Should Concealed Handguns Be Allowed in Texas Classrooms?
- Posted on April 13, 2011 at 6:51am by
Emily Esfahani Smith
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AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Two months ago, Texas looked ready to allow concealed handguns in college classrooms. Lawmakers lined up to sponsor a bill, pistol-packing Gov. Rick Perry supported it and gun control activists had all but conceded defeat.
Then students and administrators from the state’s universities mobilized in opposition, swaying two Democratic lawmakers who had supported the bill.
Without them, the bill‘s sponsor hasn’t had enough support to get a vote in the state Senate. Two attempts in the past week have failed, and the measure is now struggling to survive in a state that usually embraces guns and their mythical connection to the old West.
The effort to allow concealed handgun license holders to bring their weapons into college classrooms turned into a national issue after a gunman killed 32 people at Virginia Tech in 2007, the largest mass shooting in modern U.S. history. Supporters said they wanted to give students a chance to shoot back.
But dozens of states — including Texas — rejected bills allowing concealed carry on campuses before Republicans swept elections in November and gave the measures new life. Arizona recently passed a bill allowing license holders to carry handguns on campuses, although not in classrooms.
Still, for supporters like the national group Students for Concealed Carry on Campus, Texas remains the big prize. Early signs the bill would pass there captured the attention of the international media, which could not resist the state’s larger-than-life reputation and frontier image.
Texas is where concealed handgun license holders are allowed to skip metal detectors in the state Capitol, and Perry made headlines for shooting a coyote while out on a morning jog last year. State lawmakers are now considering a bill that would exempt them from bans on carrying guns into churches, sporting events and nursing homes.
Hearings on the measure were dominated by powerful testimony from supporters who had been raped or assaulted on campus and by opponents who survived the shootings at Virginia Tech and the University of Texas in 1966, when sniper Charles Whitman killed or wounded dozens of people.
Hundreds of current students turned out for Capitol rallies, saying they didn’t want to take a test sitting next to someone who might be carrying a gun.
They got a big boost from the nine-campus University of Texas System when chancellor Francisco Cigarroa wrote a letter to Perry and lawmakers telling them college officials worry guns will lead to more campus violence and suicides.
Two Democrats who had supported the bill, Sen. Eddie Lucio of Brownsville and Sen. Mario Gallegos of Houston, withdrew their support last week.
Gallegos, whose district includes the University of Houston, said he has been swamped with “thousands” of calls over the past week from students and parents who oppose the bill. He said he also heard from college officials complaining they will face sharp increases in liability insurance.
“I lost sleep over this,” Gallegos said. “I’ve come to that reality with my community: They don’t want guns on campus.”
Lucio withdrew his support last week, accusing bill sponsor Sen. Jeff Wentworth of going back on a promise to give him more time to talk with officials at UT-Brownsville in his district. The university wants to exempt college campuses that have grade schools, a change Wentworth said he won’t accept.
Senate rules require a bill to have the support of 21 senators in the 31-member chamber just to come up for a vote. Without the two Democrats, Wentworth is at least one vote short, but he vowed Tuesday to be aggressive in trying to pass the bill.
The slim margin has set up the likelihood of political gamesmanship over the next few weeks. The 21-vote rule is really a two-thirds rule. If Wentworth sees opponents are out sick or attending business outside of the chamber and the numbers are in his favor, he could try to call it up for a vote without warning.
“I’m here,” Wentworth warned. “All the time.”
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Comments (170)
Rokoll
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 8:25amstories from my father and his brother, both born in the 30′s, about how they would take their guns to school so they could go hunting right from school and not have to run home first……
how some teachers would let them out early, so long as they recieved a portion of the harvest!
i dont remember stories of anyone afraid of being shot, or any school rampage shooting for that matter.
times they have a changed… and will again soon
Report Post »dawg of gawd
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 8:52amAh, the good old days of the ’30s. Sure wish we could return to them. Maybe that’s why Bush worked so hard to recreate them. Almost made it, too.
Report Post »TexasCommonSense
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 9:38amdawg of gawd, to a certain degree, maybe we should. At least he kids should respect for their teachers then. Then again, maybe you think it’s better when students cuss at and openly disrespect the teachers.
Report Post »Ashrak
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 8:24amInteresting, isn’t it, that we see headlines about concealed carry in bars, on campus or in class but NEVER ONE ABOUT THE FACT THAT NOBODY CAN CARRY LEGALLY CONCEALED OR OPENLY ANYWHERE IN ILLINOIS????????????????
Why is it a story when there is talk about carry in class but NOTHING about 100% DENIAL OF THE SECOND AMENDMENT ALTOGETHER???
C’mon Blaze – What Gives?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8lr7Z3yH_uk
Report Post »TexasCommonSense
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 9:09amI suggest you vote with your feet.
