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Disarm the babysitters
Welcome to this week’s Reno News & Review. I went to San Francisco this weekend to a combined conference on digital media. They gave me a free room for a night and a pass to the conference, and all I had to do was talk about FatalEncounters.org for 15 minutes. I think I figured out a few things while I was there. I heard a lot of thought-provoking things. So here’s my big takeaway. In this post-modern world with its internet and all that, you’ve got to decide what you want to be, and be that. I heard a lot of talk about how I’m supposed to appeal to people of all shapes and sizes and ages, and I’ve got to be honest: I just don’t care. I don’t care about catching them on Pinterest or on Medium or whatever the MySpace of the day happens to be. I don’t care what made-up and irrelevant generational sobriquet they’ve been given. I don’t care if they can read my long-form stories on their cell phone. I do care that they can access our online calendar on their phones, but the truth is, our site is so bad that there’s nothing I can do to enhance their experience. I’m not going to put my effort into a race where I’m the only guy who gets his foot chopped off before the starting gun. I’ve even given up on Facebook as a promotion for stories in the newspaper. Facebook’s formula for moving things onto news streams is anti-local news. It’s like this: If you have exclusive local content that nobody else has, it’s not popular across the country, therefore, it doesn’t move onto other people’s news feeds. It’s a losing proposition for those of us with a finite amount of time and resources. I care about smart people reading our stuff. I’ve been playing this game for a while now, and I have never heard from someone I consider intelligent say, “I refuse to get information from newsprint.” The smart people I know get information anywhere they can find it—it doesn’t matter whether they’re young, old, a TV or internet junkie. I’d rather throw the race than compete in one I can’t win. Don’t worry, I’ve been told many times I’m wrong about this. I’ve been told many times I was wrong about just about everything I’ve ever succeeded at.
Re “Numbers game” (Feature story, Dec. 31): If you look hard, will you find NRA-funded lobbyists focused on killing any bills that support collecting data about incidents involving guns? Without data, it’s hard for gun control advocates to support legislation that limits the production and sales of guns and ammo. Carolyn Scott Hannibal, New York
Allowing guns on campus of our school systems will place our students in potential volatile, vulnerable and violent situations. Between 2010 and today, a Wikipedia check of data showing death and injuries inflicted upon children and adults on school campuses nationwide reflects over 300 deaths. Allowing for a campus carry policy would exponentially increase the bloodshed on our campuses nationwide, allowing for ease of access. Nevadans enjoy their Second Amendment rights of access, yet consideration should be given to the volatile collateral damages that occur with accessible weaponry and campus carry. Call your legislator and say no to campus carry today! Lori Santos Reno
My husband and I retired to the Western United States from Maine. We wanted to get away from the cold snow, but we certainly weren’t looking to go to the wild, wild west where people walked around with guns on their hips or concealed in their clothing anywhere. Maine is a state where deer hunting is popular, and provides food, as well as controls the deer population. I have nothing against that—I have nothing against the Second Amendment—but I am uncomfortable having individuals who can carry guns on to school grounds or childcare facilities. I don’t think “campus carry” will save lives; it will only endanger more. How would people involved discern who the bad gun carrier is from the good one? This can quickly get out of hand. To make schools safer, why not increase security with more manpower and scanners to keep guns and dangerous people out? We do this at airports (and when visiting politicians) already, but they’re not the only places that need to be secure. If you feel as I do about guns in our public places, please let your representatives in Carson City know. Say no to Assembly Bill 2! Helen Paganucci Reno
Happiness is a warm puppy Many people remember the tragedies of school shootings in places like Virginia Tech, or even our local school, Sparks Middle School. Because of these shootings, the law says that we are not legally permitted to bring a firearm onto a college campus. However, this may be about to change. The Nevada Legislature is considering allowing students to carry concealed firearms on the campuses of public universities. This is a problem. Universities are one of the safest places to be, with a homicide rate lower than the nationwide rate. Also, the former provost of Idaho State University stated that there had been no case of a violent crime being prevented by the victim brandishing a weapon. Furthermore, if a school shooting occurs, how will the police be able to distinguish the good guy and the bad guy? It’s a bad idea all around. Campus carry can seem like a good idea. However, in reality it is introducing instruments of violence into our learning environments, and would make the jobs of campus security officers tougher than they already are, and could lead to the deaths of innocent people. I urge the Legislature to reject campus carry. Jackeline Almaraz Sparks Editor’s note: I can see we’ll be getting a lot of letters on this topic. I’m a licensed CCW permit holder and a student at the university. I’m also a long way from buying arguments for or against having more guns on campus. I look forward to being convinced.
