A guest post by Dr. John R. Lott, Jr., founder of the Crime Prevention Research Center (CPRC)
Taylor Woolrich is a Dartmouth student whose story is continuing to make a difference in explaining to people why it is important that stalking victims have the right to be able to defend themselves, which the school is denying her. From the BBC:
A former beauty pageant contestant from California, 20-year-old Taylor Woolrich is the first to admit she’s not your usual guns rights campaigner.
She’s fighting for the right to carry a weapon on [Dartmouth’s] campus, for a very personal reason.
For years she’s been stalked by a man she first came into contact with while waitressing at a cafe.
He would turn up to see her every day and began to track her down outside work. An emergency restraining order failed to deter him.
Things became even more terrifying when she moved across the country to study at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire.
“It wasn’t even on my mind, and then he contacted me via LinkedIn and used social media to continue to contact me — sent me various very frightening messages, making it very specific he knew where I was,” she says.
One summer, when she went home to California, he turned up at her parents’ doorstep. She says police found what they call a “rape kit” — rope tied as a slip-noose, gloves, duct-tape, flash light, and a sweatshirt — inside his car.
Taylor’s stalker is currently in jail. His sentence will soon be up….
Her story has garnered national and even some international media attention. To read more about her efforts to protect herself while at college, watch the YouTube video above (8:58 minutes) at the August conference for Students for Concealed Carry or click the links below.
Union Leader op-ed by Katie Kieffer: Want to reduce rape on campus? Let women carry firearms
Washington Times op-ed by Robert B Young: “Stalkers don’t stop, but arming victims would help”
New Hampshire Union Leader: “Dartmouth student targeted by stalker denied concealed gun on campus”
KFMB 760 AM San Diego: “No guns allowed on campus, even in self-defense”
Guns.com: “College student with stalker denied right to carry on campus”
KPCC Airtalk (Southern California Public Radio): “Should some college students have the right to carry concealed weapons?”
WPTV West Palm Beach, Florida: “Taylor Woolrich: College student wants right to carry gun on campus”
New Hampshire Union Leader: “Afraid at Dartmouth: A stalker and a gun ban”
The UK Daily News: “College student threatens to drop Dartmouth if the school does not allow her to carry a handgun on campus to protect herself from a ‘stalker with a rape kit’”
Business Insider: “Dartmouth Won’t Allow Student To Carry Gun For Protection, Despite A Man Allegedly Stalking Her For Four Years”
Fox 5 San Diego: “Dartmouth student from San Diego wants to carry a gun on campus”
China News: “美女学生长期遭老男人骚扰欲携枪防身遭校方拒绝 [The beautiful woman student suffers the old man to harass for a long time wants to take along the gun self-defense to suffer the school authorities to reject]”
NBC News in San Diego: “Dartmouth Student Seeks Right to Carry Gun to Protect Herself Against Stalker”
The Washington Times: “Stalked student may drop out of Dartmouth over no-guns policy”
Inquisitr: “Gun Control Rule At Dartmouth College Denies Taylor Woolrich Protection From Stalker With ‘Rape Kit’”
Katie Pavlich at Townhall.com: “Female Campus Carry Advocate and Dartmouth Student Details Stalking: “They Found a Rape Kit in His Car”
Katie Pavlich at Townhall.com: “Mother of Virginia Tech Victim Advocates For Concealed Carry on Campus”
WHNT, Tuscumbia, Alabama: “College students nationwide fight for their gun rights”
The Truth About Guns: “Dartmouth College Denies Stalker Victim Right to Armed Self Defense, Perpetuates #waronwomen”
Rare: “Dartmouth wouldn’t let this woman carry a gun to fend off her stalker”
Breitbart: “Dartmouth Student to “Drop out” unless she can carry gun to fend off stalker”
Newsbusters: “NBC Highlights College Student Fighting for Right to Carry Gun on Campus”
News World Today: “Dartmouth Won’t Allow Student To Carry Gun For Protection, Despite A Man Allegedly Stalking Her For Four Years”
Independent Journal Review: “Student Tormented By Stalker May Have To Drop Out Because College Won’t Allow Her To Defend Herself”
Georgia Newsday: “Stalked student will ‘drop Dartmouth’ for not allowing her a handgun”
The Examiner: “Female student not allowed to carry gun to protect self against predator”
NewHampshire.com: “Woman stalked by man, 67, caught with rape kit says she’ll drop out of Dartmouth if not allowed to carry a gun”
MyFoxChicago: “Ivy Leaguer with stalker may drop out over anti-gun policy”
Voice of San Diego: “Student from SD Takes Stand on Carrying Gun”
BizPacReview: “College student stalked for 4 years makes impassioned plea to carry a gun for self-defense”
Campus Reform: “Dartmouth student denied concealed carry despite aggressive stalker”
Heavy: “Taylor Woolrich: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know”
Opposing Views: “Dartmouth Won’t Allow Student To Carry Gun To Protect Against Stalker”
Red Alert Politics: “Darmouth College student advocates for concealed carry on campus”
KTOK 1000 Oklahoma: “Why David Boren et. al. Need to Re-think Their Gun Policies”
Los Angeles Times: “Dartmouth won’t let woman carry gun to protect against accused stalker”
KTLA-TV Channel 5 in Los Angeles: “Dartmouth College Student Denied Request to Carry Gun to Protect Against Alleged Stalker”
Texas GOP Vote: “Dartmouth College Puts Anti-Gun Ideology Above Safety of Stalked Female Student”
KFMB 760 AM: “San Diego student seeks gun permit from Dartmouth”
WRTV Channel 6 Indianapolis: “College student wants right to carry gun on campus”
The Daily Reporter, Greenfield, Indiana: “San Diego student seeks concealed gun permit from Dartmouth to protect against alleged stalker”
KERO ABC Channel 23, Bakersfield, California: “San Diego student seeks gun permit from Dartmouth College”
The Lompoc Record, Lompoc, California: “San Diego student seeks gun permit from Dartmouth”
Breitbart (revisited): “Dartmouth will not allow stalking victim to carry gun for self-defense”
DigiNews: “Women Against Feminism fight back”
Some coverage at Dartmouth
The Dartmouth: “Sophomore advocates for concealed gun carry”
Dartblog: “If Woolrich Had a Gun?”
Dartblog: “Woolrich Gun Story Viral; She Clams Up”
Dartblog: “This Summer’s Scandal?“
The Crime Prevention Research Center (CPRC) is a research and education organization dedicated to conducting academic quality research on the relationship between laws regulating the ownership or use of guns, crime, and public safety; educating the public on the results of such research; and supporting other organizations, projects, and initiatives that are organized and operated for similar purposes. It has 501(C)(3) status, and does not accept donations from gun or ammunition makers or organizations such as the NRA.
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