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End the "Gun Free" Killing Zones says National Firearms Authority

BATON ROUGE, LA -- Calling college campuses "killing zones" because they prevent licensed adults from carrying firearms for protection, a national firearms authority called on the Louisiana Legislature to examine the positive record of other states and remove the restrictions which require university students in the Bayou State to be helpless victims of crime.

"Don't sacrifice students out of ignorance," said Tom Gresham in his testimony before the Louisiana House Criminal Justice Committee on Thursday. Gresham is the host of "Tom Gresham's Gun Talk," a nationally-syndicated radio talk show, creator and host of "Personal Defense TV" television series, and lives in northern Louisiana. "The track record is clear -- honest people with guns have stopped school shootings. There is no reason to wonder what would happen if we allow licensed adults to carry on campus. We already know. Adults with carry permits behave well, and they stop crime."

"When you hear someone crying that there will be accidents, or irresponsible behavior, or 'blood in the streets,'" said Gresham, "you are listening to the equivalent of the 'Flat Earth Society.' We already have the data, and the facts show that those with permits are 100 times more likely to obey the law than the average citizen walking down the street."

Gresham also addressed claims by various police agencies which oppose removing the restriction on carrying guns on campus.

"Any agency which says, as some have, that they would shoot anyone with a gun if they got a report of a shooting on campus should be shut down until they can get remedial training. Hundreds of thousands of Louisiana residents legally carry guns in their cars and tens of thousands are licensed to carry guns on their persons. It is the height of irresponsibility for any law enforcement officer to say he or she would shoot someone with a gun without determining if that person is a threat. Every person with a carry permit knows better than that."

The record is clear. The U.S. Justice Department says that as a conservative number, there are at least 1.5 million defensive gun uses in the U.S. each year. Honest people with guns save lives.

"This is not new ground. The state of Utah allows adults with permits to carry guns on campuses," Gresham continued, "and they report no problems. Remember that the people we are talking about already carry their guns responsibly off campus. It defies reason to think that stepping onto a college or university campus would change that behavior."

"We are talking about adults, here," said Gresham. "To get the permit, a person must be 21 years old, can not have a felony conviction, can not have a domestic violence conviction, can not be under a restraining order, must be fingerprinted, must have a background check done, must be photographed, must take a training class, and must pay upward of $200 for the class and the application. Criminals do not go through this process -- but the criminals do ignore the so-called 'Gun Free Zone' signs and prey on students and faculty."

School shootings in Virginia and Mississippi have been stopped by students and faculty who used their own firearms, and did not have to fire a shot. Lives were saved. Mall and church shootings have been stopped by licensed citizens using their own guns to save lives.

"How do you stop someone who is shooting up a school?," asked Gresham. "Someone with a gun shows up. The question to ask is this. If it is your son or daughter in the class, and someone is shooting people, do you want to wait the five or ten minutes for the police, or would you like for a trained adult to put a stop to it in seconds?"

"Remember," said Gresham, "When seconds count, the police are only minutes away."

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The band is composed of a bassist, a drummer, three guitarists, a keyboardist, and anywhere from ten to fifteen vocalists comprising a full choir of lead singers. The band's music is somewhat similar in style to '80s metal and glam rock. The basic song structure employed by the band does away with traditional verses in order to highlight catchy choruses and integrate as many guitar solos as possible.

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I'm sure by now most of you are familiar with Whole Foods Market. The
growing grocery chain remains a champion of organic and natural foods
movement, and its many aisles are stocked with the foods that are just what
your body needs for good health (and a bunch of soy-based junk food that
will be the death of you?). But soy isn't the only area that they're
lacking a little common sense.

A few weeks ago, Whole Foods Market fired one of its employees because he
tried to stop a shoplifter. Believe it or not, John Schultz of Ann Arbor,
Michigan claims he was fired because he violated a company policy that
prohibits employees from physically touching customers. He says that this
policy has been enforced even though the customer he "physically touched"
was carrying a bag of stolen goods?and was not even on the company
property.

You read that right. Whole Foods Market would rather fire their
well-meaning employee than risk legal action from the would-be shoplifter
that the employee tried to stop. If you have a problem with this, you can
thank your local chapter of the American Bar Association, because this
story has corporate "asset protection" written all over it.

The story goes like this: Schultz says he had just punched out for a break
one evening when he heard a commotion at the front of the store. Being a
good employee, he rushed to the aid of a store manager who had yelled for
help. Schultz, the manager, and another employee were then able to corner
the would-be shoplifter in the store's parking lot. When the shoplifter
went to escape, Schultz chased him down and held him, saying he was making
a citizen's arrest until the police arrived.

Here's where the story gets odd. The manager ran up to Schultz and his
quarry. But instead of telling Schultz he'd done a good job, the manager
told him to release the shoplifter. Schultz complied and, naturally, the
shoplifter ran off, escaping into the night.

The next day ? Christmas Eve, no less! ? Schultz was called into the
manager's office and informed that he was fired for violating the company's
"no physical contact" policy. Whole Foods Market is unapologetic about
their action. According to Kate Klotz, a Whole Foods Market spokesperson,
"The fact that [Schultz] touched [the shoplifter], period, is means for
termination."

The fact that Schultz acted as a private citizen on property that didn't
belong to Whole Foods didn't matter one iota to the ever-reasonable Ms.
Klotz. "He is still considered an employee of Whole Foods Market regardless
of where he was and what was happening," she said. If that last statement
makes one lick of sense to you in light of the details of the incident, be
sure to email me and explain how, 'cause I'm baffled.

The result? Whole Foods Market is out about $346 worth of food and other
products, and one employee who'd been there for FIVE YEARS. Of course, the
shoplifter was never caught.

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