Multimedia Reporting (Adler-Noland)

On January 1, 2007, a Kansas law went into effect that mandates the attorney general to issue permits to citizens wishing to carry a concealed firearm. Providing the citizen is over the age of 21 and passes a background check, the permit to carry will be issued to the applicant. But citizens wishing to purchase a firearm will need to have the financial means to do so safely.

There are other costs associated with purchasing the gun. After buying the firearm the citizen needs a way to carry it, store it and clean it safely. Practicing shooting can be expensive as well. Citizens will need to pay for shooting range time, safety equipment, and practice ammunition. Then if someone wishes to carry the permit there is still more to pay for processing the application.

Jeff Howlett has owned Kansas Firearms Specialties for five years and business has never been better. He said sales have increased two-fold in recent months. Not only are people coming in to buy pistols for carry, but interest has increased in home defense shotguns and rifles as well.

Howlett said a good pistol would run about $400 for a Taurus or Ruger. But higher end models like Glock or Springfield's XD line will cost $550 or more. Then the customer will start to customize the weapon to suit their needs, like adding a flashlight for low light situations.

Next people need a way to actually carry safely. Typically a customer will purchase 2-3 holsters for different ways to carry the firearm. For instance a belt holster would not work for someone wishing to carry under a jacket.

"Just like tennis shoes, you probably have four to five pairs of shoes," said Howlett.

It is also not safe to leave the weapon lying around so citizens buy safes that run anywhere from $30 to $90 to store the firearm when it is not on their person.

Further adding to the safety of carrying a firearm, citizens who wish to get a permit also must complete an eight-hour training class. The cost of these classes can range from $85 to $150.

Other area businesses, like the Bullet Hole in Overland Park, are seeing a dramatic increase in interest in classes and range time. Jeff Neuman, Bullet Hole employee, said hundreds of people have taken their classes since the bill was passed in July. Even in the winter months about 150 people a month go through their $125, eight-hour class.

"Kansas is one of the last states to come around to this," said Neuman, attributing the increased interest to the new law.

People who wish to practice shooting pay a yearly fee of $20 and $9 per visit thereafter to use the Bullet Hole's facilities. Neuman says they have definitely been busier since the bill was passed.

The county and state government are also seeing some of the profit from the new law. Citizens need to pay a $40 processing fee to their county sheriff's office for fingerprinting and a background check, said Sgt. Al Deathe with the Douglas County Sheriff's office.

The attorney general's office then receives the application and a $110 fee for processing. Since the bill was passed 6,411 Kansans have applied for the permit, according to Special Agent Don Christie with the attorney general's office. Since January 2, 174 people have applied from Douglas County and as of Feb. 13, 120 citizens have been approved to conceal a firearm.

For people like Howlett, who are in business to sell firearms, the bill means more than just dollar signs and an increase in the bottom line.

"I could care less about the money I make," said Howlett. "It's all about safety, it's all about my family's safety."

There are many parallels between getting a haircut and sports. University of Kansas golfer Gary Woodland must line up his putts exactly in order to win tournaments. Barber Rex Porter of Rex’s Stadium Barber Shop must line up sideburns and bangs with the same precision in order to please his customers.

It’s a cutthroat business full of rivalries and intense competition for a customer base. Rex knows that he must always be on top of his game in order to satisfy those who come to his shop and trust their locks to his experienced hands.

Rex was groomed from a young age to become a barber. His adopted grandfather was a barber, as was his father, but Rex attended KU majoring in music. He realized eventually that he would be able to live out his passion for sports by talking with customers, becoming a walking Kansas athletics encyclopedia and cutting hair.

He started 25 years ago with Mike and Jon Amyx at Amyx Barber Shop. In 1987 their competitive nature forced Jon and Rex to open Downtown Barber Shop. The business grew and in 2004 Rex was ready for a change of pace. He didn’t like the mentality of just saying next and wanted a friendlier atmosphere. The 43-year-old family man decided to open his own shop at the behest of his wife Laura.

