College
is one of the most important parts of your life it’s where you decide what you
want to peruse for the rest of your life. But on August 1, 2015 everything
changed about college. A new bill called “campus carry” was passed to where it
allowed college students to carry a concealed handgun. Texas needs to realize
that this bill was one of the worst bills that they could possibly pass. Texas
should not allow college students to carry a concealed handgun.
Lets
go back to when the UT Tower shooting occurred. It was one of the most horrifying
events here in Texas. On August 1st, 1966 an ex-marine who had
previously that day killed his mother and his wife climbed to the UT tower with
numerous weapons including guns, rifles, a shotgun, and handguns began to shot
innocent professors and students. Charles Whitman shot 43 people and thirteen
of who died. You may ask why is this even relevant to the new bill passed? Well
let me explain, if Charles Whitman a NON-UT student was able to sneak numerous
guns past the protected college imagine what a student that now has the right
to carry a weapon can do. Yes I understand that only students that have a
license are eligible to carry a weapon in school but when has a rule ever
stopped anyone? People at this moment have weapons and DON’T have a license to
carry the weapon. So who are we to state for a fact that non-licensed students
will respect the rules of this bill and not bring a weapon to campus.
A
person brain isn’t fully developed until the age of 25 or so. That’s what
everyone seems to argue when someone who is troubled commits a massive shooting
or commits a crime. So why does Texas believe that a college student who their
age ranges between 18-24 can be responsible enough to carry a gun in school
properties and be safe with it? College students don’t take anything serious.
You can’t trust them.
College
students are usually stressing about many things at once. Trying to handle
their school life’s, getting great grades, trying to handle work so they can
pay for school and or other expenses and to top it off they also have to handle
their own personal life all at the same time. College students aren’t stable
and giving concealed weapon owners the right to have their weapons with them
will increase both
accidental shootings and self-inflicted wounds.
Supporters
state that by giving the right to licensed gun owners will make college campuses safer by preventing massive shootings. Is that really true? I don’t
think so. We are basically telling students take the law into their own hands.
We are asking students that if they see someone shooting to take out their guns
and shot back they are not the police. They aren’t trained for that. That’s not
safer that is even more dangerous. Now instead of having fewer casualties we
are increasing the chances of even more innocent students getting shot. The
student’s shouldn’t feel like they have to protect their campuses. It should be
the other way around. School should be the ones protecting their students.
This
billed passed will change college campuses. Student’s everyday will have to
fear for their life. Afraid that there is someone in their class who has a gun
and can start shooting whenever they want too. Texas should take back this bill
because it going to bring more trouble than good.
Good factual evidence towards your thoughts about this particular issue. I completely agree that taking the law into ones hands is not the right direction to have safer universities and colleges. This can lead to even bigger massacres when more than one person is carrying guns at once. I personally do not feel safe at all by this bill. This is why I can relate when it says it is a fear that will follow us for the rest of our lives.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteFantastic! Just simply fantastic! When I noticed that you and I both wrote about our opinions on the "Campus Carry Law," I quickly jumped the gun, (forgive my ridiculous pun) having no other choice but to indulge myself with your thought process. At first, I was actually expecting an opinion that went against my own, and was ready to shut you down with the blink of an eye! But then I couldn't help but notice that we both believe that passing a law which allows license holders to carry a concealed handgun throughout university campuses is a VERY BAD IDEA. I very much agree that students taking the law into their own hands could lead to an even more dangerous situation. I noticed that we both used very similar factual evidence to back-up our thoughts about this particular subject and couldn't help but find a smile on my face. I very much enjoyed your opinion on the subject matter, and believe that you did a much better job on organizing your thoughts than I did. By keeping a good balance between facts, asked questions and your own notions, you were able to keep me hooked from the very beginning, and only wanting more when I finished. If only I had seen this sooner, I would've copied and paste it as my own work and turned it in!! I probably would have received a better grade in the long run!! Ha! But in all seriousness, we as college kids are stressed about having to make good grades, keeping up with what's going on in class while simultaneously having worry about our jobs and the relationships we are in with friends and family! It's not a matter of "if," but a matter of "when." "WHEN" a student cracks under all that pressure, and just so happens to have a license for a gun, there's no telling what that student is capable of. I know that many like-minded individuals such as ourselves can agree that we don't want to live in fear every time we walk on campus where there's always a constant threat all around us. This bill only creates more unnecessary anxiety.
