Gun Control
Date: Mar 25, 2005 1:30 AM
Press Release for Immediate distribution

US-DIN

Utah Self-Defense Instructors’ Network

We at US-DIN are deeply saddened at the senseless loss of life that occurred
on Monday at Red Lake High School in Minnesota.

This situation ,like other mass shootings, are frustrating to us in that we
believe they are largely preventable. We see this as yet another shooting
that has occurred in places ignorantly perceived as safe. They are
“perceived” as such because of signs and policies that prohibit weapons.
Yet
they take little if any affirmative action to insure safety, let alone
allowing for lawful Self-Defense. They pay lip service to security
procedures and personnel and place “Feel Good” signs restricting weapons.

Indeed we cannot state for a certainty what would have happened had a
teacher or administrator at Red Lake HS been allowed to carry a concealed
firearm for lawful self-defense. However, we can state with absolute
certainty what DID happen when lawful concealed carry was disallowed.

I look forward to a enlivening and enlarging of the debate regarding
firearms in schools. US-DIN has never been more committed to maintaining the
ability for lawful concealed carry in and around Utah’s Schools. Utah, as 1
of few states which allow concealed carry in schools, is watched carefully
as we are a “laboratory’ of sorts for concealed carry in these environments.
We have had this ability since 1995 and it has been recently “re-enforced”
with legislation in past years as well as successfully fending off attacks
which would have mitigated lawful self-defense in school and churches.

Such debate will certainly show the futility of the anti self-defense groups
which seek to promote their ideologically driven agenda by fear, and
un-truths and the public’s misunderstanding of the facts.

Indeed, our adversaries had an ideal situation at Red Lake HS,

No guns allowed per Minnesota and Tribal law
a guard was present at entrance
Metal Detectors were present
the shooter was on home study and not supposed to be at school.
He was too young to own or posses firearms per Mn. and tribal law.
The firearm was NOT obtained from a gun show.
The firearm was legally registered.
The firearm came from the home of a Law Enforcement Officer.

I await a response from our opponents on these facts and discussion on what
additional laws they believe would have prevented this.

We see some commonalities in the Wisconsin church shootings, Atlanta GA
killings and Red Lake, MN HS shootings.

They all occurred in gun free zones.
Red Lake and Atlanta weapons used came from Law Enforcement Officers.
No chance for victims to shoot back as Guards, Judges, court stenographer,
teachers, administration were unarmed.
Police were called, arrived and were not able to save anyone before the
carnage ended.
School administration has become complacent after Columbine because the
shooter’s previous threats went unheeded.
Metal detectors and guards helped people to FEEL safer (Complacency)
Shooter was able to walk around killing unimpeded knowing that there would
be no return fire.
People cried and cowered in locked rooms hoping he couldn?t get in.
Guards, if they do have a gun, are the first targets because their firearm
is apparent. Whereas CCW holders have ?concealed? weapons and as such are
not an obvious target because they are not perceived as a threat to the
shooter.
Once again our adversaries would seek to legislate, put up signs and enact
“rules against firearms” . We see that even with these in places these
efforts are only effective against that segment of population that are
inclined to follow them, (The law abiding citizens) and do not, in any way,
influence compliance on a criminals part or someone bent on violence.

These signs, rules and statutes;

1. do nothing to insure safety

2. insure that the a person bent on violence will not be inhibited by
“return fire” from someone acting in lawful-Self-Defense.

3. actually are worse than nothing as it takes the attention off of the real
problems and leads to a sense of complacency with respect to security at a
site. Ignorantly thinking that a sign will protect them.

We encourage the legislators of the states that disallow citizen’s ability
of lawful self-defense to reject the continued rhetoric of the anti gun
groups and their ideologically driven agendas. We encourage them to look
realistically at the unrealized claims of death and carnage used as a basis
for more gun control. We encourage them to allow more lawful self-defense
rather than mitigate the same and subject their constituents to increasingly
unsafe environments.

Sincerely,

W. Clark Aposhian Utah Self-Defense Instructors’ Network
801-943-5322 Office

US-DIN is network of Utah Concealed Firearm Instructors who maintain a code
of ethical standards and participate in a Commitment to Excellence program.

Mr. Aposhian is a board member of Utah’s Department of Public Safety/Bureau
of Criminal Identification’s Concealed Carry Review Board.