Flabergasted

...that's me.

After reading this editorial that popped up in my Google News alerts this am.

The whole thing made sense, until the last paragraph, where Ms. Lu Ann Maciulla McNabb decides to pose her question. The bills all look good, look like they will extend gun rights, and treat gun owners the way they should be treated. What makes a church so special that someone with a valid permit to carry shouldn't be allowed to do so? I know of several instances right here in IN where guns were carried to church and no mass shootings happened.

There are also cases of legally carried weapons in churches STOPPING a mass shooting.

But that's not what I want to talk about is right here:

My question has been and continues to be, how can Virginia, the place where the worst mass tragedy in American history occurred, and which loses over 800 people every year to gun violence, continue to ignore the loss of life and create policies that leave families and communities devastated.

I'm going to assume she means the attack at Virginia Tech, where 32 people lost their lives, and I'll grant that VT was a tragedy (a tragedy that some of the laws now being proposed might have prevented...entirely possibly). However, there is no way in HELL that the massacre at VT was the worst mass tragedy in American history.

• September 11th, 2001 ring a bell. The city of New York lost more EMTs / Paramedics in one day then VT lost in students. FDNY lost 10 times as many firefighters at Ground Zero as students were lost at VT. Nearly 100 times as many innocent civilians died at Ground Zero alone.
• December 7th, 1941, a day which will live in infamy. Japanese warplanes bomb and torpedo the ships at anchor at Pearl Harbor, leading the US into WWII. 2400 citizens of this county were killed.
• July 1-3, 1863, the Battle of Gettysburg, 46,000 Service men of this country, fighting one another lost their lives over a three day period.

In the face of these things, the attack at VT pales in comparison based on pure carnage. Don't try and use emotion, especially fake emotion to get your feel good nanny state laws passed!

--Jim

Gun School Bleg

Does anyone have any info on Force Options Tactical Training? They are offering a class near me at the beginning of October that I'm considering taking, and I'm wondering if it's worth the time and money.

Input is appreciated.

M.W.A.G. Fireworks Festival

Took in the annual fireworks display on the Riverfront in Downtown Evansville on Saturday night. The show itself was nice, the music score not so much.

As is my custom, was carrying concealed. In this case, Kimber TLE II/RL with a Surefire X300 attached, as well as Ruger LCP in the pocket.

No problems, no funny looks from police, or anybody else. All's well!

Man with a gun...

At a wedding, and with alcohol served.

No one was injured, and the gun didn't magically go off by itself.

The only mind control effects of the gun caused the carrier to make a fool of himself on the dance floor!

North Texas Tactical Combat Handgun 1

So, all finished with class, and safe and sound back at my residence in TX.  I'll give a detailed account of what we covered in the next few days, but for now, a general list of comments.

-What the hell happened to the 80 degree day we had yesterday.

-Pay Up. And as a reward, he's a legal liability waiver...

-Awareness Color Chart

-OODA loop (no, not the loop de loop)

-Carry a gun regularly = 90% of your waking hours :)

-Things may not always be as they appear.  People standing around with hands in their pockets, be careful, they may just have a plan to kill you (which could very well include having a J-frame snubby in that pocket)

-Pistol will either be indexed down range, or holstered.

-Front site. Press.  Front Site.  Press. 

-Draw.

-Failure to stop drills DNE 2 to the COM and 1 to the head.  Address the body, and then address the head.

-Wait, you want me to do what now?  Sit down and shoot the target with my ass on the ground? OK.

-Now laying flat on my back!?!?!?  OK, we can try that too.

-You shouldn't see shoeleather when you're looking through the sites.

-1,2,3,4,5,6 drill.

-Move and Shoot!

-SCAN!

-FINGER!

-Walrus story (which I'll tell you is kind of cool, but you have to attend a class to find out what it is!)

All in all, a very very worthwhile day, and if you can possibly make it up to see these guys, well worth the time and effort!

PSH taken to new heights....

My head fairly exploded this afternoon when I read this account of how John Wahlberg was rousted by the campus police after giving an oral presentation in his Communication 140 class.  Apparently his discussion of concealed carry on campus was so threatening that the professor filed a complaint against him.

