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Texas Senate OKs guns on college campus bill today 
AUSTIN — A bill to allow college students and employees to carry their concealed handguns on campus won final passage today on a 19-12 vote in the Senate.

The bill would allow college students who are at least 21 years old and licensed to carry concealed handguns to bring those weapons into state campus buildings. University hospitals and athletic facilities would remain off limits to guns.

It applies to all universities and colleges in the state, but private institutions would be able to opt out.

Sen. Jeff Wentworth, R-San Antonio, said he introduced the bill because of the 2007 massacre at Virginia Tech, where he said victims were “picked off like sitting ducks.”

“I would feel personally guilty if I woke up one morning and read that something similar had occurred on a Texas campus,” he said.

If the Senate gives the bill final approval — which could happen today — the controversial measure could go back to the House, where it died last week because lawmakers did not make the deadline to debate it... 

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/6432279.html  (http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/6432279.html) 

Excellent.

On the one hand, campus regulars will be more capable of defending themselves should something happen.

On the other, unbalanced individuals would be free to bring guns to a crowded building without much trouble from security guards, as well as free to hide it under their clothing in order to whip it out and start shooting before anyone has time to react.

Tough choice.

They'd do that whether guns were allowed or not.

It wouldn't be as easy, though. Only the most determined of them would go through with it, rather than just doing it on a sudden impulse.

True, any sort of weapon emboldens it's wielder with some measure of what they percieve as power and equalization against someone.   Attacks and killings happen everyday in other countries, with non-firearm related weapons.

In Japan, firearms aren't allowed for civilian possession, yet a while back, a man stabbed and killed a number of people in Akihabara province:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7442327.stm





 

Well, the question is how many unbalanced individuals bother to go through concealed carry training, pay the fees associated (about $220 total here), wait the roughly 45 days it takes, and don't mind being fingerprinted and having to get an extra license thing you have to carry around (that's basically how it works in Missouri; most other states are similar).  There are probably some, but the time and processing likely weeds out spree killers. 

Regardless though, it's VERY VERY easy to sneak guns into almost all college campuses.  That's why every so often you hear about some student being expelled or suspended for carrying a gun.  It's likely quite a few students carry illegally, in my estimation, they just rarely get caught.  How would they?  I was in college for like 5 years on 5 different campuses, and if I'd had a gun in my backpack the entire time no one would have ever known.  Fact is, it very rarely causes problems.  And people who carry illegally can quote you a very American aphorism: better to be tried by twelve than carried by six.

It would be more interesting to note if CCW on campus has any effect on other crimes - like rape, for example.  School shootings are really extremely rare, so I don't know if that's really a good reason for concealed carry on campus.

Very good point.  Also helping is the newer version of NICS aka The NICS Improvement Act of 2007 (borne of the Virginia Tech Gun Bill, as it's been called.)

The Act seeks to gather and properly utilize the 80-90% of missing mental health records of potential buyers nationwide.  Also, it seeks to find the missing 10-20% of felony convictions\drug addiction\domestic violence records of potential buyers as well.

Had the Virginia Tech gunman's mental health records been properly accessible, maybe the tragedy might not have occurred. Again, the reason for the passing of the new law (but not the only one.)

However, the Act is under fire for one provision allowing mentally adjudicated\drug and alcohol addicted individuals to apply for "relief from disability" that would allow them to purchase firearms once more if they meet the requirements for release from their condition.

Among other provisions-those indicted (but not convicted) may apply for relief of their disqualification, provided no other priors exist.

This as I have read the Act. There may have been several amendments to it since 2007.