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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (April 8, 1998)
EDITOR Paula Lavigne OPINION EDITOR Kasey Kerber EDITORIAL BOARD Brad Davis Erin Gibson Shannon Heffelfinger Chad Lorenz Jeff Randall Our VIEW Invisible threat Concealed handguns are unnecessary Once again, a bill to allow concealed handguns in Nebraska will not pass the State Legislature. Its failure is a success for all of Nebraska, and it should not be reintroduced in the next session. The bill was yet another knee-jerk reac tion to a larger /✓_ problem - the increased inse- Bullets lurking curity of , y . y Nebraskans who beneath jackets vlolent and overcoats crime. But the bin only destroy the could only do more harm; it Security We could not solve _ • , „ _ the underlying ^njOy OS problem. Nebraskans.” It would be ___________ wiser to use youth-crime prevention programs and neigh borhood support of children and families to prevent criminal behavior before it starts. Although Sen. Gene Tyson of Norfolk claimed last week, “Man’s natural instinct... is to arm himself,” we in the civilized world suppress many natural instincts in order to live together. .• :t We don’t believe it’s right to steal food when we’re hungry. We don’t condone hit ting someone when we’re angry. And we shouldn’t prepare ourselves to react with violence if we’re threatened. Especially not in Nebraska. Here, the threats to our security are almost intangible outside Lincoln and Omaha. The state is blessed with hundreds of communities where neighbors still trust each other. Yes, crime happens in small towns. Sometimes it’s even shocking violent crime that robs innocent lives. But we can’t predict when and where the next atrocity win occur, ana citizens arming themselves invisibly against an invisible threat will not solve any perceived crime problem. In fact, a scared citizen wielding a weapon against someone threatening him can only double the bullets available for harm in any given situation. Bullets lurking beneath jackets and over coats only destroy the security we enjoy as Nebraskans. In accordance with the Second Amendment, those citizens who truly feel threatened and need to feel intimidating can wear their weapons in plain sight. But a state that values honesty and moral ity can not also condone potential violence and secrecy. EAtaftal — KullOriai rullCy Unsigned editorials are the opinions of the Spring 1998 Daily Nebraskan. They do not necessarily reflect the views of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, its employees, its student body or the University of Nebraska Board of Regents. Acolumn is solely the opinion of its author. The Board of Regents serves as publisher of the Daily Nebraskan; policy is set by the Daily Nebraskan Editorial Board. The UNL Publications Board, established by the regents, supervises the production of the paper. According to policy set by the regents, responsibility for the editorial content of the newspaper lies solely in the hands of Its student employees. Letter Policy The Daily Nebraskan welcomes brief letters to the editor and guest columns, but does not guarantee tneir publication. The Daily Neoraskan retains the right to edit or reject any material submitted. Submitted material becomes property of the Daily Nebraskan and cannot be returned. Anonymous submissions will not be published. Those who submit letters must identify themselves by name, year in school, major and/or group affixation, if any. Submit material to: Daily Nebraskan, 34 Nebraska Union, 1400 h St. Lincoln, NE. 68588-0448. E-mail: letters@unlinfo.unl.edu. . Haneyfs VIEW life H>Hl«Mu1wWSPWtAnwl 5#€ty BMU> &cenmiKA S 747 &*Fet'i CwcJK. * a vnI, • . ' . I ’ - ._;_. : 1 DN LETTERS From inside Jonesboro I am a resident of the city of Jonesboro, Ark., and I have been for the last 12 years of my life. I, like everyone else in the city of Jonesboro, was absolutely shocked at the events that happened almost two weeks ago tomorrow. I have sat back and thought about this long and hard. I tried to think of the story from both points of view. Although it is absolutely impossible for me to put myself into those suspects’ heads, I tried to vision how they would come up with this idea. I truly believe that these children knew what they were doing when they planned this event. How can a person say that their method of thinking is any different from an 18 or 21-year-old individual that could commit this crime? l mean born ot these age brackets live in the same environment, and they both have access to all of the negative influences that affect our lives today. In some instances, like this tragedy, a child is able to access what they are not meant to have. I mean, who is to say that these children haven’t experienced, or gained experience of, as much as the 18- or 21-year-old individual that is sentenced as an adult. The trying of a suspect can be looked at in several ways. Of course you have to look at it from the victim’s and/or victim’s family’s point of view. They want justice done to full extremity, in most cases. Then, you have to look at it from the suspect’s and/or suspect’s fami ly’s point of view. All the rest of us are looking at this incident from the outside looking in. I think that we have to look at this terrible incident as a wake-up call to the world. The children of today are influenced by so many things today. Not only can a child dream of things he would like to do, but we are teaching the children that they can do anything they set their minds out to do. V But, the problem is, we have the wrong things out there in our society today that are influencing our chil dren. So, many of these dreams are turning into nightmares for so many others. If a child is brought up in a soci ety that offers him or her so many things that are meant for an adult, why not try him as an adult? I am sorry, but an apology for what was done in this city of Jonesboro can only do so much. True, it is time to forgive and for get, and we'pray not only for the vic tims and their families, but also for the suspects and theirs. But, now is the time for that valuable lesson of right and wrong, and what happens when you do wrong. And if we were to sit back and not show the children of this country what happens when you do things that are wrong, then this and other MattHaney/DN horrible events will continue to hap pen. Zach Braxton sophomore It’s called priorities ••• Burger King gets its lease renewed and that makes the front page of Monday’s Daily Nebraskan. Two thousand of the most out standing scholars and distinguished faculty members at the University of Nebraska are recognized for their achievements at the All-University Honors Convocation, and that doesn't merit an article. It’s good to know that you people at the Daily Nebraskan have your pri orities straight. Douglas Hruby senior history major