1989
3
Gun owners need more training, practice Police say weapons make people act irrationally
by Marian Weeks Kansan staff writer
A 1986 study by the New England Journal of Medicine found that a gun is 43 times more likely to be used in a suicide, murder or accidental death than it is to be used in self defense to kill an intruder, said Nyla Branscombe, assistant professor of psychology.
And a laboratory study in 1967 found that subjects were more aggressive in the presence of a gun. Branscombe said
the jeanne Longaker, KU police spokesman, said her opinion was that people might purchase a gun considering what they would do with it.
"I personally believe that the presence of a weapon (in a self-defense situation) makes most
people irrational," Longaker said.
"Whatever (weapon) you are carrying can be used against you."
Longaker also said that people who purchased guns could not foresee all situations that might arise.
"I don't think it's safe for anyone to carry a gun who isn't trained — any type of gun," she said.
A frightened person with a gun might overreact, Longaker said.
Training takes time and continuous practice, Longaker said.
"You cannot take six or eight weeks of classes and be trained in martial arts. I don't think you can take six or eight weeks of training in handguns and be trained either." Longaker said.
While carrying a handgun, one ought to have habits instilled from
discipline similar to the discipline learned in martial arts training, she said.
Longaker compared this combination of conscious thought and habit to learning to lock one's car door time after time.
That discipline instills a sense of confidence that shows, she said. And where guns are concerned, involves a continuous awareness.
The confidence might reduce the likelihood of being attacked, whether a woman is carrying a weapon or not, Longaker said.
Capt. Marilyn Mulson of the Douglas County sheriff's office has carried a gun as part of her job for 24 years, 20 of those in the field where she often investigated crimes and made arrests, she said.
And there are emotional consequences for people who injure or kill someone, even in self-defense, Mulson said.
Police investigations provide him the information he uses to decide about the appropriateness of charges, he said.
The law allows a person to use reasonable force to protect themselves, he said.
Jim Flory, Douglas County district attorney, said civil suits and criminal charges could be filed for injury or death from a gunshot.
Flory said that a gun could be carried in plain view but became illegal when concealed on the person. A gun carried in a purse is considered a concealed weapon, Flory said.
Lt. Jeanne Longaker demonstrates the proper way to hand a weapon to someone.
Smith & Wesson has designed a new handgun line for women called the LadySmith. The gun handle is smaller to fit a woman's hand and is not as powerful as most handguns. (Actual model is not pictured here.)
Company produces women's gun attempts to educate about safe use
by Steven Wolcott Kansan staff writer
Nancy Reagan keeps a small handgun by her bedside. Abigail Perkins, a character on the television show "L.A. Law," carries a handgun in her purse.
Women nationwide are making the choice to own a handgun. However, local gun shop managers often want them not to choose arm themselves.
Diane Pero, communications coordinator for gunmaker Smith & Wesson's women's program, said research had shown that 15 million women would be purchasing handguns in the next two years.
According to a Gallup study, sales of handguns to women increased 53 percent to more than 178 million last year while sales to men have been flat.
Meeting the demand
In response to these numbers, Smith & Wesson is promoting a new line of .38 caliber handguns for women, and for women, called the LadsSmith.
"It is not so much our opinion that a woman should own a gun, it's just that women are owning them." Pero said.
The LadySmiths have custom-designed grips to fit the smaller hands of women.
Pero said Smith & Wesson was manufacturing the weapons and would be shipping them next month.
Area gun shop managers said that most Lawrence women were bucking the trend toward handgun ownership.
"We get only about one woman a week," said Jeff Lummis, man-
It is not so much our opinion that a woman should own a gun, it's just that women are owning them.'
Diane Pero
communications coordinator
1.
Smith & Wesson women's program
ager of Jayhawk Pawn & Jewelry,
1804 W. Sixth St. "The ratio of
women to men buying guns is
probably 1 to 8.
"When they do buy, they tend to stick to small caliber weapons. We don't have very many coming in for. 44 Magnums."
Merlin Ewing, manager of Lawrence Pawn & Shooters Supply, 718 women Hampshire St., said the women customers they had came in to buy diamonds or stereos, not handguns.
Neither Ewing nor Lummis had heard of the LadySmith line.
As part of promoting the new style of weapon, Smith & Wesson has set up an educational campaign to teach women how to correctly and safely use handguns. Pero said the campaign would include a toll-free information hotline.
Promotional campaign
woman can protect herself in her home.
According to the Chicago Tribune, Smith & Wesson will spend an unprecedented $500,000 on a fundraiser that targets unscale educated women.
The hotline will refer women to a member of the National Rifle Association for safety information, offer the names of area gun dealers that teach gun safety and give general information on how a
Pero refused to confirm any advertising figures, saying the $500,000 figure had to be a guess.