Report Post »quarter horseman
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 9:28amYou may want to study the laws before commenting on somthing you may not know about gun laws.
Yes! The Code also provides for certain situations in which section 24-1(a)(4) does not apply. Section 24-2(i) provides:
“nothing in this Article shall prohibit, apply to, or affect the transportation, carrying, or possession of any pistol, revolver, stun gun, taser, or other firearm which is unloaded and enclosed in a case, firearm carrying box, shipping box, or other container, by the possessor of a valid Firearms Owners Identification Card.” 720 ILCS 5/24-2(i)(West 1994).
And this excerpt from Public Act 91-0690 (Safe Neighborhoods Act 2000)
(720 ILCS 5/24-1) (from Ch. 38, par. 24-1)
Sec. 24-1. Unlawful Use of Weapons.
(a) A person commits the offense of unlawful use of weapons when he knowingly:
****
(4) Carries or possesses in any vehicle or concealed on or about his person except when on his land or in his own abode or fixed place of business any pistol, revolver, stun gun or taser or other firearm, except that this subsection (a) (4) does not apply to or affect transportation of weapons that meet one of the following conditions:
****
(iii) are unloaded and enclosed in a case, firearm carrying box, shipping box, or other container by a person who has been issued a currently valid Firearm Owner’s identification Card;
——————————————————————————–
How can I legally transport a firearm on my person or in my vehicle?
Three statutory codes regulate the possession, transfer, and transportation of firearms- the Criminal Code, the Wildlife Code, and the Firearm Owner’s Identification Act. Under Unlawful Use of Weapons (UUW) in the Criminal Code, persons who have been issued a valid FOID card may transport a firearm anywhere in their vehicle or on their person as long as the firearm is unloaded and enclosed in a case, firearm carrying box, shipping box, or other container. Firearms that are not immediately accessible or are broken down in a non-functioning state may also be carried or transported under the Criminal Code. The Wildlife Code, however, is more restrictive. It requires that all firearms transported in or on any vehicle be unloaded and in a case. Because of this, it is recommended that, in order to be in compliance with all statutes, all firearms be transported:
1. Unloaded and,
2. Enclosed in a case, and
3. By persons who have a valid FOID card.
Source: Illinois State Police titled “Transport Your Gun Legally” – Commonly asked questions on transporting firearms. George H. Ryan, Governor; Illinois State Police, Sam W. Nolen, Director; Dept. of Natural Resources, Brent Manning, Director.
(Printed by the Authority of the State of Illinois, ISP Central Printing Section, ISP 1-154 [8-00] 70M).
——————————————————————————–
How do I take advantage of this law to increase my personal safety?
Purchase a concealed carry fanny pack and carry an unloaded gun with magazines at the ready in the compartment. You will be just “Six Seconds From Safety” as you can open the case and quickly lock and load your handgun should a use of lethal force situation arise. Not as good as a concealed carry law, but a lot better than it used to be!
For a purse, carry an unloaded gun with magazines in a container, case, or carrying box. Then place that inside your purse. Yep, you’re probably going to have to carry a large-sized purse to fit the container in it. Then again, some guns out there are small enough that the carrying case is the size of your hand, so you many not need a large purse after all.
Report Post »Ashrak
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 9:55amSo you suggest running away instead of standing up for what is an enumerated, Individual, inalienable, fundamental right, which is Supreme court defined, recognized as incorporated and held as applicable against all state and local governments?
How about seeing Illinois government checked and held to account for their Unconstitutional actions instead? How about exposing the corrupt media that says nothing about how bad things really are here in Illinois?
How about realizing that ignoring how bad it is here is, in part, responsible for the rise of Soetoro himself to National government in control of the Executive branch?
I understand your sentiment, that being just to write Illinois off. That has been done for a very long time and last time I checked, that didn’t exactly work out very well for the entire country in 2008. I would stand up for your rights there in Texas, all I ask a return of that same thing. We are all in this together, friend.
Report Post »TexasCommonSense
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 10:04amAshrak, point taken. Unfortunately, there’s a lot more than that wrong with Illinois. With the Chicago-style politics in play, it’s very tough to get things changed. It‘s hard to change things when the politicians and government don’t follow the rules. Fight the good fight though; I’m behind you.
Report Post »mrsmileyface
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 8:19amThe answer is “YES. And they should all carry the assult clips just in case their a bad shot. You figure out of 30 bullets at least one would hit something.
Report Post »dawg of gawd
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 8:51amWhere’d the other 29 go? Across the street. Into a mall. Through a school window. Into a little league baseball game. Pull your head out, idiot. This ins’t cowboys and injuns.
