Organization: Arizona State University
Date: Friday, 8 Jan 1993 16:32:57 MST
From: Shooting Club at ASU <GUNDEVIL@ASUACAD.BITNET>
Newsgroups: talk.politics.guns
Subject:    Re: Dressed For Rape; Az. Constitution


    Back in June or July,1991 a Constituitonal case held our interest as
    it had to do with campus police departments.   We had expressed an
    interest that this case might focus attention on the condition of
    (or lack of) the shooting ranges near or on our university campuses.

    Arizona State Constitution: Article II, Section 36..."The right of
    the individual citizen to bear arms in defense of himself or the
    state shall not be impaired, but nothing in this section shall be
    construed as authorizing individuals or corporations to organize,
    maintain or employ an armed body of men."

    There was a court challenge to the Arizona Board of Regents (the
    individuals, or corporate V.P.s running the three Arizona Universi-
    ties) re: "maintaining an armed body of men (the U. of A., Tucson
    campus police dept.)" in June of 1991, regarding the dismissal of
    moving vehicle citations issued by the U. of A. police ,in a Pima
    County Justice Court.

    From the 13 Oct. 91, ARIZONA REPUBLIC;  "The Arizona Court of
    Appeals has upheld the right of the Board of Regents to create
    university police departments."

    We had expressed the hope that should the Regents be ruled in viola-
    tion of the Arizona Constitution, and the university police ordered
    adopted by the local city police departments, maybe the universities
    and cities could combine finances to build local ranges for these
    police officers to improve their firearm marksmanship and safety,
    and hey; why not provide school and city residents with marksman-
    ship, responsibility and safety educational opportunity as well ?

    The U. of A. has a .22 range on campus, so that school is able
    to provide the above training.  ASU and NAU do not have a campus
    shooting range, and students are just as inconvenienced as their
    police departments.  Arizona has 12 secondary schools offering air-
    rifle programs; should we not render our own colleges more attractive
    to these 'straight shooters', why not make their home state more at-
    tractive by offering a choice of colleges with shooting programs ?

    The city of Tempe police use an eighteen-wheel (Fairbank's Folley)
    tractor trailor on the "A" mountain railroad right-of-way as a
    shooting range, located right behind the police station.  The
    NRA "Explorer" Scout police program is the only firearm marksman-
    ship program available to Tempe or ASU youths.  Youngsters taking
    the Game and Fish "Hunter Safety" course must travel 35 miles to
    Ben Avery (the Black Canyon) Shooting Range for their practical
    range time.

    The ASU DPS officers, also in Tempe, pay to use Shooter's World- way
    over at 28th and Indian School, the Mesa Range on Center, or the
    Police Range at the Phoenix Rod & Gun Club (pay in travel time, range
    fees, etc.).  We believe Flagstaff, Tempe and Tucson police officers
    are all equally handicapped by distant centerfire shooting ranges.

    The GUN DEVIL Shooting Club at ASU had hoped this case would spur
    interest in improving the firearm skills of campus police by provid-
    ing city ranges.  Where else in the land of the free can one find
    a situatiuon requiring such expertise regarding handling weapons
    safely; and should a shot be fired insuring that it hit the intended
    target and nothing but the intended target as on conjested school
    grounds.  This is why university police minimum qualification scores
    are among the highest in the state, and this is why collegiate police
    departments are so frequently involved in the safety aspect of col-
    lege gun clubs.  Where do future shooting instructors and coaches
    come from ?

    To the best of our knowledge, there has been no subsequent court
    challenge to this Arizona Constitutional conflict.

Newsgroups: talk.politics.guns