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Republicans in Texas Senate approve guns on campus

Terminal Velocity

Regular Member
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Apr 18, 2011
Messages
70
Location
JAX
Have you guys read about this!?

http://content.usatoday.net/dist/custom/gci/InsidePage.aspx?cId=azcentral&sParam=36444763.story


Republicans in Texas Senate approve guns on campus

Posted 5/9/2011 7:22 PM ET

By Jim Vertuno, Associated Press

AUSTIN, Texas — Republicans in the Texas Senate on Monday approved allowing concealed handgun license holders to carry weapons into public college buildings and classrooms, moving forward on a measure that had stalled until supporters tacked it on to a universities spending bill.

Sen. Jeff Wentworth, R-San Antonio, had been unable to muster the votes he needed under Senate rules to pass the issue as its own bill after the measure met stiff resistance from higher education officials, notably from within the University of Texas system.

The measure seemed all but assured easy passage when the legislative session began in January. The Senate had passed a similar bill in 2009 and about 90 lawmakers in the 150-member House had signed on in support this year. But the bill stalled on its first three votes in the Senate and took some maneuvering by Wentworth to get it through.

The Senate's 12 Democrats had mostly worked as a block to stop the measure but were powerless to stop it on Monday when all it took was a simple majority in the 31-member chamber to get it added to the spending bill as an amendment.

At that point, Wentworth even picked up an extra vote from Rep. Steve Ogden, R-Bryan, who had previously opposed the measure.

Supporters call it a critical self-defense measure and gun rights issue. Opponents worry concealed handguns could lead to more campus violence and suicide.

Sen. Judith Zaffirini, D-Laredo, who was a student at the University of Texas in 1966 when sniper Charles Whitman killed 12 people and wounded dozens of others, vigorously argued against the guns measure.

She predicted mass chaos if police respond to a call and find several people with guns drawn.

"I can't imagine the horrors if this passes," Zaffirini said.

Wentworth was unmoved. He recalled the 2007 mass shooting at Virginia Tech University, when a gunman killed 32 people and said he wants to give students a chance to defend themselves.

"There was no one there to defend themselves in a gun-free zone that was a victim-rich zone," Wentworth said. "I'm trying to avoid that type of situation."

Texas passed its concealed handgun license law in 1995. License holders must be at least 21 and pass a training course.

Guns on campus bills have been rejected in at least 23 states since 2007. The bill originally covered private universities as well, but was changed to cover only public institutions of higher education.

For supporters like the national group Students for Concealed Carry on Campus, Texas was the big prize. Early signs the bill would pass here captured the attention of international media which could not resists the state's larger-than-life reputation and frontier image.

Texas is where concealed handgun license holders are allowed to skip metal detectors in the state Capitol, and Gov. Rick Perry made headlines for shooting a coyote on a morning jog last year. Earlier on Monday, senators voted to allow themselves to carry concealed handguns into places the rest of the public cannot, such as churches, restaurants and sporting events.

Perry has said he supports the campus guns measure and is expected to sign it into law if it reaches his desk.

Monday's Senate vote may clear the way for a vote in the House as well. A similar House bill already has been approved in committee but had stalled without a vote by the full chamber.

Hearings on the measure were dominated by powerful testimony from supporters who had been raped or assaulted on campus and by opponents who survived the shootings at Virginia Tech.
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 
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FzSBLACKMAGICK

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Mar 8, 2008
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238
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Palm Bay, Florida, USA
"Hearings on the measure were dominated by powerful testimony from supporters who had been raped or assaulted on campus and by opponents who survived the shootings at Virginia Tech."

How does a survivor ov Va. Tech oppose this? How on earth do they not wish they had had a gun? PTSD?
 

RetiredOC

Campaign Veteran
Joined
Dec 21, 2009
Messages
1,561
How does a survivor ov Va. Tech oppose this? How on earth do they not wish they had had a gun? PTSD?

Some people think they send their kids to college to get smarter. This clearly is not the case.
 

77zach

Regular Member
Joined
Feb 5, 2007
Messages
2,913
Location
Marion County, FL
This will be the NRA's project here as well. I'm going to enjoy the left/liberals and LEOs writhing in terror. And then... nothing bad will happen of course. Of course, that means it's up to us (Fl Carry, Campaign for Liberty, etc) to get OC.
 
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Rich7553

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Jan 15, 2010
Messages
515
Location
SWFL
"Hearings on the measure were dominated by powerful testimony from supporters who had been raped or assaulted on campus and by opponents who survived the shootings at Virginia Tech."

How does a survivor ov Va. Tech oppose this? How on earth do they not wish they had had a gun? PTSD?

The guy they're referring to is a Brady hack. They're paying him big bucks to spew their rhetoric. His name is Colin Goddard.
 

PracticalTactical

Regular Member
Joined
Feb 19, 2011
Messages
241
Location
Las Cruces, New Mexico
Two things:

First, why isn't this in the TX forum?

Second, the attitude of the anti-gunners makes perfect sense when you look at progressivism as a faith-based religion rather than a political movement.

They have a pantheon of gods. The highest Zeus-like god is the federal government. There are lesser gods in the form of state and local government. There are also various demi-gods in the media.

There are also various forms of devils and demons in the form of false gods and prophets, usually from the Libertarian and Republican parties, but also at times from the Green party if they are running against one who has been anointed by the gods and demi-gods.

Their one absolute tenet is the absolute faith in the power of the gods to protect them in every area of life from personal safety to healthcare to education. Those anointed by the gods to provide for the children of the gods in these areas are considered far superior to those who are not anointed. The children of the gods are not considered capable or worthy of even attempting to provide for themselves. It is far better to die a horrible death or suffer great personal injury than to offend the gods by protecting ones self.

There are two sets of clergy. One is in the media, especially public broadcasting. The others are in the public school systems and universities, which are temples to the most high gods.

With campus carry, not only are the unwashed children of the gods attempting to provide security for themselves, rather than accepting the gifts of protection provided through the anointed law enforcement officers, they are doing so in the temples of the gods, thereby desecrating most sacred holy ground with blasphemy of the highest degree.

With blasphemy of this magnitude occurring on such sacred ground, surely a curse will fall on the blasphemers and others on the holy ground. Surely someone who would offend the gods by not accepting the protection of the anointed ones is possessed with demons, and will perform various demonic acts on the faithful who came forth to worship on the holy ground.
 

77zach

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Feb 5, 2007
Messages
2,913
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Marion County, FL
With campus carry, not only are the unwashed children of the gods attempting to provide security for themselves, rather than accepting the gifts of protection provided through the anointed law enforcement officers, they are doing so in the temples of the gods, thereby desecrating most sacred holy ground with blasphemy of the highest degree.

+1

This is why removing public schools from the list of "prohibited places" is so important. Not as important as us getting OC here in Fl, but pretty important. The government "education" camps is where everyone learns guns are evil.
 

10x

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Joined
Apr 11, 2011
Messages
134
Location
FL
+1

This is why removing public schools from the list of "prohibited places" is so important. Not as important as us getting OC here in Fl, but pretty important. The government "education" camps is where everyone learns guns are evil.

100% right!
 

Jojo712

Founder's Club Member
Joined
Apr 9, 2011
Messages
204
Location
Miami, FL
This is a thing of beauty. In our state, campus carry magically disappeared in committee when a well-connected constituent issued his heart-felt concerns regarding a mad-man killer with an illegal weapon who killed his daughter (who was defenseless against the attack, of course, because as a law-abiding citizen she would have been forbidden to carry). Common sense did not carry the day. It will soon.

Congrats, Texas, OC is next for you as well!
 
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