Report Post »TexasCommonSense
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 9:35amdawg of gawd, it‘s obvious you’re not a skilled shooter if can’t control 29 out of 30 bullets any better than that. Real gun control is not missing your target 29 times. As for me, I wouldn’t fire if there were innocents in the background unless I knew with absolute certainty I could hit my target. Therein lies the difference between a responsible gun owner and someone as clueless as you.
Report Post »dawg of gawd
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 10:12pmTexass . . . Your issue is with smileyface, not with me. That said, must I remind you of our dear departed leader, Dick Cheney and his unfortunate episode of drunken arms expertise? I guess old Harry can count himself lucky that he didn’t get shot in the face 30 times. So much for how they do things in Texas.
Report Post »Ledger
Posted on April 14, 2011 at 3:03pmDawg of God, Cheney is from Wyoming. He was visiting the King Ranch in south Texas on vacation. I don’t remember if he was drunk, but it is suicidal to allow a drunk person to wield a gun. The Secret Service really messed up if that was the case.
Report Post »CookieMonster
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 8:09amStudents and parents might be even more nervous about the folks who are criminals on a campus who are already carrying guns anyway.
You cant just walk down to state office and get a concealed carry permit in the State of Texas. You have to attend a training course and qualify with the weapon. After completing the course you have to pay a fee to the State of Texas and submit your packet with fingerprints and photo. You then go through a criminal background check. You get to wait a while before you get your permit back.
As a permit holder you are subject to concealed carry laws some of which are felonies. You are held to higher standard than a regular citizen for having that carry permit. If you violate these laws and are found guilty of a felony under those laws you not only lose your permit you would lose your right to own firearms as a felon. 99.9% of these permit holders are law abiding responsible folks who will obey the law and be responsible. They will not be doing anything stupid. The 1% will be weeded out over time for stupidty or not following the law.
Report Post »WHITE LOTUS2x
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 8:01amWhen first reading the headline my immediate thought was hell no. My second thought was hell yes. This is a new time and things that seemed unthinkable yesterday are getting more and more logical today. Lotus.
Report Post »Islesfordian
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 8:01amSo are you allowed to acrry a gun into class if it is not concealed?
I prefer conceal and carry but as long as you can carry I am not to worked up about not being able to conceal it.
Report Post »mikenleeds
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 7:50amall decent Americans should carry handguns period to protect our selfs .. long live the n.r.a.
Report Post »sourdoughboy
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 7:44amThey will miss out on the best game of Texas holdem. Can you imagine someone wanting to shoot up the place and wondering if someone is going to go ALL IN and shot him once he starts. I don’t think many will want to call that bluff. They should pass the law and see who makes the final table.
Report Post »streetrodder
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 7:39amYes they should.
Report Post »Coralchristie
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 7:37amTo carry concealed, a gun-owner must take a course, pass the test and be certified. It would be to the benefit of the school to have students with a concealed carry. Yes, they would then be able to fight back.
Report Post »TexasCommonSense
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 9:27amDon’t forget an extensive background check.
Report Post »Hondaman
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 7:30amA good point in Beck’s book, “Arguing with Idiots”: When governments fear the people, there is liberty. When the people fear the government, there is tyranny. in England in 1997 they banned firearms. From 1998 through 2005, the number of deaths and injuries from handguns skyrocketed 340 percent. It is proven that countries with more widespread gun ownership has fewer murders. Ban guns? I don’t think so!
Report Post »Nick Pable with Buckshot
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 7:46amHondaman – every statement in this post is untrue – just saying.
Report Post »RebelSon
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 9:20am@Nick: Prove it’s untrue and post what you feel are the correct figures, and your sources. Otherwise, it’s like calling someone a liar without explaining why. Just sayin….
Report Post »Nick Pable with Buckshot
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 9:47amOK….in England in 1997 they banned firearms. No, restrictions had been in force for many years before then. In 1997 they imposed extra restrictions on handguns.
Report Post »From 1998 through 2005, the number of deaths and injuries from handguns skyrocketed 340 percent-
Deaths from firearms 1998 = 229
Deaths from firearms 2005 = 185
Official parliamentary figures – do your homework
It is proven that countries with more widespread gun ownership has fewer murders.
Really? All the figures show otherwise. I accept everyone’s entitled to their view, but it doesn‘t help anyone’s arguments to use phrases like “deaths and injuries skyrocketed” when in fact they went down. I would say he seems to have shot himself in the foot – but this is a serious subject!
mugotyou
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 12:05pmNick Pable with Buckshot,
Report Post »“Official Parliamentary Figures” …………that’s your source????? That’s like trusting the “official CBO’s figures on Obamacare” …….or believing the left’s figures…….on just about anything!!! Britain is largely socialist already……..ya think that just maybe, they would dare consider “fudging” the numbers…….to justify their lefty laws???? You mean to tell me Bucky boy, that you actually believe our own government’s “offical” figures…..say the “official” inflation rate maybe???? Give yer bloody head a shake already! Statistics in the hands of lefty progressives……………ya, they MUST be accurate!!!!!
