ThinkProgress: Trinity University announced that it would opt out of Texas’ campus carry law Thursday, making it the 20th private college to do so since the legislation passed in June of last year. Other private colleges opting out of the law include Austin College, South Texas College of Law, Southern Methodist University, and University of St. Thomas.
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Colleges and other learning establishments are no place for any kind of violent method objects, no exceptions. I understand that a lot of people get behind the concealed carry law for many different reasons including potential self-defense, swag factor, or just because they want to exercise their second amendment rights. But honestly, how could children and young adults with any form of awareness or fear focus on their studies if a fearful environment is encouraged on campus by the ability to conceal weapons? I don’t think I could feasibly function in any facet if I knew people at Carnegie Mellon could harness and utilize weapons on campus. I also wonder how this law coincides with carry laws regarding knives and other such utility devices, because I don’t really think that guns could be considered utilitarian in any facet. No one in their right mind whips out a handgun to cut tieline.
I would first like to start off this comment with saying that I am not the most informed on everything that has to do with this situation and the open carry gun laws on college campuses. Coming form Texas, and having a twin sister who attends a private Texas college, this situation is quite relevant to me. I understand that some people could argue that open-carry on college campuses is a good thing because it gives the students an opportunity to protect themselves. While i agree with this, I also feel like seeing someone carrying a gun on your way to class everyday, I assume, puts the idea of shootings and protecting yourself at the forefront of your mind everyday, which can be pretty daunting. So while I see how it can help students feel safe, I can also see how it can distract other students and make those without guns feel less safe. I appreciate the rules that are being put in place to keep guns out of certain areas of campus, however this is taking place everywhere but inside a classroom, a place where a student is most vulnerable. This is certainly a complicated situation, and while I appreciate the steps the schools are taking to protect their students, I believe there is still a long way to go. Think about it, would you feel safe in an hour long class sitting beside a stranger carrying a gun?
I find this to be absolutely disgusting that colleges would even consider the idea that it is ok for students to be carrying around a gun, much less making it legal to do so. I am from Newtown Connecticut, so this subject is very close to my heart. Their is no reason at all for any student to carry a fire arm with them, and the fact that the law allows them to conceal the weapon is even worse. Guns do not make people safer. Their is no reason to have this as an allowable act on college campuses. To make campus more safe, if that is the concern, you hire professionals who specialize in safety. I want to know why this was even brought up and brought through to law. I would also like to hear from the students that do get the license and carry a gun around with them and why they do. I cannot believe this is a thing, and really wish that people would just open up their eyes more to how dangerous their fire arms are, maybe they themselves know how to use them, but others don't and that is how mass shootings happen. These Texas schools are just waiting for another tragedy to happen.
I would like to add on to my comment before...
So I read this article briefly, with a lot of rage, and just assumed that the listed school opting out of a law, meant that they were saying it is allowed for students to carry hand guns on campus, however after re evaluating with a more level headed mind, I found that the listed schools are saying they will NOT allow students to carry fire arms. As exciting as that sounds, it means something even worse: that all other private colleges and ALL public colleges in Texas are allowing students to carry concealed weapons. Now, this article has very confusing wording, so I hope that I am now understanding this correctly. So this means that Texas has a law that states it is more than ok and supporting students walking around with fire arm concealed on their person. Not only is this Texas though, 9 other states allow guns on college campuses as well. In my original comment, I thought it was only 20 schools that allowed for this, but now I know that it is hundreds, probably thousands of schools allowing this. Schools are for learning, college and universities too, they are absolutely not a place for guns. I know this blog and commenting is to broaden our theater world news, but this one article really makes me mad, and I won't be quiet about it.
The author was very factual in this article and I guess that what a news article should do, just give you the facts but I personally don't see how someone writing this can't share their view. I know their are people in this world, my world, that support these types of laws, and these actions - but I do not. At all. For schools to allow for such a law, especially when it seems that private schools have the option to opt out of this, is scary. In my mind, just allowing this, is supporting it. I assume that these schools are not publishing constantly to their students, saying that you should carry a gun around with them, but having the law, is basically the same. If we as a society want to move on from all these constant shooting/killings/gun violence/murders or which ever word will allow you to sleep at night, then start with schools, even when it is an institution with that teaches adults.
If their are 9 states allowing students to carry guns on their college campuses (minus 20), then their is a possibility that millions of students right now as they walk to class have a fire arm on them, with the rounds to shoot as well. Which means that a billion things could go wrong. I assume that this is not true, and that the students who actually take advantage of this law and do carry a weapon on them are honestly a very small percentage, but whatever that number is, is too much. The option to carry a gun around with you on a campus is not one that should be anywhere. Schools, no matter what ages they teach, should never allow students to have any kind of fire arm on them, it does not protect anyone, and you can extend your right to bare arms when hunting for sport, not when going to class.