Mr. Wahlberg gave an oral presentation as part of a class assignment, the topic of that presentation was school violence.  It is undeniable fact that a concealed handgun on a victim's person is the best and most effecient way of stopping a mass shooting.  The only way to stop the psycopath is to force him to stop, and if he's got a gun, you better hope you've got one as well.

Mentioning such a topic as part of a communication class is not a threat, no matter the audience.  If the mere mention of concealed carry on cmapus  is enough to inflame Ms. Anderson to report the student, then she is definitely a hoplophobe.  To report the young man to the police for the matter is simply inexcusible.  Not only should Ms. Anderson apologize to John immediately, she should be fired, and barred from ever teaching again, if only to protect the children! 

--Jim

(H/T kahr40)

February 15, 2009

Op-Ed Contributor

The Coming Swarm

By JOHN ARQUILLA

Monterey, Calif.

WITH three Afghan government ministries in Kabul hit by simultaneous suicide attacks this week, by a total of just eight terrorists, it seems that a new “Mumbai model” of swarming, smaller-scale terrorist violence is emerging.

The basic concept is that hitting several targets at once, even with just a few fighters at each site, can cause fits for elite counterterrorist forces that are often manpower-heavy, far away and organized to deal with only one crisis at a time. This approach
certainly worked in Mumbai, India, last November, where five two-man teams of Lashkar-e-Taiba operatives held the city hostage for two days, killing 179 people. The Indian security forces, many of which had to be flown in from New Delhi, simply had little ability to strike back at more than one site at a time.

While it’s true that the assaults in Kabul seem to be echoes of Mumbai, the fact is that Al Qaeda and its affiliates have been using these sorts of swarm tactics for several years. Jemaah Islamiyah — the group responsible for the Bali nightclub attack that killed 202 people in 2002 — mounted simultaneous attacks on 16 Christian churches in Indonesia on Christmas Eve in 2000, befuddling security forces.

Even 9/11 itself had swarm-like characteristics, as four small teams of Qaeda operatives simultaneously seized commercial aircraft and turned them into missiles, flummoxing all our defensive responses. In the years since, Al Qaeda has coordinated swarm attacks in Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Turkey, Yemen and elsewhere. And at the height of the insurgency in Iraq, terrorists repeatedly used swarms on targets as small as truck convoys and as large as whole cities.

This pattern suggests that Americans should brace for a coming swarm. Right now, most of our cities would be as hard-pressed as Mumbai was to deal with several simultaneous attacks. Our elite federal and military counterterrorist units would most likely find their responses slowed, to varying degrees, by distance and the need to clarify jurisdiction.

While the specifics of the federal counterterrorism strategy are classified, what is in the public record indicates that the plan contemplates having to deal with as many as three sites being simultaneously hit and using “overwhelming force” against the terrorists, which probably means mustering as many as 3,000 ground troops to the site. If that’s an accurate picture, it doesn’t bode well. We would most likely have far too few such elite units for dealing with a large number of small terrorist teams carrying out simultaneous attacks across a region or even a single city.

Nightmare possibilities include synchronized assaults on several shopping malls, high-rise office buildings or other places that have lots of people and relatively few exits. Another option would be to set loose half a dozen two-man sniper teams in some metropolitan area — you only have to recall the havoc caused by the Washington sniper in 2002 to imagine how huge a panic a slightly larger version of that form of terrorism would cause.

So how are swarms to be countered? The simplest way is to create many more units able to respond to simultaneous, small-scale attacks and spread them around the country. This means jettisoning the idea of overwhelming force in favor of small units that are not “elite” but rather “good enough” to tangle with terrorist teams. In dealing with swarms, economizing on force is essential.

We’ve actually had a good test case in Iraq over the past two years. Instead of responding to insurgent attacks by sending out large numbers of troops from distant operating bases, the military strategy is now based on hundreds of smaller outposts in which 40 or 50 American troops are permanently stationed and prepared to act swiftly against attackers. Indeed, their very presence in Iraqi communities is a big
deterrent. It’s small surprise that overall violence across Iraq has dropped by about 80 percent in that period.