“Rex, go do it,” she said to him and the Stadium Barber Shop became his.
It’s 7 a.m. and Rex opens his shop. The lights illuminate the ghosts of the University’s past hanging on the walls in black and white portraits; their jerseys hang from the ceiling and their legacy lives in Rex’s memories.

His uniform is simple. He wears a KU t-shirt, KU athletics pants and a pair of Nike tennis shoes. Rex is ready to step up to the plate of a new day.

“Brown… on the ceiling,” Rex says. There’s a green Memphis Mad Dogs football jersey hanging above the third chair in his shop. Sure enough it’s the jersey of Derrick Brown, a former Jayhawk football player who enjoyed a brief career on the Canadian Football League team. “Military man, high and tight,” Rex recalls. There’s no need to discuss what he’s doing with his regular’s hair. He knows exactly how they like it cut, and can focus on talking sports with them.

D-Brown was his nickname and soon his brother J-Brown started coming to Rex’s clippers for his haircut. Rex explained his tactic for building a customer base, “If you get one, you get ‘em all,” he said. Brown’s legacy as a football player and friend is explained to those in the shop. Everybody learns something about jayhawk history that otherwise would have been lost. It’s a unique aspect of Rex’s friendship with his customers; not only do they provide his income, they fuel his passion for the world of sports.

At about 8:45 a.m. a man comes in and takes his seat in the chair. Rex goes straight to work trimming. His every move is purposeful, precisely clipping and snipping the man’s hair. Anyone can pick up on the friendship between them as Dave Ross has been coming to Rex for about 10 years for a trim. Ross’ son is a member of the University’s “yell leaders.”

“They lift the girls up,” he explains as he gets out of the chair and proudly points his son out on a calendar on the wall. Rex’s shop has a quality that is hard to relate to most sporting venues; a deep intimacy with everything related to sports. Cheerleaders on the walls, pictured players forever locked in gridiron battle, the announcer on ESPN giving the fans the play-by-play of the day’s news and a friend to talk to in the coming together of all of this.

At 9 a.m. a new customer pulls up a seat and Rex immediately starts up a conversation about the man’s work as a detective. For Rex, these moments are what it’s all about, wondering who is coming in that day and just visiting.

The news breaks the regular chitchat as ESPN announces that Kansas State basketball coach Bob Huggins is leaving the Wildcats.

“What about ‘Huggie Bear’,” Rex teases his customer, a Kansas State fan. The man shifts in his chair and explains, “It’s kind of like losing your first girlfriend.” The two laugh and the conversation moves to coaching from there.

The day continues like this until it’s time to close at 6 p.m. Rex estimates he has put in 60 hours a week since 1983 when he started cutting hair. He’s had struggles but he’s worked through them. His passion is obvious as he explains he will never lose his zest for what he does, talk sports with friends and cut their hair.

Summer is right around the corner and for sports that rely on good weather it means the beginning of the season. Former Kansas tennis player Ksenia Bukina was plagued with an arm injury that forced her to miss all but five events. She is not alone though; more than 205 out of every 1,000 student-athletes will be injured during the season according to a 2004-2005 NCAA report.

Professor David Carr teaches Heath, Sport and Exercise Science the University of Kansas and believes that working out with a strength training and flexibility program can prevent most injuries. He recommends warming up and cooling down every time someone takes part in any athletic event. Carr also stressed the importance of knowing your own physical limitations.

“People will say, ‘doc it hurts to do this,’” said Carr who usually responds with, “then don’t do it.”

He attributed many injuries he sees to over use. If the injury gets too severe sometimes surgery is an option, and that is where the public is reaping the rewards of new technologies.

Doctor Larry Magee is the KU team physician and said that most of the time problems can be solved without surgery. He uses a variety of cortisone injections, deep massage and ultrasound treatment to try to heal injuries and prevent surgery. But if these conservative measures are unsuccessful, Dr. Magee will turn to orthopedic surgery.

“The difference between now and 10 years ago is more and more surgeries are being done arthroscopically,” Dr. Magee said. Arthroscopy allows a surgeon to look into the human body without “opening up” the joint they are operating on. He explained that the instrument has been around for about 20 years. Professor Carr says implants are changing arthroscopic surgery.

