campus carry

[kt]

fox news had an article today about nevada and a few other states being very close to legalizing concealed carry by licensed citizens on campus. where do we stand on this? not being that far removed from school i am on the fence. as much i would love to have it walking back from the store at night to campus, in a place where you cant choose those you live around i am having trouble saying it is a good idea to have guns in a saturday night college dorm. then if you say no dorms what is next where is the line? i dont know. curious what you think
kt

[Adam Helmer]

kt,

I believe in fixing individual responsibility. If a person has a CCW, they also have a moral responsibility to abide by the awesome responsibility of that permit. Campus carry by CCWs if FAR preferable to mass murderers who do not have a CCW and enjoy easy pickings like that mope at Virginia Tech.

Many college campus folks are commuters. If a dorm person has a gun, it is easy to secure it by unloading the revolver and locking a padlock over the top strap to preclude unauthorized use. Semi-auto handguns should have the magazine withdrawn and a cable trigger lock passed down the barrel, emerging at the chamber and then LOCKED. SO what is the problem with your handgun in a college dorm on Saturday night, IF you, the gun owner, have taken proper precautions? The same rules for proper storage pertain to folks at home who do not have a vault and small children about.

Adam

[srab]

Texas is one of the states where "campus-carry" is under
serious consideration. Both the state House and the state
Senate have put forth legislation, and the Governor indicates
that he will sign any final legislation put forth by the state
Congress.

But, Texas' concealed carry law stipulates that one must be 21
years of age (or 18 if in the military, in which case one would not
likely be on a college campus), have passed a background check,
have taken a course and demonstrated firearm safety and proficiency,
and be considered "of sound mind" in order to qualify.

So, we're not talking about the typical freshman or sophomore
living in campus housing. We're talking primarily about upper classmen,
graduate students, and faculty who have spent the time, effort, and
money it takes to become a registered law-abiding, concealed-carry-
license-holder.

Personally, I don't have a problem with that.

[Catfish]

I think that if you have a CCW you should be able to carry any where you want.

[Larryjk]

Adam, If all of the practices you recommend to render a hangun unusable are in effect, what is the use of a concealed carry permit? I'm not trying to be a pain in the butt, but that would render a handgun unusable for some time. Maybe the cylinder empty but a speed loader handy and a loaded magazine handy for the semi-auto. If they are responsible enough to have a permiot they should be responsible enough to maintain control of the handgun. No one around me attempts to handle my bedside revolver without asking.

[Larryjk]

Adam, If all of the practices you recommend to render a hangun unusable are in effect, what is the use of a concealed carry permit? I'm not trying to be a pain in the butt, but that would render a handgun unusable for some time. Maybe the cylinder empty but a speed loader handy and a loaded magazine handy for the semi-auto. If they are responsible enough to have a permit they should be responsible enough to maintain control of the handgun. No one around me attempts to handle my bedside revolver without asking.

[Adam Helmer]

Larryjk,

I was merely addressing kt's concern with college roomates or rowdy partiers on Saturday night in a dorm. I recommend those practices for when your handgun IS NOT 100% under your control. If you are carrying it on your person, then be a CCW person. If you leave your gun unattended and worry about your roomates, then RENDER your gun safe. Same goes if there are kids about and you leave your gun unattended. Better safe than sorry.

Larry, I am NOT saying to padlock a revolver 24/7. ONLY when you have no control over your handgun for whatever reason. Comprende?

Adam

[Larryjk]

Adam, You are 100% right. If a permit holder is going to leave a handgun where someone else may have access to it, they should render it un-usable.

[Adam Helmer]

Larryjk,

!0-4.

Adam

[GoodOlBoy]

I would like to point out that 80% of our campus students are 21 years of age or older. You graduate high school by 18 or 19, and spend 4 years in college minimum. 18+ 4 = 22. And if you also account for the vast number of 18-20 year olds who drop out the first year it gives you a huge number of older students. Not to mention the tons of graduate students we have working on Master's degrees, and PHD's.

Texas law also states that you MUST be in control of the firearm at all times. I don't know of many party students who would burn $150+ of beer money on a CCW permit, training, ammo, etc. Not to mention the price of the firearm itself.

That being said I have worked for a campus police department, and I wouldn't trust them to protect a bicycle wheel from a dog peeing on it. If a person has a CCW they have at the very least passed a modest background check and taken a class in this state.

I am for it.

GoodOlBoy

[buckhunter]

I barely remember my college and considering my state of mind during those years I don't think its a good idea. Many students are must too inmatue for this. As much as for gun rights as Iam I just don't think its a good idea.

[GoodOlBoy]

Also remember as of right now in this state a professor/staff member with a valid CCW CANNOT carry either. At Virginia tech there was at least one professor who died who had a CCW and a weapon, both were locked in his car as required by campus police. The bill would allow those of us legal to do so to carry on campus.

GoodOlBoy

[GoodOlBoy]

I disagree about students being too immature. I would argue again that those too immature for carry won't and don't go to the effort of even trying to get a firearm or license. Those that would go to the trouble to get a firearm but not a permit do so anyway. I remember my college days as well, myself and a small group of friends were ALWAYS the designated drivers, we were ALWAYS the ones girls called to walk them safely back to their dorms, and we were ALWAYS the ones out fishing and hunting on the weekends instead of partying.

GoodOlBoy

[muledeer]

Here's what prompted the campus carry debate in Nevada. I'll try to keep this short.
On 1/20/08 Brianna Denison was abducted from a friend's house in Reno. Her body was discovered on 2/15/08 after being raped and murdered by a serial rapist. In November that year James Biela who was 27 at the time and from Sparks, NV was arrested and DNA found at the crime scene positively linked him to both the murder on Brianna and a previous sexual assault.
Now here's what started the campus carry debate. The gal that was raped prior to Brianna's murder was at the University of Nevada, Reno parking gagage. She had a permit to carry but didn't because she was on campus. She has since testified that had she been carrying she very possibly could have defended herself and probably prevented the death of Brianna Denison.
There is so much more to the story but the UNR rape is why we are trying to allow CCW holders the right to carry on campus, and yes I'm all for it.
muledeer

[kt]

good discussion all make very decent points. there is a part of me that agrees with buckhunters point. college kids party, college kids are not the most mature, even if you were raised to respect fire arms i'm thinkin a fair amount of those kids still enjoy a thursday night draft special? unless i have a safe built into the wall of my apartment/dorm/fraternity i dont care how rendered safe the gun is if some one can still walk off with it while im in the shower/gym/bed. in the state of PA i could have my permit (no training) and a pistol all for well less than $250. Not to mention what if I got roomed with a kid who wasnt comfortable having a gun in the room? And heaven knows when i was commuting i would have loved to had it walking to a parking lot after a night class at 9:30 PM. I am sure those of us here who love guns enough to conversate over it would not let the system down. Except for the commuting folk i think it would not take long for one or more ppl to know you carry also.. i think the point im trying to make is pointing a finger at who failed to be responsible after an incident involving campus carry is not going to make a difference. thanks for all the opinions

[Larryjk]

Not all college students live in the dorm (especially my son after spending 6 years in nuclear subs). Quite a few college students come back to the walls of ivy after an intermission for whatever. They are more mature and do not tend to live in dorms. If they have a handgun, it is probably kept in a secure manner. My son was taught how to stab a ball point pen into an attackers brain. Gives you a headache just thinking about it.