Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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opinion SEVERAL W%"f( A40 TAERE WAS A goO3NTOI A6OUr (REEN StRET. Cutting p, a fooli'shi ay B3ILL OUT"M* Every time.. The Gamecock criticizes the actions of some of the members of the Student Government Association (SGA), hints are thrown our way that our funding could be cut off by SGA. Sinc TheGamcoc<i fudeb u detfnsta terintd.In g hpe rty tm The Univestyok crticizeso the tuns bodyo refed tembese the student Gud ovem ent nwsaion (SA) ahlumpsum arethown the waeaour fnivng aciould Sice The ae.ocokect fedra inbh student dstate arinitoll su ned out thA (t toasileeceinal sayudete' Itisin) teyr possibility e existathatilar fiuand could b eriatee. I hapebedo recntl lat tea nivesit moe Nth one oain Ihenr talk resien ofA themstuden body CLOSE IT, OntN 1 rR_MAK At' MALL MY CA6"$ ICXI Scow COFUSIONW. aper's fun move eliminating funds for The Gamecock. Such talk is now being discussed again. Members of the SGA, in particular SGA President Steve Hill, have argued that The Gamecock prints only one side of the story and have made demands for space in The Gamecock on behalf of the SGA. This is about as - reasonable as Gov. Edwards having a column in The State of or Presi<;lent Ford's running a column in the Washington Post. Another argument espoused by the SGAis that all we ever do is criticize. We criticize because we see things that are being done poorly and need to be rectified. If something worthwhile is being done by the SGA, we would be more than happy to write about it, but the SGA must take it upon itself to inform The Gamecock and the student body about the good things they are doing. SGA's credibility is at a low ebb and that legislative body sorely needs to do a public So r WASiASWEVTO t'>& SmTutN6---OFRICINA.-Y. (ANO VOR A Popr) I SN'TTOA-r T14C WAY't LLO ds : rglations job, not for the sake of The Gamecock, but for the sake of the students it represents. The students do not know what is being done on their behalf. A masssive public relations campaign needs to be un dertaken by the SGA. When confronted with SGA elect ions, most students ask, "What difference does it make?" Instead of concerning itself with the apathy and criticisrti it receives, the SGA should be concentrating on doing something about that criticismt other than shutting of f the funds and voice of the.student newspaper. The arguing for eliminating students funds for The Gamecock is about as feasible as an argument to eliminate student funds for student government. It has been said before on a national level, but I will say it again here. Student government and a student press are the two most powerful elements on this campus, and woe be the day that one should have control over the other. GAMECOCK BILL PRATT, Editor BILL OUTLAW. -BILL GRANT. Eitrial Page Editor Managing Editor Sept. 25, 1975 Ban handguns; reduce crime 'By STEVE VALK A second attempt in a span of three weeks was made on the life of President Ford in California Monday and, in both instances, it was the usage of a handgun that nearly caused the loss of our chief executive. As a result of these incidents, politicians and newspapers around the country have called for tighter security and curtailment of public contact between the President and the American people. They are missing the root of the problem. Tighter gun control laws are needed, eliminating the use of the -handgun and making it harder to obtain high powered rifles, etc. The only purpose of a handgun is to kill people. The women who allegedly attempted to assasinate the President could not have come so close to the President if they had been carrying a rifle. While a rifle has been used in previous assasination attempts, it at least forces the would be assasin to shoot from a distance, increasing his chance for error, and making it hard for him or her to find a suitable place of concealment. The menace of handguns is by no means confined to the political arena. Every day countless numbers of crimes are committed and lives are lost through the usage of handguns. While gun control legislation would not totally eliminate this tragedy, it could reduce the number of armed felonies. The handgun has no place in our society. People feeling the need to protect their homes can do so with a rifle. Those wishing to protect themselves in public need to be reminded it is already against the law to carry a con cealed weapon. ' Nobody needs a handgun. The sale and ownership of handguns should be banned. A federal law should be passed requiring all citizens already owning hand guns to turn them in and receive a cash refund for them. After the six month period is over, anyone possessing a hand gun would receive a fine or jail sentence. A law as drastic as this will not eliminate violent crimes. However, it could make it harder to obtain a weapon for-criminals and psychotics. It could have positive results, even if only one life is spared by this action. There are numerous laws on the books which protect the citizen from things such as marijuana which have yet to be proven harmful, yet the possession of a gun is still legal. Isn't it about time that laws were made to protect people against violent crimes.? Letters policy the GAMECOCK invites all persons within the campus community to make their opinons and thoug,ht kn~ownto our readers. It s your voice-w aW re the vehicle We attempt to print weekly e our "Letters to th~e Editor" section all letters received. Minimal editing us ' ro"m'-ed, and though, longer letters will be printed, letters of 2% words and under ar e given a'nnhous letters. though we will withhold names for valid reasons Prete'ably, letters shoUld be typed with name and address of the author mnCluded Please dlvrltes pesnly to e,office in Room 316 Russell House or write Campus Opinon