Violence against GA Tech Students (Atlanta: purchase, restaurant, safety)
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So far the crimes @ gatech have been very selective. not sure how guns or cops would have prevented any of them. we are talking about cased out targets and ambush, gun in your face robberies.
that said, im all for guns on campus, and off campus.
Hey Rainy, congrats to your daughter. My son was in the same position in 2009. He chose the UGA Honor's program, and has never once regretted his decision. I am amazed at the opportunities he has had presented, and I don't worry constantly the way I did when he took classes at Tech.
Athens isn't exactly Mayberry. When I was growing up, my parents owned a liquor store down the street from UGA and they shut it down after the almost constant stream of armed robberies made it a very costly venture (the price gouging distributors didn't help either). Obviously your child isn't a liquor store but any college campus can be dangerous given young kids, lack of supervision, alcohol, and generally poor surrounding areas. I'd venture the avg college student is far more likely to suffer alcohol poisoning than getting injured during a mugging...even in the ghetto that is GT. I'm not trying to be a fear monger but do you have actual numbers to back up the dangers of GT far exceeding those of UGA?
I've spent most of the past decade at or around GT getting my 2nd bachelors and an MBA from there. My older brother did his BS there and my younger brother did research and summer classes there...all without incident. Even my dad got his MS there 30 yrs ago w/o getting mugged. My female cousin is a junior there and even though her parents are halfway around the world, they aren't fearing for her life. After a 24hr+ marathon session in the labs, sometimes I'd grab a few hrs of sleep in my car in the student center since the couches there would fill up by 2am. I was never accosted or even bothered by a hobo despite driving a flashy car w/ expensive aftermarket wheels. I currently live 3 blocks east of GT now (3+yrs now) and have never had more than a hobo bug me for change. I definitely wouldn't recommend sleeping in your car if you're concerned about safety(I probably looked homeless) but taking basic precautions can reduce such risks.
One such solution is to stop renting in Home Park if you don't have a car or avoid walking there in the middle of the night. The place is built like a mugger's dream. Low lighting, spread out, lots of trees/cars to hid behind. APD is pretty terrible at patrolling the area. If you need to spend the night in the library studying...do what I did, sleep there.
As for guns on campus...they likely cause more problems than they'd solve. If you've ever been around one too many drunk college guys, you know fights start rather quickly. College can be a stressful place...putting firearms there isn't going to make it safer. Just as running off sketchy people won't stop all violence, adding guns won't make everyone stop being the hotheaded 18-21yr olds they are.
I think the main opposition to guns on campus is a simple one: How many people are prepared to pull a gun and shoot to kill? That is point their weapon at someone and fire until the clip is empty as police officers are trained to do? Shoot to kill, not maim or wound, to kill. As someone who has carried a handgun and been trained in the use of weapons in the military I can tell you that despite the bravado very few people are. So essentially what you end up doing is giving the criminal a treasure trove of weapons. And keep in mind that even trained law enforcement officers have to have psychological counseling after they kill. Where are the mental health services for the trauma these young people will undergo? PTSD, flashbacks, insomnia, night terrors, etc... are just a few of the side effects of pulling a weapon and actually killing somebody. This is not a video game we're talking about here. Pulling a trigger and watching somebody bleed out in front of you is incredibly traumatic, how are we going to deal with that?
Further, if you've ever dealt with young people you know they are notoriously careless with their belongings. There will be so many lost guns on that campus the criminals won't even have to bring their own weapons anymore. Bottom line is this is a very short-sighted solution to the problem.
One such solution is to stop renting in Home Park if you don't have a car or avoid walking there in the middle of the night. The place is built like a mugger's dream. Low lighting, spread out, lots of trees/cars to hid behind. APD is pretty terrible at patrolling the area. If you need to spend the night in the library studying...do what I did, sleep there.
While I disagree with the suggestion to stop renting there, I do think you're identifying the main problem in some of the surrounding neighborhoods. This is what we (the community) should be focusing on more than changing gun laws. Home Park could use better lighting and consistent patrolling. It could absolutely use some "cleaning up" in terms of sight lines, errant bushes, and some cluttery patches on the streets. Some of the houses and yards in that neighborhood are superb, of course, but a lot of the houses there seem extra rundown and dimly lit.
I also think that if there were better transit on 10th--e.g., a rail line from the Eastside to the Westside--it would put more foot traffic on the ground and also deter crime around campus.
Where are the mental health services for the trauma these young people will undergo? PTSD, flashbacks, insomnia, night terrors, etc... are just a few of the side effects of pulling a weapon and actually killing somebody.
People often have psychological issues after having been victimized as well. I'm guessing that the poor girl recently raped on campus didn't just shrug it off.
Having treated rape victims I know that is true, but from what I'm seeing posted here most of the crimes aren't rapes, they're armed/strong arm robbery. Traumatic to be sure, but not comparable to killing somebody.
Quote:
Originally Posted by anothertntony
People often have psychological issues after having been victimized as well. I'm guessing that the poor girl recently raped on campus didn't just shrug it off.
I'm a raging liberal. But I' also a HUGE gun rights advocate. This does NOT mean I am anti-gun control.
If you make it okay to let these students carry weapons then you're going to end up with a bunch of dead kids, most of them accidentally by their own hand.
What needs to happen is that City of ATL cops and GA Tech cops, etc, need to shut this **** down. And they absolutely can.
It seems to me there's a big lack of leadership going on in the police force, in this regard. They're way too busy pussyfooting.
A raging liberal, huh?
Well, I guess I shouldn't be surprised that you're an elitist too. These "kids" (if that's a proper term for a 18-22 year old adults) are the ones who will be making sure the bridge over I-75 doesn't collapse, the Peachtree Plaza can withstand a tornado, and the glass at the world's largest aquarium doesn't crack. Yet YOU think THEY are too stupid to know how to operate a gun?
Well, I guess I shouldn't be surprised that you're an elitist too. These "kids" (if that's a proper term for a 18-22 year old adults) are the ones who will be making sure the bridge over I-75 doesn't collapse, the Peachtree Plaza can withstand a tornado, and the glass at the world's largest aquarium doesn't crack. Yet YOU think THEY are too stupid to know how to operate a gun?
Believe me, these 18-22 year-old Techies think they are god's gift to humanity. But in fact they are morons. Ask any Tech Prof.
Believe me, these 18-22 year-old Techies think they are god's gift to humanity. But in fact they are morons. Ask any Tech Prof.
I hate Tech just as much as the next Georgia grad, but I'll admit it's a good school (academically...) with smart students that are more than capable of turing the safety on.
I hate Tech just as much as the next Georgia grad, but I'll admit it's a good school (academically...) with smart students that are more than capable of turing the safety on.
Trouble is...these "geniuses" who walk among us believe these safety devices are to protect other people. Techies see themselves as so smart, they don't need to use the safety on a gun. Safeties are for dumb people.
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