Nick Pable with Buckshot
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 12:28pm@MUGOTYOU
Report Post »OK, so they’ve forged all the death certificates just to wind you up? Did a good job didn’t they?
Rapunzel
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 1:50pm@Nick – you missed the point. Honda is saying deaths skyrocketed 340% from 1998 to 2005 over what they were prior to the gun ban in 1997. What were the gun deaths in those years?
Report Post »Nick Pable with Buckshot
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 3:36pmRapunzel
Report Post »1994, 1995 and 1996 were given as 341, 358 and 254 respectively
Bermuda Onion
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 7:29amHow are the boys going to carry concealed when they wear their pants past their asses? They don’t walk, they waddle just to try and keep their pants up.
Report Post »TexasCommonSense
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 9:23amIt makes them easier to catch when they try to run from the gunman, too.
Report Post »igotjokes
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 7:28amI belive it’s better to be judged by 12 then carried by 6. the people that voted against this probably have never been in a life or death situation.
Report Post »RedPillPatriot
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 10:58am@dawg, you sound like a real egghead.. not even worth rebutting.
Report Post »RedPillPatriot
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 11:01amamen, igotjokes! That’s why I pay no mind to signs! Plus my chl is the 2nd ammendment.
I put my last comment in the wrong place.
Report Post »ThoreauHD
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 7:23amGo visit Virginia Tech and ask them if concealed carry is important. Gun Free Zone simply means you’re all going to die.
Report Post »kickagrandma
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 8:15am@thoireauhd ~~~ That’s college/university level, not elementary, middle or high school.
BIG difference.
Report Post »ConnectTheDots
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 7:23amIsrael armed her teachers many years ago, and has virtually eliminated killings and/or terrorist attacks in their school system:
http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=91528
http://old.nationalreview.com/kopel/kopel200409022215.asp
My first reaction after Va Tech: if there were armed citizens, the moron would have been able to take maybe only one or two lives, not perform a massacre.
Ditto on the military bases. Soldiers — who are trained to use weapons — are not allowed to carry, and thanks to another jihad-happy muslim nidal hassan, there are dead soldiers. Thanks Slick Willie.
Report Post »kickagrandma
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 8:13am@cONNECTTHEDOTS~~~ I agree with you on the Israelis’ education of their young both male and female. HOWEVER, the BIG difference between Israel and the USA is that Israel is primarily made up of ISRAELIS (same race) or JEWS (same faith), while AMERICA has become not a melting pot (unfortunately) but a country filled with way too many people with their own agendas and not with AMERICA first.
That’s WHY it works in ISRAEL and as long as we who live in AMERICA are NOT AMERICAN, it cannot work here.
I wish those living here both legally and illegally who do not LOVE AMERICA FIRST, would leave. NOW!
Report Post »kickagrandma
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 7:21amThere is already way too much trouble in classrooms with children being permitted to carry cell phones, etc. Come on, folks. Kids are kids. Mentally, nearly 99% of them can barely take care of teenage life with their hormones running amuck. Don’t arm them for goodness sake.
We grew up around guns, knew how to use them, respected them and knew we could kill things with them.
We left the guns at home when we went to school.
But, then, GOD was still allowed at school~~~ all day, every day.
Report Post »Nick Pable with Buckshot
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 7:44amGrandma – couldn’t agree more, you have to make a distinction between adults and children. Would you allow 5 year olds to have guns in class? No.
Report Post »quarter horseman
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 7:53amIf they are old enough for sex education and condoms, why not gun education and guns?
Report Post »Not saying I would let a child bring a gun to school just trying to prove points and jab the libs.
TexasCommonSense
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 9:00amkickagrandma, you must be at least 21 to be granted a CHL in Texas; this law wouldn’t apply to teenaged students.
Report Post »WhatWasIThinking?
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 7:13amA child is seven times more likely to drown than to be shot. Imagine the horrors if people were allowed to concealed carry swimming pools. They’d be sitting in the classroom as the teacher rambles on about how humans evolved from monkeys and how there is no god. The student may get the idea that there is little if any value to human life, and since there is no god there is no one to judge him if he decides to whip out his swimming pool and push the whole classroom in before jumping in himself. tsk tsk, if only they hadn’t lied about the monkeys :(
Report Post »Psychosis
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 7:44ambrilliant lol
Report Post »Ledger
Posted on April 14, 2011 at 2:51pmLove it!!!
Report Post »fluffdog
Posted on April 15, 2011 at 4:38pmhahahahahahahaha
Report Post »quarter horseman
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 7:12amI think its funny not: people can kill babies but others cannot protect themselves if needed.
