Comments on: Concealed Carry on Campus: Bad Idea

By: Bob

Bob — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 14:02:16 +0000

Two more comments … the thought of a sherrif’s deputy watching one’s back is great in the perfect world. The fact is that there aren’t enough law enforcement to watch everyone’s back at once. Law enforcement is reactive. They don’t know where the next crazed gunman/woman is going to pop up. It could be at a school, mall, fast food joint, church, etc … Thinking there just might be an officer nearby is a pipe dream. If they were that numerous, there couldn’t be the mass shootings …

Last, more gun laws only restrict the law abiding citizens from protecting themselves. By definition, the criminals ignore the laws. Making certain areas off limits to guns DOES NOT WORK. If someone has evil intent, is a sign on a door stating “Gun Free Zone” really going to stop them? We already know the answer to that question. Gun Free Zones should really be called Free Crime Zones.

By: Bob

Bob — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 13:55:36 +0000

Texas CHL bearers are NOT “trained to use their weapon safely and accurately”. There is no “training” in the use of their weapon at all however, they are required to show proficiency in using their weapon (safety and accuracy) at the shooting range. The CHL classses focus on conflict resolution and all the reasons one should NOT even draw one’s weapon … CHL holders cannot pull their gun and wave it at someone as a threat! That is called brandishing and it is illegal. The course seems to be designed to scare one out of firing their weapon, ie … once that bullet leaves the barrel, the shooter is responsible for whatever it hits. In other words, one better be darn sure that it’s a matter of life & death before pulling the trigger.

In every gun forum I’ve visited, people express over and over how they hope they never have to use their weapon, but they also refuse to be a victim if they are attacked. We who have CHLs understand that the police cannot possibly be there to protect us 24/7 and have thus decided to be responsible for our own (and our loved ones’) safety.

It’s not about being a vigilante or hoping to save everyone around us. It’s about personal safety. If I’m at a mall and hear gunshots three stores down, I’m calling 911 while heading for an exit. If the shots are one isle over in a grocery store, I’m heading away from the shots but keeping my eyes open for threats toward me.

By: Douva

Douva — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 03:29:41 +0000

Re: Property Rights

The way HB 1893 and SB 1164 are currently worded, they would not trample property rights. Private institutions of postsecondary education would be allowed to continue restricting concealed carry on their property. Public institutions would, essentially, fall under the same rules as other public buildings where concealed carry is not statutorily prohibited.

By: John

John — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 21:38:27 +0000

Regarding your response to S Wilson:

I would agree that there are fewer gun deaths were there are no guns at all, but there are plenty of places with fewer gun deaths than the united states that have more guns per capita. In fact, there are two places I know of that have mandatory gun ownership, and they both have very low rates of gun deaths specifically, and violent crime in general.

Also, surveys conducted in our prisons have indicated that knowing that the occupants of a home are armed significantly deters burglers.

By: Lubbock Left

Lubbock Left — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 21:08:18 +0000

@jross — Exactly.

@S Wilson — There are way fewer gun deaths with fewer guns around.

@John — I also support the right of concealed carry, but only so far as it doesn’t trample property rights. I agree with your points about college campuses in particular.

By: Douva

Douva — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 22:24:35 +0000

There are 12 colleges (32 campuses) in the United States where concealed handgun license holders are allowed to carry concealed handguns on campus. Anyone wanting to know the FACTS of this issue should Google “SCCC Handbook: Texas Edition.”

By: John

John — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 21:48:12 +0000

First, let’s recognize that police can’t prevent crime, only respond to it. Second, it is reasonable to assume that there have been cases in which crimes have been prevented and lives saved by armed citizens who never fired a shot, and therefore are not recorded in the statistics compiled by law-enforcement agencies.

That said, even though I own firearms and support the right of concealed carry I can’t imagine allowing guns into colleges unless it is restricted to the professors and administrators, and even then it seems unnecessary since most colleges have their own police forces that are already armed and on campus.

Why would you want to increase your chance of being mistaken for an assailant by wielding a gun during a school shooting?

Besides, when a gunman opened fire at the University of Texas in 1966 armed civilians returned fire but were not successful in preventing or ending the incident.

By: S Wilson

S Wilson — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 17:46:44 +0000

Good Idea, call and tell then that:
An armed Society is a Polite Society. And
Society is safer when criminals don’t know who is armed!!
Gun free Zones don’t WORK do they???

By: jross

jross — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 17:36:53 +0000

Scientists now believe that the frontal lobe of the brain — which controls planning, judgement, and impulse control — doesn’t become fully developed until one’s early 20s. It seems like the last thing that would improve safety on a college campus would be adding guns to the mix.