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New York City! As a University of Nevada, Reno student, I am very concerned about the chance that almost anyone will be allowed to have a weapon on campus, whether it ends up being only in their car, or walking around campus. Allowing campus carry is very unnecessary in that the likelihood that an average civilian would be able to get to their vehicle, get their weapon, and stop an attack is extremely small. Also, campus security would have no way of telling the “bad guys” apart from the “good guys” in a volatile shooting situation. This would only cause more injuries and casualties. Furthermore, according to an article in Forbes, trained NYC policeman hit their target an average of 18 percent of the time in a gunfight, which would mean that a civilian in a similar situation would have a lower accuracy rate, and be more likely to hit a bystander than the attacker. Campus carry would only increase casualties and injuries from shootings. I urge you to contact your legislators and ask them to vote against campus carry. No to Assembly Bill 2! Courtney Kelleher Reno
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Disgruntled students are dangerous As an employee at Truckee Meadows Community College, I am concerned about legislative bill AB-2, which authorizes possession of a weapon locked in a vehicle on the property of certain educational facilities and child care centers. The knowledge that a disgruntled employee or student could, in a moment of intense frustration or anger, simply walk to the parking lot, grab a weapon, and return to take action against the focus of his or her perceived predicament, is not an outlandish scenario. Further, if folks run to their vehicles to obtain their lawfully concealed weapons to defend the innocent, what law enforcement group called to the scene could tell perpetrator from defender? Finally, those not trained as first responders, while well intentioned, can very easily Distribution Director Greg Erwin Distribution Manager Anthony Clarke Distribution Drivers Sandra Chhina, Steve Finlayson, Debbi Frenzi, Vicky Jewell, Angela Littlefield, Joe Medeiros, Ron Neill, Christian Shearer, Marty Troye, Warren Tucker, Gary White, Joseph White, Margaret Underwood General Manager/Publisher John D. Murphy President/CEO Jeff vonKaenel Chief Operations Officer Deborah Redmond Human Resource Manager Tanja Poley Business Manager Grant Rosenquist
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THIS WEEK
act irrationally in emergency situations. More likely is that, while well intentioned, this person would be part of any resulting tragedy. I encourage all to contact your state legislators to let them know your opposition to AB-2. We do not need more guns at our schools and childcare centers. Any legislative energy directed to Nevada’s education system should be concentrated on supporting efforts to improve state academic standards, not on turning school parking lots into munitions depots. Carole Chouinard Reno
Incremental improvement Re “Policy myths cause a lot of government’s problems” (News, Aug. 14, 2008): Good article, but I think the author has made a mistake in saying, “In fact, it reflects a practice that has long since passed out of fashion in the business world, which found that it focused workers on process instead of outcome and generated fear in the workplace, low productivity, and customer alienation.” I think he meant to say “focused workers on outcome instead of process.” Swapping those words makes the sentence ring true to Deming’s approach. I think that Deming taught focus on continual improvement of process, and I think Deming believed that focus on outcome is like trying to drive a car by looking out the rear view mirror. Gary Tracy Sparks
Correction In “Buck Wild” (Green, Feb. 5), Terri Farley was incorrectly referred to as an author and an attorney. She’s an author—and the one behind the Phantom Stallion series—but not a lawyer. We regret our mistake and apologize for any confusion our error caused.
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Web site www.newsreview.com Printed by Paradise Post The RN&R is printed using recycled newsprint whenever available. Editorial Policies Opinions expressed in the RN&R are those of the authors and not of Chico Community Publishing, Inc. Contact the editor for permission to reprint articles, cartoons or other portions of the paper. The RN&R is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts. All letters received become the property of the publisher. We reserve the right to print letters in condensed form.
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FEBRUARY 5, 2015
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