TexasCHLforum.com

srothstein, thanks for the input. I have thought about what I would do if CC is allowed on my campus. I am a staff member, so I'm there every day. Were something to occur close enough that I would become aware of it, my first thought would be to determine the probable location of the shooter and determine if it was safe to get everyone in my area out safely. If it was, that would be my first priority, but it would be with gun drawn and at the ready. If I didn't think it was safe for them to leave, I would instruct them to go into their offices and lock their doors. Then I would try to find a position that would allow me to engage the BG before he became of aware of me and from a position that gave me the best chance of survival. I would hope that the campus police, when they arrived, would recognize me, but I would expect them to want me to have my hands in the air, gun not in a tactical position and follow their commands immediately. Of course it wouldn't hurt that another member of this forum would be armed as well and only three doors down from me.

Campus police officer Joe Ribar makes sure the classrooms are locked up. He says students having handguns would be a nightmare if they had to take down a mass shooter. Would-be heroes with their own guns could get in the way.
"When we go into a building we don't know who's a good guy or bad guy. I would not like to have a civilian who's trying to do good end up as a threat to us," Ribar says.

This, I believe, is a legitimate concern. I think it can be alleviated by two things: proper training of CHL holders (when you encounter the police and they don't know who you are, announce that you armed, expose your weapon and raise your hands so they know you are not a threat) and having those CHL holders who routinely carry on campus meet with campus police and inform them that you are usually armed and will be glad to help if asked.) Since I work at a university, this is something that I've given some thought to. From the perspective of a uniformed officer, they have no way of knowing, when they first arrive on scene, if I'm a BG or a GG. Getting to know them ahead of time would help alleviate that as well as being certain not to appear threatening when they first arrive on scene.

I wonder what any of the LEOs on the board think about this? I know it must be a nightmare, from an officer's point of view, to encounter an armed citizen and not know if they are a threat or not. They don't want to kill someone unless they really are a threat, yet they only have seconds to make a decision.