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West Virginia Permitless Concealed Carry Debated at Wheeling Jesuit University

Photo by Joselyn King Wayne Shook, left, a firearms instructor and member of the National Rifle Association; and Jessica Wrobleski, assistant professor of theology at Wheeling Jesuit University, speak during a panel discussion Thursday at WJU.

WHEELING — A small, barely noticed closet within McHugh Hall at Wheeling Jesuit University once housed the hunting rifles brought on campus by students, many of them raised by West Virginia families proud of the state’s gun heritage.

The gun closet no longer exists at WJU as feelings about the keeping of firearms have changed in society over the years.

WJU’s Appalachian Institute hosted a discussion on guns and West Virginia’s concealed carry laws Thursday night at the National Transportation Training Center on campus.

Only about 30 people turned out for the event, but those present heard a respectful discourse on why some firmly believe in the right to carry guns responsibly — and why others have concerns.

The West Virginia Legislature this year passed legislation allowing permitless concealed carry in the state.

Beth Collins of the Appalachian Institute at WJU said the need for the discussion came about in response to the large number of mass shootings occurring across the country, and to statistics showing that overall gun deaths are increasing in America. As a Catholic university, she felt it was necessary for the loss of life to be examined at WJU.

Among those in the audience was Anita Smith of Wheeling, who said she had been involved with pro-life issues for many years. But she said she also believed a gun might be necessary at times to protect a loved one’s safety, and the total abolition of firearms in the county was “unrealistic.”

“I am very, very pro-life,” she said. “It starts with the bottom line in society of correcting the attitude we have about the dignity of life — the attitude we have perpetuated over the last 40 years with TV and  media. We are degrading the value of human beings, and from there everything else has come about.”

On the panel were Wayne Shook, a firearms instructor and member of the National Rifle Association; Jessica Wrobleski, assistant professor of theology at Wheeling Jesuit University; and attorney Dee Price-Childers of the Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America organization.

Price said her group is pushing for universal background checks for prospective gun owners.

“If you think about a (West Virginia University) football game, where kids are carrying concealed after a big football game, you won’t have to worry about couches burning at that time if there’s no training or background checks.”

Wrobleski questioned the notion of whether “the only way to stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun.”

“In reality … less than 3 percent of gun deaths actually come from a ‘justifiable defense’ situation,” she said. “Sixty percent of gun deaths are suicides. And there are far more studies that show guns are far more often used to threaten or intimidate other members of their household than they are to defend them against violence. … I’ve become increasingly convinced that enacting sensible gun control measures and promoting responsible gun ownership are a pro-life issue.”

She doesn’t believe organizations such as the National Rifle Association do enough to focus on promoting gun responsibility as it instead focuses on protecting gun owners’ rights.

Shook, who also works as a prison guard, said he is a firm believer in gun responsibility. But he also wonders why there are no figures available showing how many crimes were avoided because someone protected themselves or others with a firearm.

“Do I believe it happens? Absolutely,” he said. “I work in a culture where unless you worked in it, you would never understand it. … They get things in there. … When you hear things about firearms, then you hear about what they do.”

Shook said he witnessed inmates discussing a story where the names of concealed carry holders were printed, and that they began to call criminals they knew on the outside to warn them of which neighborhoods they should avoid.

He also said proper gun responsibility is often passed down from generation to generation. He placed the blame for recent mass shootings by underage youths on their parents, who likely did not  properly store their firearms or exercise gun responsibility, allowing their child to gain improper access to them.

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