For the defense of American cities against terrorist swarms, the key would be to use local police officers as the first line of defense instead of relying on the military. The first step would be to create lots of small counterterrorism posts throughout urban areas instead of keeping police officers in large, centralized precinct houses. This is
consistent with existing notions of community-based policing, and could even include an element of outreach to residents similar to that undertaken in the Sunni areas of Iraq — even if it were to mean taking the paradoxical turn of negotiating with gangs about security.

At the federal level, we should stop thinking in terms of moving thousands of troops across the country and instead distribute small response units far more widely. Cities, states and Washington should work out clear rules in advance for using military forces in a counterterrorist role, to avoid any bickering or delay during a crisis. Reserve and National Guard units should train and field many more units able to take on small teams of terrorist gunmen and bombers. Think of them as latter-day Minutemen.

Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Turkey and Yemen all responded to Qaeda attacks with similar “packetizing” initiatives involving the police and armed forces; and while that hasn’t eliminated swarm attacks, the terrorists have been far less effective and many lives have been saved.

As for Afghanistan, where the swarm has just arrived, there is still time to realize the merits of forming lots of small units and sprinkling them about in a countrywide network of outposts. As President Obama looks to send more troops to that war, let’s make sure the Pentagon does it the right way.

Yes, the swarm will be heading our way, too. We need to get smaller, closer and quicker. The sooner the better.

To quote Tam: Carry your damned guns people!"

Article seen here.

They Remember...

But they haven't learned.

Illinois still has no carry provisions, and has certainly not allowed carry on campus.

Today marks one year since the shooting at NIU. Nothing regarding proactive protection has changed. Such a shame.

Gun Sign I'll Support

Post it where you'd like. I think I'm going to give one to my favorite shop owner.

Make sure you visit the owners website. I might pick up a copy of his book.

(H/T Shooting the Messenger)

Feelings instead of Facts... Again...

Dana Parsons, a columnist at the LA times wrote an editorial a couple of weeks ago in support of Sandra Hutchens, the new Sheriff of Orange County. Sheriff Hutchens has changed the requirements in regards to getting a concealed carry permit in Orange County. Many of the people who currently have a valid permit will not be able to renew their permits, becuase they do not have "suffecient need."

Forget for a second that Sandra Hutchens doesn't know jack shit about any particular individuals "need" to carry a firearm (open or conealed.) Forget for a second that she is infringing on that right which "shall not be infringed." Forget for a second that she's out of lockstep with what the county commisioners (or whatever the governing body is) want, and is out of step with what her employees (at least some of them) want.

Dana admits, in an editorial this week, that when he opened his mouth in support of Sandra Hutches, he "knew there'd be hell to pay." Only the reaction wasn't what he thought it was. Apparently not everyone who chooses to carry a firearm for self defense is a cousin humping redneck who spits 'bacco. Dana goes on to say that he got dozens of emails, and the vast majority of them did not fit into the stereotype of "gun nuts." They zeroed in on the points that Dana had made, and argued their cases on merits.

So the Pro Rights crowd argued their case on the merits, but then Dana falls back on feelings, sharing the following:

As I suggested in the last column, I get the argument. I really do.

How can anyone dispute that if confronted on the street by a criminal intent on mayhem, it's much preferable to have a way to defend yourself?

But I and other pointy-headed people just can't extend that argument as far as the other side does. Bottom line: I wouldn't feel safer knowing that untold numbers of private citizens that I pass on the street -- yes, even salt-of-the-earth types who have been trained -- are packing guns.

Dana, I'm truly sorry that you feel less safe walking down the street knowing that good people might have guns. Now I have some bad news for you, the criminals that would prey upon the good people of this country, they don't go through the trouble of getting carry permits, and they're going to carry their firearms anyway. That means that by tightening the requirements on issuance of CCW permits, you're guaranteeing that the only guns around are the ones in the hands of the bad guys. That makes no sense at all dude.

Less gun control, more criminal control.

My Everlasting Shame

Via SayUncle, I stumbled across Gun Free Kids, a group opposed to allowing valid concealed carry permit holders to carry onto a college campus.

To my eternal shame, I clicked over to their list of schools that support the measure, and found that my alma mater* is the ONLY school in the communist state of NJ that has signed up.