Report Post »Any law abiding citizen should be able to carry anything, anywhere, and anytime. keep you hands off my guns!
TexasCommonSense
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 7:19amGood point.
Report Post »dawg of gawd
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 8:49amEverybody is a law-abiding citizen until they break the law. So, you think you should be able to carry a concealed gun into a courtroom?
Report Post »RebelSon
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 9:15am@Dawg: Yes, of course. A licensed law-abiding citizen should carry, openly OR concealed anywhere they choose to do so.
Report Post »quarter horseman
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 9:16amD O G
Report Post »I think most people in the U.S are like myself and could be trusted to carry in a court room, YES.
cotuit
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 11:38am@dawg; Yes I do.
Report Post »OHOH54
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 7:09amSo again the only one at colleges with guns will be the bad guys.
Report Post »bharris0
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 7:08amI guess there is just no fix for STUPID. The safest environment that could exist would be many, trained and vetted, armed students on campus.
Report Post »In EVERY case where violence was inflicted upon the students and staff, firearms were banned so that the ONLY people that had them were the bad guys. In most cases, these folks are planning on taking their own lives when they have done all of the violence they could do.
Common sense would say that the quicker they are neutralized, the less death and destruction they can cause.
For some reason, liberals and other anti second amendment folks seem just too plain stupid to figure this out.
TexasCommonSense
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 7:20amTexas Common Sense completely agrees with you.
Report Post »Psychosis
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 7:07amfollow the rules, get the background checks , and take the classes, and i see no problem
then maybe the criminals who dont follow the rules will reconsider messin with a law abiding citizen
Report Post »Blackhawk1
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 9:25amHere are 10 Colleges That Allow Guns on Campus that don’t have to worry about nuts shooting the students.
Colorado State University
Report Post »Dixie State College of Utah
University of Utah
Utah State University
Weber State University
Michigan State University
Southern Utah University
Blue Ridge Community College
Utah Valley University
Community College of Denver
TexasCommonSense
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 9:43amBlackhawk1, don’t forget Harrold Independent School District in rural Texas. Harrold Independent School District is K-12. There’s no anarchy or kids being shot there.
Report Post »Fina Biscotti
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 7:04am2/3 vote = Wentworth could get it passed….
Report Post »moonfish
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 7:04amAfter reading this post, I‘m more convinced than ever that Emily’s reporting favors the left.
Report Post »TexasCommonSense
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 9:14amI think you’re right.
“in a state that usually embraces guns and their mythical connection to the old West”
There’s nothing “mythical” about it, Emily. There was very little structured law-enforcement in the “old West”. If people didn’t have guns to protect themselves and their family they would have been sitting ducks.
Report Post »NickDeringer
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 6:57amSure. As long as there are background checks and they promise not to visit Sarah Palin’s Face Book page.
Report Post »ConnectTheDots
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 7:19amyou are an idiot.
Report Post »txbigfoot
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 7:26amPull your head out Nick.
Report Post »NickDeringer
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 7:36am@ConnectTheDots @txbigfoot
Ah yes, the clueless are out early today. Apparently you never learned about sarcasm in school.
Hint: if you read something that sounds ridiculous ask yourself “Is he insane or is he being sarcastic?”
Report Post »Next look at my avitar. Does it look like I am a liberal, Left-wing nut job?
Follow these simple rules and you too will keep from making yourselves look like complete fools.
cessna152
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 8:44am@Nickmoron
CRIMINALS WILL ALWAYS CARRY GUNS…PERIOD! Does not matter what the law says or does! This leaves the other 99.9% of law abiding citizens at risk and “sitting ducks”! These laws ONLY benefit criminals…stupid azz liberals!
Report Post »cessna152
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 8:45amSorry… missed the sarcasm… I am a “fool” as well. I should know as I love sarcasm. Accept my apology…
Report Post »TSUNAMI-22
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 9:57am@ Nick
Congrats. You sucked a few of them in……LMAO
Report Post »PAPAROACH
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 6:56amAn armed society is a polite society.
Report Post »WhatWasIThinking?
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 7:07amThis is true
Report Post »sissykatz
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 7:08amI think the Professors should carry, I don’t think students have enough sense to put their pants on in the mornings let alone be responsible for carrying a weapon of any kind. Maybe the teachers need to just to protect themselves from the students like that poor Legislator/teacher from Kentucky that is in the Hospital fighting for his life.
Report Post »quarter horseman
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 7:17amAll students? some students? or a few students? Libs shure did a good job in brain washing some people. How 50 years ago could my dad bring his gun to a gun class in school during school? And now 18 and older people are not responsible enough? What happend?
Report Post »TexasCommonSense
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 7:17amIt’s a complete myth to think a “Gun Free” zone sign is going to do anything at all do deter a criminal. These ridiculous rules only prevent licensed and responsible CCL holders, like me, from being able to defend people. I completely support the change.
