Baseball
Congress
UCO baseball will welcome to Lindenwood Lions this weekend for a three game series. Page 7
A member of the United States House of Representatives is asked to leave after refusing to remove his hood on his hooded sweatshirt. Page 3
MARCH 29, 2012 uco360.com twitter.com/uco360
THE VISTA
UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL OKLAHOMA’S student voice since 1903.
State
PERSONHOOD BILL PASSES OK. HOUSE By Trevor Hultner / Staff Writer Abortion has become a major hot-button issue in recent months, with multiple states drafting – and sometimes passing – legislation that critics say restrict women’s right to choose how to manage their own bodies. Similar legislation has rarely been seen in Congress, until this week. On Tuesday, the House Judiciary Commit-
tee voted to pass the Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act. The vote was 13 for, 10 against. CIANA, or House Rule 2299, was written in 2011 by Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.). According to the bill, the author seeks to “prohibit taking minors across State lines in circumvention of laws requiring the involvement of parents in abortion decisions.”
“Whoever knowingly transports a minor across a State line, with the intent that such minor obtain an abortion, and thereby in fact abridges the right of a parent under a law requiring parental involvement in a minor’s abortion decision, in force in the State where the minor resides, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than one year, or both,” the bill said.
If passed and signed into law, CIANA would also punish the doctors who performed the abortion with up to a year in prison and fines, as well as open them up to potential litigation. This comes on the heels of the passage of the so-called “Personhood Act,” Senate Bill 1433, in the Oklahoma House of Representatives. The Personhood Act aims to define life
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BOBECK AND THE BRONCHOS START SPRING TRAINING
Head Coach Nick Bobeck runs drills during their first spring practice of 2012 in Wantland Stadium, Tuesday, March 27, 2012. “The biggest thing that we wanted to do was set the tempo of how we want to practice, how we want to get things done and I think our kids did a pretty good job of that,” Bobeck said. The Bronchos will be playing in the MIAA conference next fall. Photo by Garett Fisbeck, The Vista
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State
SOME OKLA. LAW OFFICERS WARY OF ‘OPEN CARRY’ BILLS By Zeke Campbell / Associated Press
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DID YOU KNOW? The North Face clothing company sued a clothing company called The South Butt.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) – Legislation that would allow Oklahomans to display their handguns openly has some law enforcement officials on edge, but many people say the public may not see a big difference. Oklahomans with a state-issued permit have been allowed to carry a concealed handgun since 1996, but if the so-called Open Carry legislation is approved it will be the first time since 1971 that permit holders could carry their weapon exposed. Similar bills passed both the House and Senate this month and are working their way through the legislative process. Gov. Mary Fallin has said she supports the concept of allowing Oklahomans to openly carry guns. The issue has a lot of law enforcement officials talking, said Norman McNickle, president of the Oklahoma Association of Police Chiefs. While most support Second Amendment rights in general, some are wary people who openly carry their firearms in public might cause unnecessary distractions that may ultimately interfere with public safety, McNickle said. “There is a universal concern that this will lead to more confrontations with our citizens,” he said. “How does the first arriving officers know who the good guys are and who the bad guys are? It makes their job exponentially harder.” Twenty-nine states have no law that prohibits the
Some law enforcement fear that citizens will be intimidated by permited gun owners openly carrying their firearms. Stock photo.
open carrying of handguns. Of the states that do restrict the practice, 14 allow it as long as a person has a state-issued permit. Oklahoma is one of six states that currently does not allow for the open carrying of firearms, but if the proposed legislation becomes law it would join the
group of 14 that require permits. California banned the practice last year with the exception of its unincorporated areas. In states where Open Carry is allowed, law enforcement officials said it can cause inconveniences for
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