4copas wrote:I think the title “Campus Carry” is misleading to the general public. Certainly the media’s “Guns on Campus” title is misleading. Both strike the fear in the hearts of the general public. Every person I talked to about this had no idea that guns on campus are already legal by CHL holders. Once processed in their minds it has been legal for years with no issues, and the real issue is just extending the law to going into buildings, their response is, “Well, what’s the problem then? Why is it such a big deal to go to class the same way you walk around campus?” I really feel that if the general public just knew it has been legal for CHL’S already to carry on campus, and have been for years, there would not be so much opposition from students and faculty. Maybe it should be called “Extended Campus Carry” or something. I don’t know the answer, but it just seems the title is where the fear starts with the general public and gives the media their fear factor ratings. Just my 2 bits.
You are absolutely correct and this is a key part of the educational program I envision. We use "campus-carry" as a shorthand term for everything we need in a bill, including amendments to the Penal Code, Government Code and Education Code. While useful, this terms is not very descriptive for the reasons you have stated. My plan is to launch an entire educational series on "Personal Security on Campus" and it will focus more on the individual student's security, rather than on mass murders on campus. Preventing a Virginia Tech on a Texas campus is a legitimate goal and passing "campus-carry" would lessen the possibility, but I believe the real focus needs to be on the individual like your daughter walking alone.
Campus crime is grossly under reported, but not only in terms of students reporting to campus police. The colleges/universities under report their crime statistics on the Clery Reports and I'm going to be working on that issue. I've had numerous UT students contact me and report crimes that were the subject of school emails, or personal knowledge, that didn't show up on required reports. I'll be sending Open Records Requests to numerous universities and I'll use those responses to . . . well let's just say I'll be using them. Passing campus-carry will require educating the general public and exposing lies.
Chas.