Anti's invade Wyoming...I'm pissed.

A

Ankeny

New member
I have been reading The Firing Line for several months now. On occasion, I have quipped about living in Wyoming where crime is almost non-existent, everyone knows everyone else, there is a gun rack (with a .30-.30 Winchester) in just about every pick-up, and common sense always prevails. OK, maybe part of that is bull, but we all know Wyoming is a state of “hunters” and “shooters” and we don’t seem to be any the worse off because of it. Yesterday I received a copy of a letter addressed to an extended program instructor at the University of Wyoming from his immediate supervisor. It is worth reading:

Dear Joe:

This is a difficult letter for me to write as you are one of our most popular instructors and I hate to be the bearer of bad news. Unfortunately, after the shooting at Columbine, we were told that we would not be able to offer our rifle class any longer. One of the trustees approached our Dean, Judy Powell, and told her that it would not be in the school’s best interest to offer a class that had anything to do with firearms. We have tried to appeal to Dr. Powell based on the rationale that people who are taking your class are not the ones to worry about but just the opposite to no avail.

We have tried the argument that this is Wyoming and because it’s a state of hunters, it would be in the community’s best interest to know how to use a firearm safely, again to no avail. I’ve tried every avenue I can think of, Joe, and if you can state a case from an instructor’s viewpoint with the powers that be, please do so. I don’t know what else I can do on this end other than follow my directive. We’re okay for the Summer class but Dr. Powell has said a Fall class would not work.

I’m really sorry about this, Joe. Your class is always so popular that I feel extremely frustrated about not being able to offer it!

Take care and let me know if I can do anything further to help our cause.

Sincerely,

Laurie

As you can imagine, Dr. Powell and the unidentified “trustee” have bitten off quite a mouthful. I am confident the class will continue, but not without a fight.

While it is amusing to read about what everyone drives, what kind of lube they use, bash law enforcement officers, and bitch about our civil liberties, I wonder if we haven’t lost sight of our common goal, the preservation of our ‘Right to Keep and Bear Arms”. If nothing else, the effort to abolish all classes at the University of Wyoming based on the Columbine incident should point out the resolve of the anti-gun campaign. They will rush in where even “angels fear to tread”. Good grief…
 
Ankeny: If you can find more info as to the source of this I would like to do some responding. As the saying goes, 'My kid and my money go to Laramie'. Last year one of his instructors kept sending him out to buy more and more expensive books through the semester and wound up cutting into his food budget as a result. I raised cain starting from the top (University President) and I suspect that instructor won't do it again this year.

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How about sending a copy of that letter to every paper in Wyoming? Perhaps the scorching glare of public ridicule will put this idiot in his place.
 
How can one persons anti gun opinion, be the majority voice of the University ?
Don't they have to vote on Courses etc....
Well our Prime Minister John Howard decreed that we needed semi-auto rifles & pump shotguns banned because that's what the public want! :(
Hope public ridicule against the Uni & the staff member gets you the desired result, didn't work here 'cause Johnny's an idiot!

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"The Gun from Down Under !"
http://www.para1911fanclub.w3.to/
 
Dear Dr. Powell,



I heard that you will be discontinuing the Rifle Instruction class held through the University of Wyoming's extension service because you and some unnamed trustee thought that it would be best that you decide what courses PUBLIC money from the people of the state of Wyoming goes towards funding. I appreciate your concern for me and other citizens. I know that you mean the best for us by keeping us ignorant of things which you and other members of the intelligentsia decide is not in our best interest and doesn't suit the common weal, insofar as far as you have determined



Perhaps you would wish to pick out our clothing, menus, toilet paper, and house paint as well. We, in turn, will be more than happy to help you pick your new place of employment should you decide to arrogate yourself an authority which exceeds you position and purview in any future matters. The demand for the course should be the ONLY determinant in its continuation, not social(ist) views that are out of place in the State of Wyoming.



Sincerely,



Brian P. Shipley
 
e-mail these pinkoes and give'em hell. Check your spelling, lest they dimiss you as an ignorant bumpkin denied the "privilege" of an "education" at one of their "re-education" camps.
 
I don't live in Wyoming, but if I did I would write something like:

Dear Dr. Powell,

I find it appalling that an educated person as yourself would be swayed by the emotion based arguments.
Lets take your same argument and replace rifles with cars. Two kids driving recklessly run through an intersection striking a bus full of 12 kids and one adult. In the process they kill everyone in the van and themselves. Do these numbers sound familiar? They're the same number of people killed in the Columbine, CO incident. Would you argue to discontinue the drivers education class because of a car accident in another state? Of course not. Any educated person knows that would be ridiculous and would only lead to more deaths. Not teaching drivers education makes it more likely that people will be injured with cars. Not teaching rifle instruction makes it more likely that people will be injured with rifles.

A decision to continue/discontinue the rifle instruction class should be based upon the demand for the class and not the current political climate.

