TexasCHLforum.com

Today's article about the benefits of self defense was excellent. However, it neglected the best defense from muggings, rapes, and mass murders such as the Virginia Tech tragedy: Allowing Concealed Handgun License holders to legally carry on campus. To obtain a CHL, you must be 21 with no criminal record or history of mental illness, undergo a background check by the state, submit fingerprints to the FBI, and attend an 8 hour class teaching conflict resolution, laws concerning concealed carry, and pass a shooting proficiency test. Statistics show the small portion of Texans willing to undergo the process required for a CHL are far less likely to commit a crime of any sort than the average citizen, while criminals will break any law necessary to achieve their goals. The current law prohibiting weapons on campus do not stop criminals, only those who obey the law. Allowing concealed carry on campus is not a "free pass" for anyone to bring a gun to class. It simply allows faculty, staff, and students who already legally carry almost everywhere else to protect themselves in institutions of higher learning as well. A person should not be forced to forfeit their right to protection to obtain an education.