University of Tennessee spokesman says bill on athletes with guns unnecessary

commercialappeal.com ^ | 19 March, 2010 | AP

[marktwain]

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A University of Tennessee spokesman said a state lawmaker's attempt to get involved with student-athlete gun rights is unnecessary, and the university has its own new policy.

University vice president Hank Dye told the Chattanooga Times Free Press that earlier comments about a "zero-tolerance policy statement" regarding guns were overstated.

Republican state Rep. Stacey Campfield of Knoxville is sponsoring a measure that would prevent university officials from suspending athletes who have guns, legally or illegally.

Dye said the university has a new zero-tolerance policy on athletes possessing firearms when they are involved in university events and traveling to or from those events.

"It is our feeling that the existing law allows us to provide this direction for our student athletes without infringing on their Second Amendment rights," Dye said in an e-mail today. "Our concern is that the proposed amendment does not."

Campfield told the newspaper he believes university officials now are "trying to back away a little bit, but they still have that right."

"My bill hopefully would stop them from going down the road when they start doing that," Campfield told the newspaper.

He said his legislation says that if a "student is on their own time, on their own property, is a legal gun owner, that the university can't penalize that student for doing something legal with their gun, hunting with it, carrying it for protection."

[marktwain]

University officials, caught attemting to infringe in no uncertain terms, now trying to preserve their power to do so.

[Abathar]

"prevent university officials from suspending athletes who have guns, legally or illegally. "

I think the university should retain the right if it catches one of its players carrying without a permit on school property that it can suspend that player from the team. Some of these gangsta wannabes they recruit from the hood need to learn that actions have consequences.

[lack-of-trust]

UofT... Aren’t they the “Volunteers”??

does the school administration remember what Tennessians were volunteering for?

[lack-of-trust]

Volunteer Nickname
Since the Revolutionary War, Tennesseans have been quick to volunteer for military duty. That reputation was solidified during the Mexican War when Gov. Aaron Brown issued a call in May 1846 requesting 2,800 volunteers for military service and 30,000 responded. A UT athletic team was dubbed the Volunteers for the first time in 1902 by the Atlanta Constitution following a Tennessee-Georgia Tech football game. The Knoxville Journal and Tribune did not use the name until 1905. By the fall of 1905 both the Journal and the Knoxville Sentinel were using the nickname. The name “Volunteers” is frequently shortened to “Vols” in describing Tennessee’s athletic teams. The dragoon uniform worn by Tennessee regulars during the Mexican War is worn by the color guard at UT Knoxville athletic events.

[blam]

An ex-governor of Tenneessee was the first president of Texas, Sam Houston.

[WLR]

Some really fine GIs come out of Tennessee.. Then and still today..

W