2008 Woodie Awards
Gun charges dropped against student
Former UNL student won't be charged for bringing a rifle to campus
Taylor Muller
Issue date: 8/12/08 Section: News
Former UNL student Colin Fury said that in September, when he and a friend walked across campus with two unloaded rifles, few students reacted with alarm, and after reassuring those around them that the guns were not loaded, most were curious about the large rifles.
"Really nobody was alarmed," Fury said. "There was one girl who saw us that was laughing and we could tell she was a little nervous. So I said to her, "Don't worry these guns aren't loaded we're just headed to NRA College Republicans Day at the student union.'"
However, Fury and Craig Clark, a student at Southeast Community College, were later charged with unlawful possession of a firearm on school grounds. Fury, at that time a political science major, also faced disciplinary action from UNL for violation of the student code of conduct.
Fury and Clark were on the way to a College Republicans meeting to discuss the National Rifles Association.
"We knew there were rules on campus against concealed weapons, so we had them unloaded and carried them," Fury said. "The university police were not called until an hour after everything was done."
Fury said he did not know they had created such an uproar until reading about it the next day in the Daily Nebraskan. They were initially charged with disturbing the peace, which was later changed to firearms on school grounds.
The charges were eventually dismissed by Judge Gale Pokorny in July, saying that "school" was not properly defined in the law.
Fury was required by UNL to take a decision making class and do community service. He was also placed on disciplinary probation, and if he returns to UNL next spring would continue to be required to attend weekly meetings with his college's dean.
"I'm glad to not have to go to court anymore. I think the judge made the right decision, according to the state laws on the books, I'm glad the judge didn't try to legislate from the bench," Fury said. "I'm also happy the university's been good to me. The dean has really tried to take care of me."
"Really nobody was alarmed," Fury said. "There was one girl who saw us that was laughing and we could tell she was a little nervous. So I said to her, "Don't worry these guns aren't loaded we're just headed to NRA College Republicans Day at the student union.'"
However, Fury and Craig Clark, a student at Southeast Community College, were later charged with unlawful possession of a firearm on school grounds. Fury, at that time a political science major, also faced disciplinary action from UNL for violation of the student code of conduct.
Fury and Clark were on the way to a College Republicans meeting to discuss the National Rifles Association.
"We knew there were rules on campus against concealed weapons, so we had them unloaded and carried them," Fury said. "The university police were not called until an hour after everything was done."
Fury said he did not know they had created such an uproar until reading about it the next day in the Daily Nebraskan. They were initially charged with disturbing the peace, which was later changed to firearms on school grounds.
The charges were eventually dismissed by Judge Gale Pokorny in July, saying that "school" was not properly defined in the law.
Fury was required by UNL to take a decision making class and do community service. He was also placed on disciplinary probation, and if he returns to UNL next spring would continue to be required to attend weekly meetings with his college's dean.
"I'm glad to not have to go to court anymore. I think the judge made the right decision, according to the state laws on the books, I'm glad the judge didn't try to legislate from the bench," Fury said. "I'm also happy the university's been good to me. The dean has really tried to take care of me."
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