A letter will be sent to the President of the University before this day is out.

--Jim

*There was a murder on campus since I left in May 2006, so it's not that safe of an area.

Daily Carry Gear

So Breda was nice enough to throw up a post about the stuff she carries each and every day. I also remember seeing a meme that floated around the blogsphere a couple of months back about what gets carried every day, so I figured I'd participate.

First of all, this is a picture of the stuff I carry each and every day when I'm at work (this stuff is carried all day, every day on the jobsite.) Unfortunately, work prohibits the carrying of firearms on the jobsite.

Starting from the bottom left:

Cell Phone (Palm Treo - Verizon Wireless)
Texas Key Ring (has the keys to my apartment, and office at work)
Cell Phone Case
Camera Case
Truck Keys
Digital Camera (Nikon CoolPix)
Small Notebook
Pen
Surefire E1b
Leatherman Multitool
Emerson CQC-7B w/ Wave
Wallet

When I'm not at work, I have the following stuff:


From the bottom Left:

Cell Phone
Wallet
Cell Phone Case
Texas Keys
Truck Keys
Leatherman Multitool
Small Notebook
Pen
Springfield XD45 Service (in a Brommeland Max-Con V)
Backup Mag
Emerson CQC-7B
Surefire E1b

--Jim

San Antonio Blog Meet Aftermath!

While I was at the blogmeet yesterday, I made reference to this cartoon, although apparently no one else who was there had ever seen it. I'm posting it so that they can enjoy it.

Now that everyone has read that and had a good chuckle, I should come clean and say that I have at least one of each (Glock and 1911) and like them both, probably equally.

Like I mentioned on Friday, I drove down to the blogmeet the night before, and met up with SpeakerTweaker for dinner at Biff Buzby's Burgers, which actually had a car show going on, even though it was the middle of February (gotta love Texas). The GPS unit I had indicated that there was a Dunkin Donuts in the area, so I planned on going there for breakfast.

I got up early Saturday AM, and headed for DD's, only to find out that it was no longer a DD, but was instead a local place. Ended up going directly to the range, and got there at about 8:30, even though the range didn't open until 9AM. Tweaker showed up between 5 and 10 minutes later, and Murphy was just a little bit after him. Before the range opened just after 9AM, there were at least 15 cars waiting to use the range.

We decided to hit the pistol range first, and settled up with the range. We had two lanes, and a total of 10 pistols (after 10% showed up.) Many stories were shared, much shootie goodness was enjoyed by all, and the range was packed. There was a CHL class going on, at least one police officer practice on the range, and numerous parent with children around. In addition, there were some people being introduced to shooting for the first time.

The total pistol collection that was evident on site:

• Kimber TLE II/RL
• XD45 Service
• Glock 19
• Ruger 22/45 Mk. 3
• Ruger Single Six
• CZ-52
• CZ-85
• Glock 22
• NAA Mini in .22mag
• Colt Lightweight Commander

And at a guess approximately 1000 rounds were fired through the various pistols throughout the course of the day. Both Speaktweater and Murphy got a kick out the .22LR rounds I'd brought, that have next to no recoil (they won't function a semi-auto).

After we finished on the pistol range, we moved over to the rifle range where we were shooting at 50 yards. Between the four of us, there were five rifles and a 9mm carbine.

• Sig 556
• AR-15 (M4gery)
• Bushmaster Gas Piston Carbine (AR-15)
• Mosin-Nagant
  
• Henry .22LR
• Kel-Tec Sub 2000

We had an exceptionally good time, considering that neither of the AR-15s on site was previously sighted in. We fixed that with Tweaters, but somehow I managed to forget the instructions for zeroing my EOtech, so it still shoots a little high and to the left. The grouping was nice though :)

At one point we were approached by a guy asking what the fascination with AR-15's is, since they "are made just for killing people." I jumped in with the argument that I know bunches of people who hunt with them, but what I really should have said was that us owning our AR-15's protects his right to own his deer rifle. Wasn't quick enough on the thought processes though. I was however quick enough to point out that there are more accessories for the AR-15 family of rifles than there are for any other gun platform out there.

