imported post
forever_frost wrote:
I got picked as the Campus Leader for Texas A&M Commerce on the Students for Concealed Carry. Looks like I get to set up a meeting with the President of the college and see what I can do about actually making some tangible changes. Wish me luck.
I've read a lot of yall's posts and yall are more eloquent than me. Anyone feel like helping me write a letter to the President to have the most impact?
Congrats, forever_frost.
As you write your letter or have your discussion you might want to point to Utah's experience as an example. We have full and strong State preemption so our government run colleges and even K-12 CANNOT prevent the lawful carry of firearms (lawful carry requires a permit). The University of Utah took our AG to court to maintain their Vietnam-era, anti-war gun ban. But were shot down by our State supreme court because of our preemption law.
Now, of course, our legal situation won't apply to you in Texas. But what does apply is the example of what allowing lawful carry on campus does and does not do.
Since the State Supreme Court decision what has NOT happened:
No mass shootings, no shootouts over parking spaces or bad food or loud neighbors in the dorms.
There are NO (verifiable) reports of law abiding citizens legally carrying guns having any negative impact on classroom discussion or debate, or freedom of speech.
There have been no problems with guns carried at football games or sporting events (this was common LONG before the court decision because it was clear the UoU could do no more than expel a student or fire an employee, NO crime for the general public to carry and so no penalty to be imposed).
No one has had a gun lost or stolen on campus.
And so on and so forth.
We go so far as to allow employees of K-12 schools to carry if they have a permit. No problems there. No problems with parents carrying.
And, we've NEVER had a mass shooting at a college, university, or primary or secondary school.
Now, most school districts and colleges do frown on OC and apply pressure to CC instead. We haven't pushed back too much on that yet since a permit to carry is required to legally carry on these locations anyway. But there are growing numbers of teachers, professors, staff, and adult students (21 to get a permit in Utah) who are carrying and we are not seeing any pattern of problems. Revocation rate runs about 0.2% (two out of every thousand permits valid) each year.
Simply put, you are not asking the college president to blaze some brand new, unchartered territory. Utah has been there for quite some time and we just haven't seen any problems with it.
All the best.
Charles
