Legislature considers
concealed weapon bill
GuNS from page 1
in areas with concealment policies
decreased three to four times as
much as crimes against men, Lott
said.
Karl Dailey, Dawes County
sheriff and bill proponent, said the
right of citizens to defend them
selves had become more important
as crime rates increased.
“My opinion is that government
and law enforcement have been
telling people a lie,” he said. “We
are a reactive group—we respond
after a crime happens.
“We can’t stop crime. I’ve never
felt that it was our purpose to be
Big Brother.”
Proponents were met with criti
cism from Sen. Ernie Chambers of
Omaha, a Judiciary Committee
member. Chambers questioned the
study’s ability to establish the fact
that concealment laws had caused
the decrease in crime rates.
He also drew angry responses
from the crowd by ridiculing citi
zens’ desire to carry concealed
weapons for protection against
crime and asking, “Where is the
manhood in Nebraska now?”
Chambers argued that in some
cases, citizens carrying a concealed
weapon would respond with unnec
essary violence to an encounter.
Other bill opponents questioned
the ability of the state patrol to
safely issue concealment permits.
Kent Roumpf, representing the
Police Chiefs’ Association, said
certain misdemeanors such as do
mestic violence would be ignored
after too short a period of time had
passed. He also pointed out the dif
ficulty of conducting background
checks.
“We would be lucky to be able
to check records of people in the
state of Nebraska, let alone people
who moved here from foreign
countries,” he said.
Opponents noted that serial kill
ers like Ted Bundy and Jeffrey
Dahmer would have passed the
background check because their
records were clean until their cap
ture. (
Gov. Ben Nelson also an
nounced Thursday that his support
of the proposal hinged on the ap
proval of law enforcement agen
cies.
Chinese New Year honored
By Lindsay Young
Staff Reporter
Overcoming the beast of winter
and welcoming the spring is the key
behind celebrating the Chinese New
Year this week.
A seven-hour celebration begins
today at the Nebraska Union and will
feature traditional Chinese games,
food and entertainment.
Wanli Zhang, vice president in
charge of communications of the Chi
nese Student and Scholars Associa
tion, said the celebration will be the
largest Chinese New Year celebration
ever on campus.
The event is sponsored by the Chi
nese Student and Scholars Associa
tion, the University Program Council
and International Affairs.
The celebration on campus will
echo some of the celebrating that oc
curs in China every year, he said.
The Chinese follow a time line of
events, starting a week before the holi
day. Enough food is prepared for about
a month to leave time over the holi
day season to visit with relatives rather
than cook. Fireworks mark the eve of
the Chinese New Year.
Ping Liu, president of the Chinese
Student and Scholars Association,
said fireworks were one way of Guo
Niam, or scaring away the season of
winter, known as the beast.
Other ways, he said, include hang
ing red couplets on the front doors of
homes. The couplets are sheets of red
paper with lines written in Chinese
characters that speak of happiness and
blessing. Peach branches also were
once widely employed as a means of
scaring away the beast, Liu said, but
now are rare.
After the fireworks display, Chi
nese television stations hold specials
late into the night. The next day,
people eat dinner and spend time with
their relatives.
A sold-out crowd of about 600 is
expected to celebrate on Friday, with
games starting at 3 p.m. in the Crib
and the Colonial Room. The banquet
will begin at 6:30 pjn., followed by
entertainment at 8:30 in the Centen
nial Room.
Entertainment will include several
native Chinese dances, songs, tradi
tional instruments and a Cross Thlk.
Injured cheerleader travels to NU game
JENSEN from page 1
this game,” Jensen said. “I’m just glad
I could join them.”
Jensen enjoyed watching the CU
cheerleaders perform before and
throughout the game. Even though she
injured herself during a basic routine,
Jensen said she wasn’t uncomfortable
watching the cheerleaders perform.
Before the game, the Nebraska
women’s basketball team presented
Jensen with an autographed basket
ball.
“She loved it and had a ball,” Lori
Jensen, Tracy Jensen’s mother, said.
“It was her first outing and she did
great. But she got tired and actually
slept in the car on the way home. She
loved riding in the car again and get
ting out into the fresh air.”
At least one of TYacy Jensen’s par
ents have been with her every day
since she began her stav at Craig.
Although the doctors haven’t given
the family much information about
Tracy’s progress, she expects to return
home to Lyons in Apnl.
“She has an incomplete spinal cord
injury and the most positive thing we
have heard is it’s very incomplete,”
Lori Jensen said.
Tracy Jensen has to wear a halo
shaped brace, which supports her neck
and head, her mother said. The brace
makes it awkward for Jensen to walk.
“I’m getting better all the time,”
Tracy Jensen said. “I don’t know, but
I’m hoping to be able to walk again.
Maybe I will even get to cheer again.”
—
FRIDAY AFTERNOON
$1.00
Busch Light Bottles
Every Friday Night
_4-10 P.M.
Rest Assured
Reinsured.
Enrollment deadline is FRIDAY, 2/7/97!
NOW is the time to review your current medical insurance
and/or consider a plan to assist you with your health care needs!
Your University Health Center, together with GM Southwest of
Dallas,TX, offers UNL students a comprehensive and affordable
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undergraduate and graduate students. The plan offers students:
* An annual premium of only $399!
* The convenient location and services of the University Health
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* Dependent coverage is also available!
(see policy brochure for dependent premiums and
specific details)
Brochures and applications are available at the University
Health Center, International Affairs Office or by mail. Have any
questions? Call our 24-hour information line at 472-7437.
INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS- PLEASE NOTE:
UNL requires mandatory insurance coverage to comply with immigra
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Students began 1/8/97) V __
n'
I Values to $138
Fall Blazers
Values to $225
Fall Vests
Values to $125
Wool boaters
Values to $225
Leather Goods
Values to $128
Fall Blouses
Values to $118
rail Pants
Values to $135
I
Outerwear
Values to $198
Fall Knits
Values to $68
