Editor,
In response to Jean Aragon's letter in Thursday's Daily Lobo, I could not agree more, and I would like to commend Aragon. The fact of the matter is, if there were an active shooter on campus, it would take precious minutes to notify the police and even more time for them to respond. I am not saying the response would not be prompt, as I am sure every available officer would be on scene as quickly as possible, but a lot can happen in that time. If students and staff were allowed to carry concealed firearms, the likelihood of the situation being diffused before police were even on scene is a lot higher.
It should also be noted that concealed-carry licenses are not just given to anyone who wants one. There are many rules and stipulations governing such licenses, which include thorough background checks, tests and proficiency qualifications. We also have numerous active-duty, retired, reserve military and police who attend classes whose training far exceeds that required of a CCL. In other words, anyone who opted to carry a concealed firearm would be trained and proficient in its use and not pose any threat whatsoever, but instead they would serve to enhance the safety and security of the entire student population.
I, too, follow Aragon's example and beseech Gov. Bill Richardson and President David Schmidly to allow students the use of their Second Amendment right to bear arms in order to protect themselves and the rest of the students by allowing us the option to obtain a CCL and carry a concealed firearm on campus.
Alan Sonntag
UNM Student
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