Cigarroa said campus mental health professionals fear guns on campus would lead to an increase in suicides
Campus police are worried about distinguishing between "the bad actor" and people defending themselves when both have drawn guns
And with combustible materials present in science labs and hospitals across campuses, some have expressed concern that firing a gun in certain places "may have consequences well beyond what one may expect in other environments," the letter said.
Jimmy Talarico , the student government's executive director, said that UT's campus is already "an incredibly safe space" and that the creation of "a citizen vigilante force" would only make an emergency situation confusing for law enforcement.
He should reimburse the University for the cost of the letterhead, postage, envelope, secretary's time, and resources used to promote his agenda.
He should reimburse us since we paid for it.
RPB wrote:Campus police are worried about distinguishing between "the bad actor" and people defending themselves when both have drawn guns
This is no different from situations where one or neither of them have guns. It is hard to determine the bad guy without watching the entire event unfold. Even then it is not always easy.
RPB wrote:And with combustible materials present in science labs and hospitals across campuses, some have expressed concern that firing a gun in certain places "may have consequences well beyond what one may expect in other environments," the letter said.
For combustible materials to ignite oxidizer, fuel, and a spark/heat source are required. If one is missing then there isn't going to be much combustion. Combustibles are required to be stored in a fire cabinet, and those in use are rarely going to be stored in, or even near, something that will spark when hit with a bullet. The chancellor obviously watches too much television.
He should reimburse the University for the cost of the letterhead, postage, envelope, secretary's time, and resources used to promote his agenda.
He should reimburse us since we paid for it.
RPB wrote:Campus police are worried about distinguishing between "the bad actor" and people defending themselves when both have drawn guns
This is no different from situations where one or neither of them have guns. It is hard to determine the bad guy without watching the entire event unfold. Even then it is not always easy.
RPB wrote:And with combustible materials present in science labs and hospitals across campuses, some have expressed concern that firing a gun in certain places "may have consequences well beyond what one may expect in other environments," the letter said.
For combustible materials to ignite oxidizer, fuel, and a spark/heat source are required. If one is missing then there isn't going to be much combustion. Combustibles are required to be stored in a fire cabinet, and those in use are rarely going to be stored in, or even near, something that will spark when hit with a bullet. The chancellor obviously watches too much television.
Or has a Meth lab.
Wouldn't it be nice IF along with "education"...came COMMON SENSE.
And with combustible materials present in science labs and hospitals across campuses, some have expressed concern that firing a gun in certain places "may have consequences well beyond what one may expect in other environments," the letter said.
This statement just goes to show that people with an MD or doctorate degree can still say stupid things.
And with combustible materials present in science labs and hospitals across campuses, some have expressed concern that firing a gun in certain places "may have consequences well beyond what one may expect in other environments," the letter said.
This statement just goes to show that people with an MD or doctorate degree can still say stupid things.
The entire letter proves that education and intelligence aren't necessarily linked to rational thought.
The Constitution preserves the advantage of being armed which Americans possess over the people of almost every other nation where the governments are afraid to trust the people with arms. James Madison
NRA Life Member Texas Firearms Coalition member
I could see prohibiting firearms in environments with explosion-proof lighting. However, if lights (or other equipment) does not meet the explosion-proof standard, or they allow students and faculty to bring in cell phones or other personal electronics that are not certified explosion-proof, then he's lying about the combustion danger posed by concealed handguns.
tacticool wrote:I could see prohibiting firearms in environments with explosion-proof lighting. However, if lights (or other equipment) does not meet the explosion-proof standard, or they allow students and faculty to bring in cell phones or other personal electronics that are not certified explosion-proof, then he's lying about the combustion danger posed by concealed handguns.
I don't think that he is lying, but he is certainly grasping at straws. Following his way of thinking, concealed carry should not be allowed at gas stations.
I wonder why that student said UT is "incredibly safe"?
I recall this little incident in 1966 when I was attending summer school there - in my own words:
Memories of the Whitman shooting
I was there watching it from the NE corner of 21st & Whitis (the Dobie Mall building and the Ransom Center hadn't been built yet), which was a small parking lot at the time. The roomie & I walked out there after eating lunch in the Holiday House which fronted on the Drag. While eating, we had seen the ambulances howling up the street & wondered what was going on.
We heard a few "booms", then somebody yelled at us to get down...that "they" were shooting people from the Tower. Crouching behind a car, we could clearly see Whitman leaning over the parapet taking aim & firing downwards. Most of the time it was a loud "boom", but once in a while we heard a rapid "pop pop pop" - when he used his smaller M1 carbine. We could see the ricochets knocking sprays of stone off the parapet wall.
After a short while we could hear lots of return gunfire coming from nearby buildings & apartments. Hundreds of rounds were going off, so it sounded like a big firefight - similar to the 'Nam newsclips on tv. That's when he ducked down behind the wall and started shooting through the drain spouts. A small Cessna plane made a pass around the Tower, but veered off sharply - that's when Whitman fired at it (supposedly hitting it once).