It was a mighty good time, unfortunately it had to end far far too soon. 10% ducked out when his wife sent him a text message from the car saying "it's time to go." It was after 1PM before I realized how late it was getting, and that I had a long drive ahead of me, so I bid a fond farewell to Murphy and Tweaker, although they decided to pack it in about the same time.


After leaving the range, I headed back to the College Station / Franklin area, by way of Double Shot Liquor and Guns, located in Schulenburg TX. The shop seemed to have an awesome selection of liquor on sale, and a back room with several dozen firearms, and they have a drive through. How cool is that! Amongst the other stuff they had in the back room, Double Shot had a GSG-5 and at least one AR-15, which is always nice to see. The staff was very pleasant, and gave me a free coolie for beverage cans. Definitely a place to check out, although their selection for firearms was certainly not the greatest.

I also stopped off at Champion Firearms in College Station, and picked me up a new Surefire X300 for my pistols! All in all, a wonderful day, and the only way to make it better would have been to have more people join us. Unfortunately, it turns out that Sabra could've made it, but realized she wouldn't know how to meet up with anyone. Next time we'll have to make some signs up for the tables we are shooting at.

Muphy shares his thoughts up here.

10% has his views and report over here.

Last, but definitely not least, SpeakerTweaker writes out his experiences.

Thanks guys, for an awesome day!

Pictures will be put up as soon as I get them from Tweaker (I managed to forget I had my camera...boo hiss.)

30 Days - Gun Nation

Xavier led me in the direction of this episode of 30 days, where a citizen disarmament advocate spends 30 days living in the home of a gun nut.

I remember hearing about this show when it first aired, but didn't get a chance to watch it on TV originally. I'm glad Xavier pointed the show out to me, and led me to where it could be viewed online.

The show is about 40 minutes long, and it's amazing to see the changes in Pia's attitude as it goes on.

I didn't grow up in a house with firearms, and my mother was extremely opposed to me having any in the house. As a matter of fact, when I purchased my first two pistols, I had to store them at a good friend's house, who had firearms of his own.

I started reading about the gun rights movement, and attempting to make an informed decision long before I bought my first two guns. I became interested in firearms and shooting while I was still in high school, and practiced with a mentor at work whenever he had the time and inclination. I knew long before I got to college that I would purchase my first pistols as soon after passing 21 I would.

I don't know that I've changed the minds of anyone, but I have definitely taken a bunch of people to the range who have never been before. Much of it happened when I was in college, had a nice range close by, and a huge pool of people to draw from. I've continued the tradition of introducing new people to the range and gun ownership whenever possible.

I even bought my girlfriend her first pistol for Christmas, and have taken her shooting several times since then. More on that at a later day.

To me, the single greatest thing that we can do to help ensure the future of Second Amendment rights to to introduce new people to the shooting sports, and get them to enjoy it.

I'll share my personal opinions on how to introduce someone to the shooting sports for the first time later :)

Why I Carry A Gun

This particular comment has been discussed around the blogsphere many times. The answer always varies slightly from blogger to blogger, and I'm hoping to share my opinion on the matter.

Simply put, I carry a firearm for the defense of myself ands my loved ones. I don't want to take the place of the police, but I think that part of a citizens responsibilities is to have the ability to protect him/herself from a violent offender until the police arrive.

As far as how I carry, I usually carry on my right hip either IWB or OWB. Usually it's a leather holster, although I do occasionally use a kydex holster. I always carry at least one backup mag, due to the fact the something like 90% of semi-auto pistol failures are due to a magazine failure. The backup mag is carried on my left side behind my cell phone holder.

Other stuff I have with me whenever I leave the house includes a cell phone (obviously). I also carry two knives, a tactical folder and a Leatherman multitool. Finally, I have a minimum of at least one Surefire flashlight. There is usually a second Surefire not very far away. I use all of this stuff almost every single day in my day to day working.

Now, for the good stuff: meaning what firearms do I carry. When I first started carrying in IN, I was carrying an HK USPc in .40, carried in a CTAC holster. I've moved on to an XD45 carried in a Brommeland Max-Con V or a Glock 19 carried in a Brommeland Max-Con V or Def-Con V. I also have a Ruger LCP for times when I simply can't conceal a larger pistol.