As to anyone who thinks differently, I challenge you to put a “Gun Free” sign on your home. The criminals will be beating down your door, quite literally.
Report Post »txbigfoot
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 7:28amThe sky is falling… oh wait they proved that was false with the CHP program to begin with. Crime is down.Next false story please. Pass this and move on.
Report Post »BIGJAYINPA
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 8:03am@Texas
Report Post »All a gun free zone does is ensure that any wacko that decides to shoot up the area doesn’t have to worry about any return fire. If you really want to impress me hero, walk into a police station and draw down on someone that can shoot back.
A Doctors Labor Is Not My Right
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 8:20am“State lawmakers are now considering a bill that would exempt them from bans on carrying guns into churches, sporting events and nursing homes.”
The Bill of Rights already exempts us from bans on carrying guns anywhere.
US Bill of Rights, Second Amendment
“A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”
Report Post »markamerica
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 8:21am@Sissykatz,
Not all students are 18yo dingbats. I didn’t attend college until my 30s. I don’t know about where you live, but in my area, community colleges are filled with more mature people who are back taking classes to improve their education, or like me, perhaps served years in the service, and now going to school.
The very notion that I can be trusted to carry almost every place, but not on a college campus? College campuses are neither special nor are they safe(r) so why not? Frankly, college campuses would be a good deal safer if adults were permitted to carry concealed weapons. Thing is, I believe the law here (TX) requires you to be 21 to buy a handgun. You can own one at 18, say if somebody buys one for you… but you can‘t go down to the gun store and buy one until you’re 21.
For that reason, most of your 18, 19, and 20yos won’t have one. Then there’s the cost of a concealed handgun permit. Most students won’t undergo the expense or training. I could certainly see professors and older students packing.
In any case, at 18yo, you’re supposed to be an adult. Are we saying they’re not mature enough at 18?
We already say that about booze. I think that’s the real problem: We coddle our young adults too much.
Mark
Report Post »cessna152
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 8:42amCRIMINALS WILL ALWAYS CARRY GUNS…PERIOD! This leaves the other 99.9% of law abiding citizens at risk and “sitting ducks”! These laws ONLY benefit criminals…stupid azz liberals!
Report Post »dawg of gawd
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 8:46amWe ARE an armed society. Do you think we’re a polite society?
Report Post »Libertarian25
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 9:32am@ Sissykat
The students are adults, they are citizens of the United States. The Constitution does not require intelligence to carry a hand gun. The moment you pick an adult picks up a gun, they assume that responsibility. If they can’t follow through…well it just depends on how far they take it.
We have laws in place where we have to perform background checks and mental capabilities. But sometimes guns still wind up in the hands of psychos, like in VTech. But with an armed society, be it the majority of people ARE good, it will not only reduce fatalities, but also the likelihood of such an act.
Report Post »Anti_Spock
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 9:44amYes. Maybe the wackos will stop with the turkey shoots if the turkeys had guns.
Report Post »stifroc
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 10:01am“I dont want to take a test sitting next to somebody with a gun”
Report Post »Hey stupid! If it’s concealed, you wont know it’s there!
Hey stupid! If some disgruntled individual starts shooting people on your campus would you rather be equipped to defend yourself? Or just hide under the little desk like a little B**ch hoping the grim reaper passes you by?
weeblewacker1
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 10:12amwow!!!! how ironic!! having on the same page the “deplorable anti-gun” ad,and then having this little story at the same time! are you people insane??
Report Post »RedPillPatriot
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 10:53am@Dawg Yes, back in the day society was much more polite since, you could get your @ss kicked when you mouthed off as you would have. But now with all the laws kids don’t learn respect because they get away with everything. BTW, come to Texas, Texans are polite. Unfortuneatly, there are more yankess here than Texans.
Of course it should be legal for a CCW holder to carry in the classroom. Duh, Virginia Tech anyone. What a short memory we all have. That could have been stopped by one CCW holder with a set of b@lls.
I hope some day you liberals aren’t stuck in Lubys, a classroom, a mall, a church, a post office, and some maniac comes in shooting everyone. While you are cowering in the corner, you will be wondering why nobody is doing anything to stop him! Maybe then you would appreciate our position. But it could never happen to you could it!
Report Post »watchtheotherhand
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 11:03amSo if the university is a public one..I have a question. Why does a college student’s right to bear arms disappear on a college campus? I guarantee you one thing if that freak at VT would try that on a campus with people who have the ability to defend themselves he would not have killed 32 people.
Report Post »Happy Killmore
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 11:11am@Sissy
Report Post »Don’t we put fully automatic weapons in the hands of 18-year-olds all the time then send them to foreign lands?
CHEWYRUNTS
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 11:57amvery well put
Report Post »robin.kevin
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 12:19pmAn armed society is a polite society.