Sincerely,
Your Name Here
 
I don't live there either, but do you think they know that. Threaten to write you congressman and state assemblyman, also.
 
Just sent a msg using the proper percentage of big words off to the dean in question, with copies to the college president, supt. of education, and governor. Now working on a letter to the Casper Star--a rag, but widely read in the state and it prints ALL letters.

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Dear Brian,





I do want you to have the correct information about the rifle class. The


class which was cancelled was not the regular university riflery class. In


fact, we offer a number of regular riflery classes to our students. The


class in question was a very small community service non-credit class


offered only to citizens of Laramie. Those non-credit service classes are


not state-supported. In fact, they have to pay their own way. The small


riflery class was problematic for several reasons, none of which were


political. The citizens who take the non-credit classes do not pay very


much at all for the classes. The small fee the citizens paid for the class


did not include their textbook and ammunition. Last semester, one person


who signed up for the class refused to pay for his textbook and ammunition.


We ended up paying for it. The Physical Education department, which loaned


us the rifles, asked for the non-credit programs to contribute to the cost


of replacement of the rifles. We did not have the money to contribute. We


felt that we should not be borrowing the rifles and helping to wear them out


if we could not contribute to the cost of their replacement. If the raised


the tuition substantially for the citizens, they would not enroll. In fact,


we taught the class this summer to 9 students. Given the very small number


of students and the fact that we could not raise enough $ to support the


real costs of the class, I suggested , and the head of the non-credit


programs, Dr. Sheila Atwood, agreed, that we would discontinue offering the


community service class. The university offers regular classes in riflery


to our students, and we offer a state-wide program through 4-H. This was


not a political decision at all, it was a management one. There was no


Trustee or other university administrator involved. All the Trustees ask of


me is that I manage the university's non-credit community service classes so


that they are not in deficit. These classes are NOT part of the


university's state budget. They are supported through the fees which the


community citizens pay. This summer we are teaching the class for only 9


Laramie citizens.








The regular riflery classes which are part of the university's budget will


be offered as usual this next year.


I am truly sorry that mis- information was distributed without my knowledge


and without checking with me. I would have been happy to provide the


correct information to anyone who asked.


I am glad for the opportunity to answer your inquiry. Please call me if you


have additional questions.
 
I recieved the following e-mail msg from Judith Powell this date. In all fairness, I am going to quote it in full: "I am pleased to answer your inquiry bedause I am a long supporter of sportsmen, and we offer many classes related to many kinds of sports, including riflery. I am afraid that the information you have recieved is not correct. In fact, the decision not to continue to offer that one single non-credit course was made at the beginning of last semester, and the decision was a management one, not a political one. The class in question is not our Beginning Riflery class, but a non-credit class offered as a service to the Laramie community only. It had a typically small enrollment. In fact, we did teach it this summer and the enrollment was a total of 9 students. The non-credit community service classes must be self-supporting because they are not part of the university's budget. The problems with that class wer serveral, from a managment perspective. we paid the teacher one-half of the very small tuition (aboug $35.00) which was collected from the community participants, and we had to support the other aspects of the marketing, publications, etc., from the other half of the small tuition. Community participants had to buy their own supplies, a textbook and some ammunition. In the spring we had a community member who refused to buy his textbook or the ammunition. He also got some other participants in the class riled up about nont wanting to pay the costs of the ammunition. In addition to that, the Physical Education department, from whom we borrowed the rifles asked us to contribute money in order to replace the rifles. Their request was legitimate, since we were borrowing the rifles. since the class was not producing any extra $ at all, we had no $ to put up to help buy new rifles. Given these two problems with a class which was not serving very many people, I suggested, and the Head of non-credit programs agreed, that it would be best not to offer that class in the fall. That is the whole story. There was no pressure from any Trustee or the university administration. In fact, the president and the trustees did not even know about that decision. we offer hundreds of non-credit classes, and I am responsible, along with the head of non-credit programs, to manage the non-credit programs so that they are self-supporting.

I did, in fact, mention that decision, along with a number of others, casually to one of the trustees in a conversation several months after the fact. That trustee simply expressed his appreciation that I have been able to effectively manage the non-credit programs so that they are not in the 'red'. I am truly sorry that mis-information was distributed without my knowledge and without anyone checking with me on the facts on the matter.

The University of Wyoming has an active riflery program which we offer to students for credit, and for which they pay regular university tuition. we also offer gun safety programs through 4-H statewide. It is unfortunate that a decision about one class which served only a few Laramie citizens was somehow misinterpreted to make it appear that the decsion, which was a good management decision, was somehow a political one. If that were the case, we would not be offering our riflery program for students for credit, we would not have an active riflery team, and we would not be offering the state-wide 4-H program. Please feel free to contact me again via e-mail or phone (766-3152) if you have additional questions about this matter. Also, please feel free to review the regular university schedules for credit classes, and you will see that the regular classes in riflery are indeed still offered.' (Judith Powell, Assoc. VP for Academic Affairs/Dean of School of Extended Studies, 7/7/99)

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