“I don’t know that the technologies have changed, rather it’s the things they use,” Carr said. Carr explained that physicians now have implants that allow them to be even more minimally invasive.

Tosa Medical is at the forefront of creating new implants surgeons can use to help repair damage with outpatient surgery according to Mark Cairns, a sales representative for Tosa. Cairns said Tosa has been developing this technology for the last two to three years and they are finally seeing wider usage.

One such product allows a doctor to place a suture into the shoulder blade to fix rotator cuff damage without having to cut off cartilage inside the rotator cuff. Another popular rotator cuff treatment is the use of the Bio-Corkscrew. It uses a bioabsorbable suture anchor that the body absorbs over time to prevent unwanted tension says Cairns.

Cairns said the main focus of outpatient orthopedic surgeries was to cut back on pain and increase the range of motion a person retains post-operation. He said recovery would still take time anytime an operation is performed.

“Just because it’s done with a scope doesn’t mean less (recovery) time, just less pain,” he said.

Dr. Magee said recovery time from orthopedic surgery usually averages between two to eight weeks depending on what the operation involved and whether or not the patient re-aggravated the injury during recovery time. Dr. Magee, professor Carr and Cairns agreed that a patient’s range of motion and strength could be regained after orthopedic surgery.

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Lawrence Fire Medical Chief Mark Bradford and his team of fire and coroner’s office investigators will finally be able to move out of their current investigations vehicle, a modified 1991 Ford ambulance suffering from a laundry list of problems so long that Bradford can’t recall every issue.

The new vehicle is a specially made office on wheels that will allow investigators more room and workspace when looking into the cause of deaths countywide and fires within Lawrence according to Bradford.

“I think it will enhance our operations,” said Bradford. “It will make us more efficient.”

With space for four investigators to work and to conduct interviews the vehicle is a drastic improvement from the converted ambulance the city has been using, explained Bradford. He said the purpose of the Special Investigations Vehicle is to allow investigators to conduct post-incident investigations more efficiently; something that was not capable with the old vehicle.

Bradford explained the converted ambulance had very limited space to work in and was in poor physical condition at 16-years-old.

“It has a large number of operating hours,” said Bradford. In addition to having a high maintenance cost, the old ambulance also had transmission issues Bradford explained.
Bradford also said that through the Homeland Security Administration the city would host a Mass Casualty Facility Trailer. The trailer will hold equipment to be used in the event of an incident where up to 250 people need medical attention. He said the new Special Investigations Vehicle would be able to tow the Mass Casualty Trailer.

Roger Brown, the Kansas sales representative for Pierce Manufacturing, and Bradford described it as a multi-purpose unit. Pierce Manufacturing sells the new top-of-the-line models for $350,000, according to Brown. The city saved money by purchasing a demonstration model that is currently on display in Washington D.C.

“We made sure we get the best use for the funds,” said Bradford. “We didn’t need a brand-new vehicle.”

Debbie Van Saun, Lawrence Assistant City Manager, explained that the city saved money by buying a demonstration model and offering the vehicle for joint operations with Douglas County.

“It’s a positive collaboration for city and county to meet public safety needs,” Van Saun said.

The total cost of the new vehicle is $222,695. Lawrence will pay $205,000 and Douglas County will contribute $17,695 according to Bradford. Bradford said Lawrence’s portion would be taken out of the 2007 operating budget.

“The fire chief did a good job researching to get the best bang for our buck,” Van Saun said. “Although it’s not brand-spanking-new, it’s able to meet our needs.”

Van Saun said that the vehicle was inspected by city officials before the purchase and was assessed to be just what they were looking for.

According to Bradford that’s exactly what the city needs. A “mini mobile command center” as Brown described it.

Van Saun said the purchase was acquired through the Mid-America Regional Council. The MARC assists local departments in purchasing specialty vehicles and specialty items that are hard to come by. Van Saun says a vehicle like this falls into that category.

Rita Parker, Program Coordinator for the Kansas City Regional Purchasing Cooperative, says the goal of working cooperatively on purchases such as the Special Services Vehicle promotes relations between government agencies and can provide a significant discount for the eight counties and 116 cities KCRPC works with.