Later, I'll talk about the mentality that goes with carrying a firearm on a day to day basis.

New Idea...

I do most of my reading of blog posts through Google Reader, and that definitely has some advantages.  However, it also has some disadvantages.  I followed a link tonight from Murdoc over at GunPundit to the Armed Canadian.  When I first opened up the page, I noticed the header that AC has on the top of his page regarding taking people to the gun range for their first ever visit.

I want to make the same offer, and I'm going to put a similar message on the header of my blog.  Just wanted to say thanks to AC for giving me the idea!

Politically Incorrect

I've always hated the idea of being politically correct. I understand why it is necessary in this day and age (translation: to keep myself out of trouble) but I don't enjoy having to do it.

With that all said, please enjoy the following politically incorrect (at least in this day and age) picture.

For those of you who aren't aware, that's a Bushmaster AR-15 with 30 round PMag and an EOtech HWS and a Glock 19 with Crimson Trace laser grips, a Glock light, and a 33 round Glock mag.

Both are a TON of fun to shoot.

Shooting in Montclair NJ, my old stomping grounds...

MONTCLAIR, New Jersey — A man shot and killed a woman in front of their 11-year-old daughter inside a YMCA recreation center while a swimming class for preschoolers was going on nearby, officials said.

Authorities said Monica Paul, 31, argued with the suspect, Kenneth A. Duckett, 37, before he allegedly opened fire about 6:30 p.m.

Duckett, the father of her two children, then ran from the building and drove off in a white Jeep with another man, who has not been identified, authorities said. The vehicle was later found; both men remained at large late Thursday.

Witnesses said YMCA staffers and parents helped get the children out of the building. None of the children was hurt, authorities said.

Essex County Prosecutor Paula T. Dow said Paul was shot multiple times at close range as she sat with her daughter in a waiting area outside the pool where her 4-year-old son was swimming. Witnesses told investigators they heard at least three or four shots.

Authorities said the slain woman was granted a restraining order against Duckett late last year.

I used to live up in New Jersey, and one of the things that I hated was how difficult it was to acquire a firearm for defensive purposes, and then, even if you did, you couldn't carry it with you. According to the actual law, NJ is a "may issue" state, but from everything I've ever heard, you can't justify a need, no matter what you say.

A friend I knew was the manager of the township department of public works. As part of his job, the crew had to install a new pipe at his direction. Part of the process was digging up the shoulder of a road, and happened to cut across the front of a gentleman's lawn. The homeowner came out and threatened to kill my friend. My friend went to the local police department (the town he worked in) and asked if they could issue him a permit to carry a firearm, even just while he was working, and he'd lock it up in the station every night. No go, he wasn't special enough.

The last line of that news paper article states that the woman had a restraining order against the shooter. In his post, Meditations on Paper Armour, Lawdog points how about how effective a piece of paper is at defending you, if you don't have anything to back it up. Go give him a read (which, if you're reading this, you should definitely already be doing...)

This happened just across the river...

From the city I now call home...

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,371242,00.html

Gunman Kills 5, Himself in Kentucky Factory Rampage

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

HENDERSON, Ky. —

The CEO of a company that operates a western Kentucky plastics plant where an employee opened fire after an argument says a sixth person died Wednesday.

Atlantis Plastics CEO Bud Philbrook says the killings are just a "total shock."

The employee began arguing with a supervisor around midnight, then shot the supervisor before opening fire in a break room, according to Philbrook. He initially shot and killed four people and wounded two, one critically, before turning the gun on himself.

One of the wounded died later Wednesday morning.

The plant in the Ohio River town of Henderson employs about 150 people and makes parts for refrigerators and plastic siding for homes. Employees were sent home for the day.

Henderson police Lt. David Piller said the two who were wounded were flown to hospitals in Evansville, Ind.

The shooting victims were scattered around the plant, Piller said, and the employee had apparently retrieved the handgun used in the shootings during a break.

"It appears the shooting was random at this time," Piller said.

A 3 p.m. news conference was planned Wednesday.

Names of those involved in the shooting have not been released.

