A&M Senate votes for concealed carry referendum

[RPB]

A&M Senate votes for concealed carry referendum
http://www.thebatt.com/news/senate-vote ... 2011210026" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Hilary Albrecht, Speaker of the Senate said: "The Student Senate passed S.B. 63-74, The Concealed Carry Referendum Bill, which calls for a referendum to be placed on the ballot for the spring student body elections. This is an issue relevant to all students, and gives the student body the opportunity to let their voices be directly heard and advocated for."

There will be opinion booths Feb. 14, 15 and 17 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Koldus and the Academic Plaza. These booths are set up with the purpose of receiving all the opinions of students.

[74novaman]

They had the students vote on this last time I actually was a student (back in 09). It did not go well for us. Hopefully it'll go better this time. But with the large population of 18 year olds who will see the word "guns" and automatically think bad things, I'm guessing this will fail too.

[Douva]

They had the students vote on this last time I actually was a student (back in 09). It did not go well for us. Hopefully it'll go better this time. But with the large population of 18 year olds who will see the word "guns" and automatically think bad things, I'm guessing this will fail too.

Thanks, Debbie Downer.

The last vote only failed by something like 4-6 points. Since then, Texas A&M's chapter of SCCC has grown by about 1,500 members, to become the largest on-campus student organization at the university. There is no way of knowing which way this vote will go, but your pessimism isn't warranted.

[74novaman]

Hopefully I will have the pleasure of eating my words.

But for those who weren't aware there had been a vote before, it would be good for them to know that there had been a previous vote and it had failed...if nothing else to mark our progress if this one passes.

[RPB]

Published Wednesday, March 02, 2011 12:03 AM
Aggies reject guns on campus
http://www.theeagle.com/local/Aggies-re ... -on-campus" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The statistician "gandalf" is back commenting as well as "aggie_teacher" and the others.... same old crowd going yipppeee we won a vote

[aggiedev]

For some really interesting reading, check out the opinions of faculty members that are writing in to the Dean of Faculties at Texas A&M http://dof.tamu.edu/Responses%202-24%20 ... %203-3.pdf.

Some of the more interesting comments include

If an individual has a personal problem so serious as to call for feeling the need to carry a gun to class, then the problem should (and could) be addressed off campus where classmates and/or others would not be in the risk of endangerment.

I'm not sure what to make of the situation this person is addressing. If he is advocating violence as an answer as long as it's off campus, my mind is simply blown that an "educated" person would feel this way. The only other meaning I could come up would be that this person believes that bad things such as robberies, rapes, and other assaults will only occur off campus. Ideally they won't happen at all, but, again, my mind is blown at this attitude.

Assuming the law is passed: While I understand that students would have to be licensed to carry weapons on campus, how will faculty and staff—including our police force—know if someone carrying a gun has a license? If a student enters my class with a gun, should I ask him or her to show me the license? If he/she left the license home, should I disarm him/her? Will I be sued if I do?

This just makes me want to bang my head against the wall. Concealed. Concealed. Concealed. It's not that difficult a concept.

I will not feel safe in the classrooms, buildings, or anywhere on campus, knowing that an unknown number of concealed weapons could be around me, and that gunshots can occur at any time.

Why is it that people equate campus carry of concealed handguns by licensed individuals with allowing any student to carry a gun of any kind with them and then to subsequently exempt them from other laws such as murder and discharging firearms haphazardly. It's lunacy.

There are a couple reasonable comments if you can stomach the rest of them.

[RPB]

Thanks, I like a few, the pregnant teacher with a CHL

BUT this one ....

no place in the classroom

The same logic to guns in classrooms would apply to allowing guns on airplanes as a way to thwart hijackers,
suicide bombers

Gotta wonder how many people would be alive today if the group huddled together on the planes on 9/11 had more than a cell phone

I have thought about what I would do as a faculty member if CCC passes. One idea I am contemplating is to
require all students in my class to wear tight clothing

.Girls ....


Wow

This is not a matter of what makes one ―feel‖ safe or not, but rather a question of fundamental Constitutional
rights and whether or not allowing licensed persons to carry a concealed gun actually results in a safer work and
educational environment. Individuals pent on committing criminal acts with a firearm are going to carry one to
commit said acts whether it legal or illegal to possess the weapon. Guns are known deterrents to such actions,

...

I do not have a concealed handgun license and I will feel safer on campus knowing that
there are trained, screened and armed individuals about who will deter those who might do me and others harm
with a weapon.
(from Lubbock)

This guy is honest and up front:

I am very disturbed ...

guns on campus (or anywhere public).

It appears that the memory of Virginia Tech or Illinois has faded already. Do we need something else like that
before good sense may prevail? If the law ends up being approved, I hope that the legislators will also plan in
advance what to say to the family of the first victim. Any other comment is superfluous.

Maybe they'll say "There was only one victim, I'm sorry it was your child, although the shooter brought over 150 rounds of ammo, he was stopped?"

[RPB]

TV was saying due to budget cuts, Education majors worry about finding jobs.
I'm getting an idea ... perhaps some should retire and open up some jobs for those desiring them who also respect people and who can think logically and educate themselves instead of basing decisions on feelings.

I'm not surprised that those who must base their decisions on feelings think all students will make bad decisions based on feelings (fear they'll get mad and whip out a gun over a grade) Because that's exactly how they themselves base decisions. Those Professors haven't learned proper decision making skills and fail to educate themselves prior to basing decisions on the only thing they know. It actually kinda makes sense now. Thanks for providing that.

[aggiedev]

It really is alarming how out of touch with reality most of the comments are. One faculty talked about having empty chamber checkpoints at all the doors. What part of concealed does he not understand?

I'm glad you found the comments as enlightening on the position of faculty at Texas A&M as I did.

[MeMelYup]

I am surprised at these learned peoples lack of reading comprehension. Or is someone else reading the information and briefing these people. For instance, “I don’t want 18 to 22 year olds carrying guns in my classes,” as stated by more than one person. This statement, along with many others, is totally inaccurate, 18, 19, and 20 year olds cannot get a CHL unless they have honorable military service.

All these learned people have to do is go to the DPS website and read the Concealed Handgun Statutes and Related Weapons Laws, maybe that type of research is to difficult for them? I’m sure they would expect much more than that from their students.

Personally if I had the education and teaching credentials that these people do, I would be ashamed to show such blatent ignorance on a subject that I was commenting on for all my peers to evaluate.