Bradford expects the vehicle to be delivered to Lawrence within the next 60-90 days. He said it would be housed at Old Fire Station No. 2 at 1839 Massachusetts St.

Pass the torch. It’s a mantra that describes the mission of Fadlullah Firman, the president of the Muslim Student Association of KU. Fiman is in his final days in office as president and he is optimistic about the success of the group when he steps down at the end of the year.

Over the year the executive board of the MSA meets every two weeks to discuss the direction of the group and to brainstorm ideas for events. Two of the main events the MSA sponsors are the “Fast-A-Thon” and Islam Awareness Week. Firman said that the group struggled when it came to lining up speakers to headline events and meetings.

“We are still in the learning process when trying to book speakers,” Firman said.

But Firman has learned a lot over the last year about how to effectively run a student group. Especially when it comes to passing on the leadership responsibilities. The MSA nominates their leadership from a group of students who have been deeply involved in the clubs activities over the year.
“We’re able to involve more people and create more leadership with the freshman and sophomore members,” Firman said.

Part of passing the torch involves getting younger members involved in sub-committees for the events the MSA hosts. Firman said that this was the first year the MSA was able to utilize funds from student senate to help them get their message out to campus.

Firman said that this year about 200 people attended their flagship event, Islam Awareness Week. While that number is short of what the group had hoped for, Firman was still happy with the turnout.

“It could have gone better,” Firman said, “but we’re satisfied.”

Firman said that during weekly Halaqah meetings, or circle of Islamic knowledge meetings, Muslim students discuss their own faith and find ways to support each other when fasting or praying.

The group works closely with other organizations around campus and around Lawrence. Firman said over the past year they teamed up with KU Hillel and Amnesty International as well as the Lawrence Open Shelter. But Firman admitted MSA needs to change it’s routine to increase student participation.

“We’ve been doing the same things for the past three years,” Firman said. “We need people set in place; to get someone to sit on Student Senate and spice things up.”

Firman said that the group doesn’t exist to directly fight racism, but their strategy of educating people about their faith seems to be paying off. The Federal Bureau of Investigation reported 8,804 hate crimes nation wide in 2005. Religious communities suffered 1,405 times at the hands of hate; people of Islamic faith shared 10.7 percent of the cases. But, the University of Kansas department of Human Resouces and Equal Opportunity reported no incidences of anti-Islamic racism.

“If there is any racism we hope to tarnish it through education and information,” Firman said. “Hate grows because of ignorance and misconceptions. Most of the time people’s opinions can be altered.”

Firman’s group attempts to show the community that students who practice Islam are just normal people here at the University for an education. Giving educational seminars and exposing the community to what Islam means to Muslims is ultimately what MSA is all about.

“It’s important to give them a first-hand experience in what it means to be a Muslim,” Firman said.

And it would appear that their approach to sharing that experience is catching on around campus. Ola Faucher, director of the department of Human Resources and Equal Opportunity, has taken notice of the group on campus.

“I think their PR has been as successful as other groups on campus,” Faucher said.

The University’s Human Resources department is one of the offices that provide diversity training to faculty and staff. She thinks that for a Midwestern school the university is doing well in supporting diversity and encouraging multiculturalism.

“The University values diversity,” she said. “We can’t let our world be restricted by the borders of Kansas.”

The MSA also gets some help from the Multicultural Resource Center on campus. Santos Nunez, the program director, said that the MRC has worked closely with Firman’s group. The MRC has invited the Muslim Student Association to be a part of their diversity dialogues series and their brown bag discussions. The MRC also offers multicultural education training to help students and faculty understand a variety of cultural groups.

“Our goal is to promote cultural diversity and to promote cultural awareness,” Nunez said.

Nunez said that when she has worked with the MSA their leadership has been “excellent.”

When Firman steps aside as president he is confident that the group’s new leadership will be able to work hard to meet their goals of having monthly speakers at meetings, get a MSA member elected to Student senate and to increase attendance at events like Islam Awareness Week.