Op-ed: FPU needs more gun safety knowledge
by Tyler Peterson
Get informed-lack of gun safety knowledge can lead people down a road full of ignorance, causing terrible things to happen when it could have easily been prevented. Whether you are young or old everyone should be knowledgeable about guns and gun safety on or off campus.
(Photo: eraven.com)
An incident occurred this spring when an FPU graduate took an AR-15 to Mount Monadnock for target practice. According to the Union Leader Lawrence Bastianelli was charged with “target shooting on state property without a permit and discharging a firearm within 300 feet of a trail.” Bastianelli could have avoided all of this if he knew that he wasn’t supposed to shoot a weapon within 300 feet of a trail and needed a permit.
Franklin Pierce’s weapons policy states that “Possession or use of firearms, other weapons, or explosives, are not permitted on any campus location.”
In the past, Franklin Pierce has hosted active shooter workshops to help students understand what to do in the event of an actual shooting, but these workshops did not talk much at all about general gun safety. Kiley said, “Get informed by professionals, stay away from the internet, even though some of the information is right, it’s good to go directly to the source.”
To be more informed about gun safety contact Fish and Games or go to any gun safety course and talk to a professional that can give the best information to keep people informed.
Hey, Lawrence here. I did know the discharge law of a distance of 300 feet from a trail. What was not stated was that the open area of the summit is considered a trail. I had targets set up along a dirt embankment backed by stones to be sure no ricochets or missed rounds would travel out side of the designated target area. There is no permit required to discharge a firearm on NH public lands. Also, no firearms were ever on campus as they were stored at a off campus storage unit where they were locked and stored separately from ammunition. It was a mistake with no harm intended, which is why the police on site were so patient and cooperative and the charges were not substantial and eventually were dropped.