___________________________________
Very True, first time I took my wife to the shooting range she was amazed at how nice everyone was…
Report Post »Of course sometimes idiots get their paws on guns and act like clowns… but rarely does this happen.
walkwithme1966
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 12:26pmI’m sorry – guns have no place with students on a college campus. Texas has gone goofy with some of the laws they are passing this session. Not just the guns but now we can drive 85 mph – 85 – so much for conserving gas and I bet the accident rates will go up – but hey that is Texas for you.
Report Post »http://maboulette.wordpress.com
Dustyluv
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 12:27pmOpen or concealed…Makes no difference. Thats how we roll in Texas…
Report Post »Dustyluv
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 12:32pmHey walk with me….Stay in California or what other Liberal State you are in. We do not need your imput. You have no common sense and not one good idea…Unless you decide to junp off a building or something.
Boobs like you have screwed up FREEDOM!!! Please move to Cuba where they control everything. You might like it there better.
Report Post »snidley-whiplash
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 12:34pmMight make the teachers think twice about tearing down the Constitution!
Report Post »t0k3n
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 1:24pmExactly. An armed populace is by and large a crime-free zone too. (when you couple defense with values and principles)
Report Post »crazydaisy
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 1:44pmI watched a show awhile back about Charles Whitman. According to that show, at that time students were allowed to carry guns on campus, and once they figured out the gunfire was coming from the clock tower, many of them whipped out their guns and started firing back. Because of this, he had to spend most of his time dodging return fire, and it prevented the massacre from being much worse and gave the cops the opportunity to get to the tower and put a stop to it once and for all. If I’m not mistaken, one of the armed students went into the tower with the cops to help.
Report Post »SgtB
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 3:10pmAnyone who believes that it is okay to have a military, and yet at the same time believes that people of the same age group in a civilian setting should not be allowed to have a tool to defend their own rights is a moron.
@ Sissykatz and walkwithme,
I am a 25 year old college student studying for my engineering degree. Previously I served 5 years in the Marine Corps spending 8 months in the desert of Iraq carrying an m-16 every day at all times. I also spent a year as part of the staff at the Corps’ largest rifle range, regularly overseeing the safety of more than 500 shooters and range personnel and providing training to the same. But according to you I am ill-qualified to carry a gun on campus because I am a college student. People like you, with shallow brain pans, are the reason that we are losing our freedom in this country. I hope that you understand that you are an enemy of The Constitution and as such you are an enemy of the US military and every person who has ever taken, or ever will take the oath that we take gladly.
Report Post »SgtB
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 3:14pmProof that an armed society is a polite society? How about the fact that when gun control runs rampant violent gun crime increases. Case in point… UK and Australia. On the other hand, when guns are allowed freely or even mandated, the only crime that goes up is suicide. Which would you rather have? More violent home invasions and sexual assaults, or suicides? A gentleman know that he must always pick the lesser of the two evils, so I say the latter.
Report Post »SeanW
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 3:26pmYes, but a concealed weapon goes against this. Wear your weapons proudly and on display, I would wager that the possibility of a “target” being armed is something some would willingly bet on, whereas open carrying would probably provide a much better deterrent.
Report Post »DirectlyUnPCman
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 4:43pmIf their weapon is concealed, how would you know they have one? Dont be a sissy.
Report Post »TexasCommonSense
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 5:58pmwalkwithme1966, sorry, Mary, we drive that fast on our freeways as it is. The state is just too big to drive the current posted limits. Here’s a good perspective for you. Did you the state of California is closer to El Paso than is Dallas? Much to your chagrin, I’m sure, our accidents won’t increase with a higher posted speed limit.
Report Post »yetinate
Posted on April 13, 2011 at 9:39pmI have a question…. If we cant retain our second amendment rights, how long are we going to keep the others? Any student of history knows the answer.
What does Ted “Uncle Ted” Nugent have to say?
“There are hundreds of millions of gun owners in this country, and not one of them will have an accident today. The only misuse of guns comes in environments where there are drugs, alcohol, bad parents, and undisciplined children. Period.”
“I believe the litmus test for somebodys moral compass is how they feel about the second amendment.”
Report Post »jackrorabbit
Posted on April 14, 2011 at 12:14amImagine if there had been that concealed weapon next to you at Virginia Tech, bet you would be in love with that hero after he saved 20.
