Letter sent to VP of my college regarding concealed carry

[awkx]

I applaud the act of writing a letter. Its a good move in opening communication about carrying on campus and its a positive step.

that said I really think the letter sends the wrong message, it really came across to me as "Screw you, I'm carrying and I don't care what you have to say about it because you are idiots and don't care about the students"

When you start a letter with "I'm not trying to sounding combative but..." it instantly puts the reader on the defensive and they aren't going to care what you are going to say. by saying "without sounding combative, i would just like it to be known..." that to me screams combative...
...

+1

As the saying goes, "you can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar."

[Brown-Bear]

A while back I had emailed my school's board to find out their stance on firearms. I was told that weapons of any kind are prohibited on school property, per the Board of Directors. Here is the letter I mailed to the VP today:

Ms. Marabella,

Without sounding combative, I would just like it to be known that I find this policy irresponsible on the part of the college. While I am sure that the reason this policy is in place is to ensure the safety of students on campus, I would contend that it does just the opposite. The fact of the matter is that people who wish to do harm to others do not follow rules, including no gun policies. This is, by defintion, what makes them criminals in the first place. So by declaring a school a "gun free zone", what is really being said is that a criminal who wishes to carry out an attack will have a school full of people unable to defend themselves.

If, God forbid, an incident were to occur at RACC like happend at VT or NIU while I'm in class, what, as an unarmed citizen, am I supposed to do if I'm in a classroom where an attack occurs? I have no recourse, and no way to defend myself. By the time the police arrive, the event would be over. Now, conversely, if I were LEGALLY (I am licensed by the state of PA to carry a concealed handgun) armed and able to defend myself, the odds of both my and everyone else in that classroom's survival would undoubtedly rise exponentially.

I have no expectations that anyone on the Board will listen to anything I have to say, but I decided to make my opinions/views known anyway, because this is something I feel strongly about, and it makes me very nervous being on campus and walking to my car at night in the middle of Reading with absolutely no way to protect myself.

Thank you for your time,


I doubt I'll ever hear any kind of response, but I figured it was worth my time to send it.

RED is mine. Those quotes while true in nature will most surely make you correct. No one will listen. You should not presume to know what the person reading your letter will think or how they will feel. Its the same as telling a customer service rep that you a re so unhappy that you will never shop here again. They have already lost you as a customer so why should they do anything to help? As with your letter, you have already stated that nothing will done and nobody will listen/care, so if they know this is how you feel, then why should they respond?

Don't get me wrong I agree with your stance whole heartedly, I just think the parts in red could have been removed and your letter would have retained its purpose.

Dave

[gunperson003]

Depends on the person. Knowing the profile of who you're sending the letter to and what type of person helps when trying to get what you want. Works more often with males when you do use the type of baiting, I often do it in person while reading them though. I think in a letter, it loses effectiveness.

RED is mine. Those quotes while true in nature will most surely make you correct. No one will listen. You should not presume to know what the person reading your letter will think or how they will feel. Its the same as telling a customer service rep that you a re so unhappy that you will never shop here again. They have already lost you as a customer so why should they do anything to help? As with your letter, you have already stated that nothing will done and nobody will listen/care, so if they know this is how you feel, then why should they respond?

Don't get me wrong I agree with your stance whole heartedly, I just think the parts in red could have been removed and your letter would have retained its purpose.

Dave