A Maine legislator who favors a proposal to lift the ban on permitted concealed handguns on school or university property called gun-free zones “magnets for murderers” in a Thursday op-ed on the Portland Press Herald website.
“Would you post a sign announcing that your home is a gun-free zone?” Republican State Rep. Richard Cebra asked in his lead sentence. “Would you feel safer? Criminals don’t obey these signs. In fact, these signs actually attract criminals. To criminals, places where their victims are disarmed look like easy targets.”
Cebra pointed out that 12 other states already have laws mandating that public college campuses allow permitted concealed handguns, and gun-banners can’t point to any problems with the law in these states. “Gun-free zones are magnets for murderers,” he concluded. “Even the most ardent gun control advocate would never put ‘Gun-Free Zone’ signs on their home. Let’s finally stop putting them elsewhere.”