Report Post »jackrorabbit
Posted on April 14, 2011 at 12:22am@Walkwithme1966
Report Post »There is a simple solution for your problem MOVE. Pick another state, if you don’t like the laws in Texas, move. Might I suggest DC, they have a very heavy gun ban, also the high murder rate, but that shouldn’t bother you, they have a gun ban. Or perhaps chicago, IL they have a heavy gun ban too, of course they also have a high crime rate, but hey they have a gun ban. As for the speed limit, I think it is for the stretch of land that is flat and boring with very little traffic. What should it matter to you, unless you are paying for their gas consumption, oh wait, you do in some sense, better get that drilling going in the gulf and Alaska, and in the VA continental shelf, so the prices will drop.
jackrorabbit
Posted on April 14, 2011 at 12:25am@sissykats
Report Post »Guess you didn’t read the story about the KY teacher, his damage was from a FIST, not a gun. DUH!!! read, then make a comment, but a non-sequeter like that just make you look like a fool
banjarmon
Posted on April 14, 2011 at 12:59amThis should be a requirement ,along with marksman’s ship, and gun safety!!!
Report Post »Ledger
Posted on April 14, 2011 at 2:32pmMy son took marksmanship and gun safety as part of his school curriculum when he was eleven years old in rural Texas. That was about fifteen years ago. The school used BB guns for instruction, and the kids were also taught about game laws and conservation. When I was a kid in Texas, boys used to get their first firerarm before they learned to drive. They had been hunting with their fathers and brothers since age nine or ten, and typically got their guns for Christmas. Real weapons were NEVER considered toys, nor pointed at anything that one was not prepared to kill.
Now I teach criminal justice college classes part time. Though we don’t often discuss it, about 20 percent of my students (male and female) have permits to carry weapons. One professor did a lesson on the reliability of eye witness testimony by staging a fake attack on himself. During the lecture he arranged to have a graduate student come in screaming and attack him. The grad student was then supposed to leave the room, and the class was supposed to accurately describe the attacker. At the peak of the “attack” a student pulled a gun out of his boot, pointed it at the “attacker” and ordered him to stop.
Report Post »US_SOLDIER
Posted on April 15, 2011 at 6:49amI love my state! :) I grew up in a small town in Texas and am only 32 yrs old, yet I and several of my buddies had a rifle in our back window the whole time while parking my truck in the school parking lot in high school! :O lol. It’s retarded to think that because someone has easy access to a gun that they will use it. People get a CCL to protect themselves not for a license to kill. Only an idiot liberal who probably has some deep phycological regress would assume that people with CCL’s in class would just start randomly shooting people. Think about it, why on earth would you attend a CCL class, get your license, go to a gun store, conduct a background check, buy a gun, just to break the law and murder people?
Report Post »US_SOLDIER
Posted on April 15, 2011 at 6:58amI do have one question for everyone to ponder. Texas like many other states has what is called a Castle doctrine which says: Except as provided in Subsection (b), a person is justified in using force against another when and to the degree the actor [he] reasonably believes the force is immediately necessary to protect the actor [himself] against the other’s use or attempted use of unlawful force. The actor’s belief that the force was immediately necessary as described by this subsection is presumed to be reasonable if the actor:
(1) knew or had reason to believe that the person against whom the force was used:
(A) unlawfully and with force entered, or was attempting to enter unlawfully and with force, the actor’s occupied habitation, vehicle, or place of business or employment.
There’s more but basically in Texas if someone breaks into your home or place of business or either attempts to hijack you or break into your car you can use deadly force. It says you are allowed to have a gun in your home, place of business and as of just last year are allowed to carry a concealed/loaded handgun in your vehicle. Neither of these three domiciles require any kind of permit to carry in them. So my question is, isnt your body the ultimate castle? without it the three are just possessions. So why do we have to have a CCL to protect the only real castle that matters?
Report Post »Robotics_Geek
Posted on April 16, 2011 at 1:24amOK…….Let me get this straight…….You don’t want to take a test next to someone who MAY be carrying a gun………Let’s flip this around would you want to be a criminal carrying a gun ILLEGALLY on campus during that same test knowing several someones MAY be carrying a gun LEGALLY? Would you burst into a class room with a gun only to see 5 or 6 well trained gun owners pointing back at you? Have you been to a Concealed Carry course? Do you know it’s the same course (here in Oklahoma) that police take? Did you know CCL holders are tested on safety and the law and have EXTENSIVE background checks done like the POLICE? Criminals are ALWAYS going to be armed that is a fact and NOT DISPUTABLE…I was stationed in England when they banned guns and that’s where the 2 US service men were SHOT in the head at the AIRPORT! It’s also where people were getting robbed at gunpoint so many times (one man robbed 10 TIMES) they buy illegal shotguns and when they defend themselves THEY’RE charged with MURDER! When people are afraid for their safety criminals win, when criminals are in fear for their safety WE ALL WIN! I carry and I can tell you I PRAY I never have to defend myself or my family but I would rather be alive and feel rotten about having to kill someone trying to hurt my family or me than be holding my wife or someone else saying “Where were the police when I needed them?” or DEAD! Better tried by twelve than carried by six!
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