美国国家公共电台 NPR Arkansas' 'Enhanced Concealed Carry' Allows Guns In Churches, Bars, State Capitol

 

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

The state of Arkansas has a law allowing people to carry concealed¹ weapons in churches, in bars, on college campuses, even in the state Capitol. Now, this requires a special permit, as well as training on what to do in an active shooting. Arkansas is the first state to require that kind of training for a gun permit. We have more from Sarah Whites-Koditschek from Arkansas Public Media.

SARAH WHITES-KODITSCHEK, BYLINE²: Part one of the training is what's called a live-fire exam. The applicants³ are shooting at a circle printed on a cutout of a human torso.

NATHAN HOUSE: One shot. Two seconds. Ready?

(SOUNDBITE OF BEEP, GUNSHOT)

HOUSE: OK.

WHITES-KODITSCHEK: Proficiency⁴ is 70 percent. So far, everyone tested at Shooters University in Sherwood, Ark., has passed. Next up - six hours in the classroom.

HOUSE: So when are you justified⁵ in using physical force?

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: To defend yourself.

WHITES-KODITSCHEK: The new law makes clear that permit holders⁶ aren't obligated to respond in those cases. Trainer Nathan House tells the applicants that the best response to a shooter is to run and to help others escape. But he says having a weapon gives people a last resort.

HOUSE: Make them come to you, right? I mean, if that active shooter decides that they want to come into the room where you're at, you're prepared to defend yourself.

WHITES-KODITSCHEK: Couch (ph) tells the class to be careful not to shoot the wrong person, and then after firing, put their gun away. That way, police don't think they're the shooter. Katrina Allen took the class. She says she's prepared to fight back if she has to.

KATRINA ALLEN: If I'm ever find myself in an active-shooter situation, I do realize that I will take on the responsibility of protecting whoever's around me.

WHITES-KODITSCHEK: Her classmate Seth Mikkelsen says he won't hesitate.

SETH MIKKELSEN: The point of carrying and having a weapon available is to use it.

WHITES-KODITSCHEK: That's not what the state police, who developed the framework for the license⁷ training, want to see happen. Spokesman Bill Sadler says the eight hours of training shouldn't make people feel ready to go vigilante. He says innocent bystanders could get hurt, and more people firing guns could make the scene more dangerous and confusing for the real police.

BILL SADLER: The licensee must be able to egress⁸ from the active-shooter situation and not necessarily become someone who is going to act as a law enforcement officer might.

WHITES-KODITSCHEK: Some sensitive places that aren't publicly owned, like bars and churches, can opt⁹ out. That's what Little Rock First United Methodist Church has done. Senior Pastor¹⁰ Daniel (ph) Freeman says the self-defense mindset just doesn't align¹¹ with the church's values.

DAVID FREEMAN: It keeps us guarded and focused on fear and keeps us guarded on, what are the dangers out there? - rather than seeing the world through, what are the opportunities for love and to build community?

WHITES-KODITSCHEK: Some safety experts have more practical concerns. For example, more guns in public places could mean they're used more often in suicides or personal conflicts. State Representative Charlie Collins says the important thing is to get guns in the hands of the right people. He sponsored the new law, and he believes more concealed weapons will deter¹² mass shooters. But if there's an attack...

CHARLIE COLLINS: You have the potential for one of these enhanced concealed-carry holders to literally¹³ be on scene and to be able to draw a weapon and shoot back.

WHITES-KODITSCHEK: And that, he says, will make Arkansas safer. For NPR News, I'm Sarah Whites-Koditschek in Little Rock.

[POST-BROADCAST CORRECTION: In the audio version of this story, David Freeman is incorrectly identified as Daniel Freeman.]

(SOUNDBITE OF FOLLOWED BY GHOSTS' "BEARDS OF THE PATRIARCHS")

1 concealed   

a.隐藏的，隐蔽的

参考例句：

• The paintings were concealed beneath a thick layer of plaster. 那些画被隐藏在厚厚的灰泥层下面。
• I think he had a gun concealed about his person. 我认为他当时身上藏有一支枪。

2 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

3 applicants   

申请人，求职人( applicant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There were over 500 applicants for the job. 有500多人申请这份工作。
• He was impressed by the high calibre of applicants for the job. 求职人员出色的能力给他留下了深刻印象。

4 proficiency   

n.精通，熟练，精练

参考例句：

• He plied his trade and gained proficiency in it.他勤习手艺，技术渐渐达到了十分娴熟的地步。
• How do you think of your proficiency in written and spoken English?你认为你的书面英语和口语熟练程度如何？

5 justified   

a.正当的，有理的

参考例句：

• She felt fully justified in asking for her money back. 她认为有充分的理由要求退款。
• The prisoner has certainly justified his claims by his actions. 那个囚犯确实已用自己的行动表明他的要求是正当的。

6 holders   

支持物( holder的名词复数 )； 持有者； （支票等）持有人； 支托（或握持）…之物

参考例句：

• Slaves were mercilessly ground down by slave holders. 奴隶受奴隶主的残酷压迫。
• It is recognition of compassion's part that leads the up-holders of capital punishment to accuse the abolitionists of sentimentality in being more sorry for the murderer than for his victim. 正是对怜悯的作用有了认识，才使得死刑的提倡者指控主张废除死刑的人感情用事，同情谋杀犯胜过同情受害者。

7 license   

n.执照，许可证，特许；v.许可，特许

参考例句：

• The foreign guest has a license on the person.这个外国客人随身携带执照。
• The driver was arrested for having false license plates on his car.司机由于使用假车牌而被捕。

8 egress   

n.出去；出口

参考例句：

• Safe access and egress can be achieved by various methods.可以采用各种方法安全的进入或离开。
• Drains achieve a ready egress of the liquid blood.引流能为血液提供一个容易的出口。

9 opt   

vi.选择，决定做某事

参考例句：

• They opt for more holiday instead of more pay.他们选择了延长假期而不是增加工资。
• Will individual schools be given the right to opt out of the local school authority?各个学校可能有权选择退出地方教育局吗？

10 pastor   

n.牧师，牧人

参考例句：

• He was the son of a poor pastor.他是一个穷牧师的儿子。
• We have no pastor at present:the church is run by five deacons.我们目前没有牧师：教会的事是由五位执事管理的。

11 align   

vt.使成一线，结盟，调节；vi.成一线，结盟

参考例句：

• Align the ruler and the middle of the paper.使尺子与纸张的中部成一条直线。
• There are signs that the prime minister is aligning himself with the liberals.有迹象表明首相正在与自由党人结盟。

12 deter   

vt.阻止，使不敢，吓住

参考例句：

• Failure did not deter us from trying it again.失败并没有能阻挡我们再次进行试验。
• Dogs can deter unwelcome intruders.狗能够阻拦不受欢迎的闯入者。

13 literally   

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实

参考例句：

• He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
• Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。