ReplyDeleteCollege students... You can't trust them.
ReplyDeleteThere are many problems with Give Me Texas or Give Me Death's recent article, "Is Texas Crazy?" One such problem is that the author is against the new law yet, the article uses arguments in favor of the law. "So who are we to state for a fact that non-licensed students will respect the rules of this bill and not bring a weapon to campus." This is among the top arguments used by supporters of the bill. Supporters argue that campuses are currently a gun free and yet, that is not stopping criminals from coming on campus and imposing their will with their guns.
The author also goes on to call all college students idiots that can't be trusted, in the following statement, "College students don't take anything serious. You can't trust them." So what do we take from this article? Well we know that the author is a college student, that doesn't take anything serious and can't be trusted. Essentially the author is telling us to disregard this whole article.
The recently passed Senate Bill 11, known as the “campus-carry” law will take effect in August of 2016. It’s a given that whenever the issue of guns is brought up a heated discussion is almost always guaranteed. I give kudos to Give Me Texas or Give Me Death for bravely picking such a hot topic in Is Texas Crazy? But while I have my mixed feelings about the campus-carry law, I can’t say I agree with the argument that “College students don’t take anything serious. You can’t trust them…. College students aren’t stable…..” As a college student I find the argument somewhat offensive and demeaning. At the age of 18 we entrust young men and women to protect our country by enlisting in the military and give them the right to vote but college students can’t be trusted? Truly intrigued by the topic I went in search of some clarification for what this law really means.
ReplyDeleteRep. Allen Fletcher points out some key components of the law:
- The bill requires a university president to adopt rules and policies regarding carrying a concealed handgun on campus. The governing board may amend those policies with a ⅔ vote.
- The university may adopt rules on policies regarding dorms and storage.
The bill preserves the private property rights of private universities.
- The bill does not expand on who can obtain a concealed handgun license.
- Any locations that are off-limits off campus, such as bars and hospitals, remain off-limits.
- Open carry on campuses remains prohibited.
The bill does not allow just anybody to walk on campus with a gun, only those that have a Concealed Handgun License (CHL). My colleague points out “when has a rule ever stopped anyone? ……who are we to state for a fact that non-licensed students will respect the rules of this bill and not bring a weapon to campus.” And she is completely right, when a person wants to commit a crime they will do so regardless of the laws put into place. So prior to this law being passed if a student wanted to step on campus and open fire they were going to do it with or without a license.
Obtaining a CHL is no easy feat! Some facts about obtaining a Concealed Handgun License as listed on the Texas Department of Public Safety:
- Applicants must be at least 21 years of age (unless active duty military) and must meet Federal qualifications to purchase a handgun.
- A number of factors may make you ineligible to obtain a license, such as: felony convictions and some misdemeanor convictions, including charges that resulted in probation or deferred adjudication; pending criminal charges; chemical or alcohol dependency; certain types of psychological diagnoses protective or restraining orders, and defaults on state or city taxes, governmental fees, or child support.
- An original (first-time) CHL applicant must complete four to six hours of classroom training, pass a written examination and pass a proficiency demonstration (shooting).
- The standard fee for an original CHL is $140. The standard fee for a renewal of a CHL is $70. However, Texas law provides for some discounts if you meet certain special conditions.
- All Original CHL applicants are required to submit fingerprints to DPS as part of the complete CHL application.
- DPS will make every effort to issue your license within 60 days of receiving the completed application packet.
Since Texas is not the first to pass such a law, it would have been interesting to see crime statistics for the 7 other states that already allow campus carry. Did they see an increase of student initiated shootings or an increased in gun-assisted crime?