Handguns on campus

The Lege, as one writer used to call the Texas Legislature, is grappling with the concept of licensed concealed handguns on college campuses. A bill passed the Senate and is headed to the House. Odds are the House members will ultimately take the course of action they think will result in the least political damage to their careers.

Both sides in this debate have stretched a little bit to move their side ahead. The pro-gun side claims that the guns will prevent massacres like the one at Virginia Tech a few years back. They are right. But those shooting sprees are quite rare, and it's statistically more likely for the student to die in a vehicle collision than from a gun shot.

But the anti-gun hysteria simply doesn't hold up. Statistics show that the prevalence of guns actually reduces gun violence. And the fear that guns in the hands of concealed handgun license holders on campuses is going to cause the streets to run red with blood is reminiscent of the fear the anti-gun people expressed when the original Texas concealed handgun law was under consideration years ago.

Those predictions of increased gun violence didn't materialize. But the anti-gun groups just keep redrawing the line. "OK, OK, if they cross THIS line, then we'll see that gun violence."

I'm not going to bore you with statistics but will merely remark that holders of Texas concealed handgun licenses don't commit very many crimes. See the stats for yourself. And if the age of the college student is supposed to be a factor, another set of statistics shows the age groups in which licenses were suspended or revoked which might serve as a very rough correlation with commissions of crimes. College aged license holders, say age 21-25, don't account for a very high percentage.

In the movie "the Brave One" the character played by Jody Foster was brutalized by some bad guys. Afterward she lived in fear, until she bought a gun. The gun converted her from a scared victim to a confident murderer exacting punishment on anyone she deemed appropriate for capitol punishment. In the minds of many in the anti-gun camp, a gun is a transformative thing that changes an ordinary, sane person into a lunatic on the verge of becoming a crazed killer. That mind set is slow to change.

Finally, a remark about two national institutions through which many of our young people pass. One is held in very high regard by just about everyone. And the other is an expensive enterprise of questionable value.

First, the military. Our military services are well run organizations to which most Americans give the utmost respect. Any 18 year old who opts to join the military is instilled with a sense of duty to country, flag, fellow man, etc. And he/she is entrusted with a gun.

Second, the university system. An 18 year old who opts to go to college is presumed by the university system to be incapable of making competent judgments about life or death matters, and even at the age of 21 presently will not be trusted to carry a handgun on the campus even if he/she holds a CHL and can carry a gun everywhere else the law allows.

Perhaps the problem isn't with the college students themselves but with the way the system treats them. Treat people like children, and they will respond like children.

Comments

[Rob O.]

I've gotta quibble with your statement, "[Those] who [...] join the military [...are] entrusted with a gun."

That doesn't quite seem to do justice to the situation. Soldiers are, by the very nature of their chosen jobs, given the responsibility of carrying a weapon and understanding how to use it effectively. That's more than a small step beyond "entrusted" - it's a requirement and (at least to my understanding) a non-negotiable commitment.

I do trust military and other law enforcement personnel to have firearms (and respect them for their service commitment) but I don't trust the average citizen to be able to safely, wisely carry and wield a firearm - especially not a handgun.

Law-abiding, license-carrying citizens often seem to be the very same (in general) lugnuts who leave loaded weapons within their children's reach. It seems to me that citizens have repeatedly shown that they cannot be trusted with the tremendous power and the associated responsibility that accompanies a seemingly-simple handgun.

But on the flip-side of the coin, if we're all supposed to be so hunky-dorey with the average, often minimally-trained citizen carrying around a loaded weapon, why does it need to be concealed? Wouldn't it serve to be even more of a deterrent if people roamed the streets with shotguns and other high-caliber rifles slung across their backs? If your intent is that citizens have the necessary firepower to prevent massacres, why limit them to piddly handguns?

[Geo]

Rob O, you've remarked on my gun posts repeatedly, except the ones about cops accidentally shooting themselves or others. And a common theme is how much you trust government but distrust ordinary citizens.

That's the basic blue/red divide, and it's probably so deeply ingrained there's likely nothing anyone could say to dissuade you.

[Rob O.]

If I can't trust my fellow parishioner to turn off his danged cell phone for church service, how can I easy about him packing heat? I just cannot bring myself to attribute the average citizen with the same high degree of common sense that you (and others) do. Today's society is rapidly filling with a disproportionate share of impolite, cavalier, and apathetic people.

But still, I wonder why, if a considerable portion of the goal of allowing people to wander through the day packing heat is to serve as a crime deterrent, why have concealed handguns rather than openly-carried rifles? If nothing else, doesn't a shotgun have more visual impact?

[Geo]

RO, several states do allow open carry. And the citizens in those states don't seem to be any worse for it.

[Joe Hathaway]

An author whom I admire, Robert A. Heinlein, has already responded to Rob O's "impolite" comments:

"An armed society is a polite society."

I remember the shrill warnings when Florida was considering licensing trained, responsible citizens to carry firearms, that massacres would ensue at every intersection. The actual result: Violent crimes in all categories went down, and shootings by license holders was zero.

[Geo]

Thanks for the reminder about the shrill warnings from Florida which at the time seemed more shrill than those coming from other states that had gone through this.

The silence following was quite common though.