(I know this was a long rant, but honestly I'm not sorry for sharing something that I believe in)
While I think it’s great that these individual schools’ presidents are making steps to making educational institutions safe, gun-free spaces, it still blows my mind that guns are allowed on so many college campuses (10 states still allow concealed carry on college campuses). With countless instances of shootings causing in the deaths of so many innocent students and teachers, one would think that people would be able to realize the vast difference in importance level from the “American freedom to bear arms” to the literal lives and safeties of people across the country. The idea that some people think it’s important for concealed guns to be allowed on college campuses makes me furious. What kind of place does a gun have in an educational environment? It’s sick that we live in a society where students are expected/ expect to be able to “defend themselves” while on a college campus. At the very least, I don’t think it should be nearly as easy to get a gun as it is currently (through legal or illegal means); and the fact that even the idea of stricter background checks, for some people, makes them feel like their rights are being “taken away”, means that there is very little the president is able to do about this epidemic. Yes, I do think that our society and culture contributes to this world where violence is accepted, expected, and perhaps even encouraged. But I don’t think this is any excuse for writing off the physical dangers guns bring as just “people being people”; even though schools making statements like this is a step in the right direction, the fact that this is even an issue at all says a lot about the sad state of schools’ protection of its populations.
So I know that there are a lot of opinions regarding gun control, and how the constitution protects owning a gun, and blah blah blah. But at a certain point, it just makes sense to want an educational environment to be weapons free. I don’t know much about the culture of these schools in Texas, as I’m not from there and have never been there, but from my experience, I would not want a bunch of 18-22 year olds carrying weapons all around me.
It doesn’t even have to come down to whether or not people should be allowed to own guns, it comes down to the fact that as much as I enjoy my time here at CMU, I wouldn’t trust many of the adolescent (though colligate, we are, for the most part still very young adults) to use guns responsibly. Hell, last year there were several times when I walked into my dorm at 2 am, and everyone was drunk. If some of those people had guns, it would have been a lot scarier. That doesn’t make for a productive learning environment in my mind.
See but the thing about this situation is: why does any university student need a permit to carry a concealed weapon? Research has already shown that there are very few situations where a bystander's possession of a gun prevented or stopped a shooting. The problem is that when more people become scared of school shootings and start carrying guns around, it actually makes the overall environment of the school less safe. If a shooter were to make their way onto a campus where many of the students carry concealed weapons and opened fire, the resulting pushback from the students with concealed weapons would only endanger more students, who would be caught in the crossfire between all of these people with guns. Such a situation, rather than saving lives, could actually result in more lives being lost. For students who do not carry concealed weapons, the knowledge that there are many others on their campus who do would definitely make the campus feel less safe, because if a shooting were to occur, it is also very possible that the shooter may be one of those very students with a conceal-carry permit, rather than an outside individual. College campuses are no place for concealed weapons.
I'm slightly relieved to see that some colleges are opting out of Texas' campus carry law. In no way does possessing a gun make the particular student/learning environment safer in any way. The presence of guns never make any place safer regardless of what people think. Allowing college students, who are much more likely to be exposed to things like alcohol/drugs, to possess guns in an educational environment with other peers is a horrifying idea. If anything, this only allows the person carrying the gun to feel safe (feeling safe and actually being safe are completely different things), but this only puts the rest of the student body who can't posses guns in a more dangerous situation. Coming from a country where guns are illegal, walking alone at night here is already extremely terrifying for me. I can't even imagine going to school in an environment where anyone around me could have a gun on them. There are so many other better ways to ensure campus safety that this law almost seems to be just a result of laziness - the authorities are too lazy to actually figure out ways to increase campus safety that they just let their students get guns and "protect themselves".
I'm from Texas, and as a person who, weighing the options of 4 different Texas schools, was very concerned about this law. It was signed by governor Gregg Abott, a man more concerned about leading a public image of sworn strict Repblicanism, and vocally trashing anyone on Twitter who opposes him. So first of all, the law was signed out of proving a message.
Second, I'm proud that so many private universities are opposing this law. Which means that people like my brother, who attends Southern Methodist university can potentially be away from people openly carrying weapons at his school. When it comes down to it, this law that was intended to "protect" students from potential shooters, the only real thing that can protect us is increased gun safety, not giving people ages 18-22 the right to carry guns in heir own school, during a potentially volatile time in their lives.
It also shames me so much that the people in Texas love the law so much. It was so frustrating to me, that they didnt see their own law as a the rest of the nation saw it- ridiculous.
Good. Gun control is a major problem in this country. With the increasing number of deaths in schools and the newly visible problem with gun violence aimed and young black people, I am delighted that schools are taking this initiative, especially in a state that is known national for it's enthusiastic "preservation" of the 2nd amendment. Carnegie Mellon also has a similar policy (just a reminder, school policies are available online and its a great read if you're up late and need something so boring that it will put you to sleep). CMU's policy states that no student can carry a firearm on campus. Out policy also extends to knives. No student can carry a fixed blade knife on campus. Although this policy may be cumbersome to some, I am happy when I'm reminded about these policies. Hopefully our country will see a decrease in gun violence as similar policies continue to be implemented.
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