"We will be doing two types of advertising," Pero said. "The first will be public safety ads in women's magazines. The second will be product ads in sporting magazines."
Guns and the LadySmith line are not mentioned in the public safety advertisements, which show women in high-risk crime situations. The number for the toll-free hotline is included in the ad.
"When a woman calls she is given general safety information unless she specifically asks about guns or gun ownership," Pero said. "Then we would tell her about the LadySmith line."
Pero said the May issues of Ladies Home Journal and Executive Female would be carrying the public safety advertisements.
Some publications have rejected the advertisements as being too controversial or not compatible with their format.
Pero said Smith & Wesson was negotiating with magazines that had rejected the advertisements.
"Some of the magazines feel that public safety advertisements by a company that manufactures are too controversial." Pero said.
Lawrence crime rate goes down Number declines 5 percent in city
oy Angela Clark
Kansan staff writer
The crime rate decrease in Lawrence parallels a trend in the state, where overall crime decreased 1.4 percent.
The number of crimes committed in Lawrence declined by 5 percent last year, according to a report by the Kansas Bureau of Investigation.
Lawrence experienced 3,814 crimes in 1988, the report showed. There were 4,014 crimes committed in 1987.
Violent crime in Kansas, though, rose 1 percent in the last year because of a 4.5 percent increase in robberies, according to the report.
There were 2,022 robberies in the state in 1987. That number increased by 90 in 1988.
Violent crime in Kansas, though, rose 1 percent in the last year.
Overall, though, because of a 1.5 percent decrease in property crimes, the crime rate in the state has declined from 29.4 in the past year, the report showed.
The report gave statistics for Lawrence's crime rate and did not differentiate between violent and property crimes.
Violent crimes include murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault. Property crimes include burglary, theft and motor vehicle
The annual report is based on crimes reported to the KBI by about 300 law enforcement agencies in the state.
Lawrence's decrease in crime rate can be compared with other cities in Kansas with populations of more than 10,000. The greatest decrease was in Great Britain, where there was a 36% decrease in crime from 988 in 1987 to 677 in 1988.
The greatest increase of overall crime in cities with a population of more than 10,000 was in Garden City, which experienced a 13.8 percent increase, from 2,019 crimes in 1987 to 2,298 in 1988.
Douglas County's overall crime decreased by 2.5 percent from 4,578 in 1987 to 4,855 in 1988, the statistics showed.
The greatest decrease in county crime was in Comanche county, in south-central Kansas, which experienced a decrease of 75 percent, from eight crimes committed in 1987 to two in 1988.
Fifty-six crimes were committed in Kansas state parks in 1988, compared with four in 1987, marking a 1,300 percent increase for the year.
Video display terminals are safe if used correctly, experts say
by Steven Wolcott
Kansan staff writer
They can be found almost everywhere. In state universities and professors' offices, offices in Walton, WA.
It is becoming rare for a student or staff member not to spend some part of the day usurping the classroom.
The Center for Office Technology estimation estimates VDTs will be in use by the United States Navy.
As a consequence of this influx of technology, a growing number of illnesses,
including miscarriages, are being attributed to VDT use.
Jennifer Gross, exercise physiologist at the Lawrence Memorial Hospital Wellness Center, 4120 Clinton Parkway, said there was no need for an IV drip that pregnant women should not use VDTs.
"There is really no way to prove that sitting at the terminal causes miscarriages."
But a Lawrence health official said fears that using VDTs could cause miscarriages were unfounded.
have one anyway."
- Gross said the primary problem was eye strain, which can lead to other ailments such as headaches and blurred vision.
"If the screen itself is not at the correct angle, you can end up with postural problems such as back strains." Gross said. "Most of these problems are correctible things."
Gross said designers of computer work stations needed to make sure the station fit on the floor.
Beside re-designing the work station, Gross said there were other things that could
be done to alleviate VDT-related ailments.
"You can install glare screens, or put hoods on top of the terminal to keep the room lighting from reflecting off the screen," Gross said. "Many offices have replaced their fluorescent lights. They tend to cause more glare on the screen then other lights."
Gross said people who spent a lot of time in front of computer terminals should take breaks every hour to hour and a half, or rotate to a non-computer task.
While sitting at the terminal, the person can do neck and shoulder roll exercises to
alleviate back pain, Gross said.
David Holmes, professor of psychology,
said some ailments could be psychological
"There have been a number of scares in the past where people working with VDTS had experienced abdominal cramps, headaches and other ailments." Holmes
Holmes said psychologists thought some of the problems were "mass psychogenic
"The suggestion effect — one person feels ill and others pick it up." Holmes said.