This went on for a while longer, while some of us speculated that the shooter (s) would jump off the Tower to end it. Then all of a sudden we saw a white flag being waved above the wall. Like a bunch of idiots, hundreds of people, including us, rushed up to the Mall. By the time we got there, the dead & wounded had been removed by brave individuals under fire. There were numerous pools of blood all over the area, and the crowd meticulously avoided stepping in them. Next to the ground floor exit in the west side of the Tower the crowd was pretty thick. Some random sights there: A Daily Texan reporter with his notepad, press card...wearing a steel army helmet...a Texas Ranger holding upright a Thompson submachine gun...a student sitting up on the wall who shouted "Let's hang him when they bring him out" (didn't know he was dead at the time). Unknown to us, the bodies from the Tower were removed from the east entrance,
After an hour or so, there wasn't much to gawk at, and the stunned crowd thinned out, so we went back to our apartment and turned on our tv to watch the news reports. That's when we heard the well-known local news anchor, Paul Bolton, choke up when his grandson's name was read from the list of the dead. Remembering that personal tragedy still brings tears to my eyes. That evening we went down to a packed Scholz's and got drunk.
Afterwards there were no public memorial services, nobody rushed in counselors, no calls for gun bans....no nuthin'.
RPB wrote:Campus police are worried about distinguishing between "the bad actor" and people defending themselves when both have drawn guns
bnc wrote:
This is no different from situations where one or neither of them have guns. It is hard to determine the bad guy without watching the entire event unfold. Even then it is not always easy.
I liked one answer on some college paper's site a guy left ...
"When the police finally arrive after it's all over like they always do, the guy on the floor bleeding that all the students are kicking is the bad guy, and all the CHLs have re-holstered their guns since there's no reason to have them out after the threat is over. It won't be hard to tell us apart, our guns will be concealed, his will be over in a corner far away from him."
I'm no lawyer
"Never show your hole card" "Always have something in reserve"
Armybrat wrote:I wonder why that student said UT is "incredibly safe"?
I recall this little incident in 1966 when I was attending summer school there - in my own words:
Memories of the Whitman shooting
I was there watching it from the NE corner of 21st & Whitis (the Dobie Mall building and the Ransom Center hadn't been built yet), which was a small parking lot at the time. The roomie & I walked out there after eating lunch in the Holiday House which fronted on the Drag. While eating, we had seen the ambulances howling up the street & wondered what was going on.
We heard a few "booms", then somebody yelled at us to get down...that "they" were shooting people from the Tower. Crouching behind a car, we could clearly see Whitman leaning over the parapet taking aim & firing downwards. Most of the time it was a loud "boom", but once in a while we heard a rapid "pop pop pop" - when he used his smaller M1 carbine. We could see the ricochets knocking sprays of stone off the parapet wall.
After a short while we could hear lots of return gunfire coming from nearby buildings & apartments. Hundreds of rounds were going off, so it sounded like a big firefight - similar to the 'Nam newsclips on tv. That's when he ducked down behind the wall and started shooting through the drain spouts. A small Cessna plane made a pass around the Tower, but veered off sharply - that's when Whitman fired at it (supposedly hitting it once).
This went on for a while longer, while some of us speculated that the shooter (s) would jump off the Tower to end it. Then all of a sudden we saw a white flag being waved above the wall. Like a bunch of idiots, hundreds of people, including us, rushed up to the Mall. By the time we got there, the dead & wounded had been removed by brave individuals under fire. There were numerous pools of blood all over the area, and the crowd meticulously avoided stepping in them. Next to the ground floor exit in the west side of the Tower the crowd was pretty thick. Some random sights there: A Daily Texan reporter with his notepad, press card...wearing a steel army helmet...a Texas Ranger holding upright a Thompson submachine gun...a student sitting up on the wall who shouted "Let's hang him when they bring him out" (didn't know he was dead at the time). Unknown to us, the bodies from the Tower were removed from the east entrance,
After an hour or so, there wasn't much to gawk at, and the stunned crowd thinned out, so we went back to our apartment and turned on our tv to watch the news reports. That's when we heard the well-known local news anchor, Paul Bolton, choke up when his grandson's name was read from the list of the dead. Remembering that personal tragedy still brings tears to my eyes. That evening we went down to a packed Scholz's and got drunk.
Afterwards there were no public memorial services, nobody rushed in counselors, no calls for gun bans....no nuthin'.
The nation as a whole (and certainly Austin) was a different place back then. It was indeed a horrific scene and a tragedy, one I will always remember, though I'd rather think back and recount all the good times in Austin, Holiday House, Scholz's, Dirty Martin's and O.T. specials.
But Cigarroa said campus mental health professionals fear guns on campus would lead to an increase in suicides — the second leading cause of death among college students.
Okay, I wouldn't recommend suicide in general, but is a thing really mine if I don't have the right to destroy it, no matter how bad an idea that may be? If I have the right to destroy a thing, what business is it of the government to deny me the means to do so?
Jimmy Talarico , the student government's executive director, said that UT's campus is already "an incredibly safe space"
Oh man, that one is just TOO much...I did some rough numbers math recently. I admit they are not accurate; indeed, I know rounded things off larger than they actually are for the sake of an argument (brought on by some folks I know). I calculated that there are very likely less than 10,000 people spread over ALL the public college level institutions in this state that MAY CARRY, not WILL CARRY for certain...even if folks wanted to do some sort of "a citizen vigilante force", they sure ain't going to be able to muster up much of one in any given location...what a ridiculous statement to make. It (almost) makes the rest of them sound reasonable...almost.
(BTW, anyone who wants to correct my math, feel free...like I said, I know I exaggerated things for the sake of an argument and was more generous for the other side than things are in reality.)
