A bill has been introduced in the Texas House that would allow the carry of concealed weapons on a college campus. They are close to passing this bill with over half of the House of representatives signing on as a co-author of the bill, the Governor favor's it, and the Senate passed a similar bill in 2009.
At face value this sounds a little scary and perhaps nerve racking. At least that is how I felt when I first heard about this especially when it has floated around that Idaho might introduce a similar bill in the next few weeks. However, after I have studied the facts I feel comfortable with this and acknowledged that this reinforces our second amendment freedoms to bear arms.
It is already law in Texas and many other states to be able to conceal a weapon. Opponents say that expanding the law to college campuses could only increase violent crime because who knows when someone might pull on gun over a bad grade, a shattered relationship, or a drunken fraternity argument. But it was also cried out when Texas first passed the concealed weapons law that "there would be blood in the streets" and "shootouts at every intersection". But clearly this has not happened. The general requirements to have a concealed permit are: age requirements, background checks, and training before you can carry a handgun. Those that have a criminal history and have mental illness can’t carry a gun. Those that go through the process established by law to conceal a weapon are law abiding responsible citizens. So, this law is not about anyone or everyone concealing a weapon on campuses but allowing those that already choose to conceal, who are already responsible to carry on campuses.
David Burnett, President and spokesman of Students for Concealed Carry said, “This is about people who already responsibly carry elsewhere in the state, including restaurants, shopping malls, movie theaters, churches and banks. No one feels unsafe in those places, even though the odds are someone there is armed. Yet if a citizen walks onto a college campus, their right to self-defense is taken away."
The banning of concealed weapons on a college campus have been based on the hopes of keeping violence out of that area by making it a gun-free zone. The reality is however, that making universities gun-free zones open's it up as an easy target and shooting gallery for criminal's. Those that have intent to commit violent crime by nature will not adhere to the laws that prohibit the carrying of a gun on campus. Generally police on campuses are spread thin and it can take minutes for them to respond to such crimes where in many could die within that short time but such deaths would be limited if concealed weapons were permitted.
It seems that over the years that the areas chosen for shootings by such violent criminals have been schools and universities. The FBI also reports that in addition to such shootings as Virgina Tech and Northern Illinois there were 3,000 sexual assaults, 4,500 robberies and 5000 assaults in 2008 on campuses. See Campus Attacks. I believe that if those with concealed permits are aloud to carry on campuses this could help lessen and maybe even deter much of the spike in violent crime we have seen on campuses over the years.
Currently nine other states (Arizona, Tennessee, Michigan, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Florida, Nebraska and Mississippi) are considering similar bills and it sounds like Idaho could make it ten. Utah was the first State to pass this kind of law and currently Colorado allows it universities to decide for themselves, which several have allowed.
I believe this to a good move. It not only strengthens and reinforces our second amendments freedoms, but it could actually make us safe instead of making us feel safe as the "gun-free zones" tried to do. As Daniel Crocker, the Southwest Regional Director with Students for Concealed Carry, said, “We’re not handing out pistols at the door...We’re talking about former military, ROTC cadets, professors and other mature adults with permits.”
Texas Close to Allowing Concealed Weapons on Campus
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