Hours after the shooting, police had set up a roadblock on the street leading to the plant, which is in an industrial area on the southern side of Henderson.

In a news release on the company's Web site, Atlantis Plastics said it is a leading U.S. manufacturer of three kinds of products: polyethylene stretch films for wrapping pallets of materials, custom films for industrial and packaging uses, and molded plastic pieces used in products such as appliances and recreational vehicles.

The company has 700 employees, including those in Henderson, and annual sales of $110 million, according to business directory Hoovers.

This is a breaking news report. Stay with FOXNews.com for more as information becomes available.

How much are you willing to bet that the plant bans the possession of firearms on company property. I know that my employer does. Worked well for them in this case didn't it!

Concealed Carry on Campus Round Up

Concealed Carry on campus round-up. A little frisking perhaps.

From Lehigh University:

"I hope that the overall risk felt by students on campus never reaches a level where Lehigh feels it is necessary to allow concealed handguns on its campus," Katy Kuttner, '10, said.

Marie Brown '10, said weapons on campus would pose a security threat.

"A student could potentially use the concealed weapon to harm another student, even though the handguns are intended to defend oneself or another," Brown said.

"It is too controversial for Lehigh to adopt this idea as a policy," Brown said. "The intentions are for the overall safety of students, however, it could lead to injury or death, a risk too harsh to take on."

Kuttner, I hate to be the one to break some bad news to you, but the overall risk to students is already there, even if you don't feel the risk. And the whole point of allowing concealed carry on campus is to create real safety, instead of tricking everyone into feeling safe. People who hold a concealed carry permit are, statistically, the most law-abiding group of people in the country. You have nothing to fear from us, and if anything, carrying a firearm makes me more polite, and more aware of what I am saying and doing.

And Ms. Brown, I hate to inform you, but everything you do carries some risk, and can lead to injury or death. As far as students potentially using someone on the campus to harm or kill another student, yes, it could happen, but firearms are not the only thing that fits that mold. If you're planning on enacting bans on all things that could be used to harm a student on campus, then you wouldn't have a college to go to. Everything on campus can be a weapon, everything!

Allowing students to be armed on campus simply equals the playing field between the bad guys and the good guys!

From Harvard

While the fear and frustration that gives rise to such an attitude is understandable, the idea of promoting safety by allowing more people to have guns simply defies logic.

It only defies logic because you want it to defy logic. If you actually sit down and look at the facts, and make a logical decision, allowing concealed carry on campus is the best way to make the campus as a whole safer. Every shall issue state in the country has seen a decrease in the violent crime rate after the passage of the concealed carry laws, while states that have no concealed carry provisions, or very restrictive ones, have continued to see a rise in violent crime. The reason: criminals fear an armed victim, who might fight back. That means, that even if you don't want to carry a firearm, you're safer because someone else on the street might have one.

While a gun owner might be a completely responsible, law-abiding citizen, those around him may not share the same moderation or restraint, and the lack of a secure, safe space on campus results in a potential risk to all.

If the gun owner is responsible and law abiding, then where does the "lack of secure, safe space" come from? If concealed carry on campus were done correctly, there would be no reason for the firearms to be out of the direct control of the owner unless that owner was asleep. In which case, that firearm will be close to hand at night. Again, there is no danger in having an inanimate object laying around, it's no different the having a knife, or even a stapler sitting on your desk.

Guns on campus, however, bring that very danger into the midst of a student’s living environment.

No they don't. Not unless they are possessed by people who will not use them the right way. Those are not the people with a concealed carry permit!

From The Badger Herald

The part of this article that bothered me the most was that they ended the article with this quote which definitely has an anti-gun bias:

“More guns on campus will not equal more safety,” Bonavia said.

I'd like to see facts that actually prove that particular quote out. It offends me, because I know it to be false.

Again from the Lehigh Article:

There are currently nine public universities in the state of Utah that allow for students to carry concealed handguns on campus. The universities have held this policy for almost two years without an incident.

9 public universities in Utah, 2 years, the blood should be running in the street. But it's not. They haven't had one incident involving a concealed carry permit holder, that's right, not one... and I'd be willing to bet that pattern will continue.

Marko once wrote: "The number of casualties at the site of an attempted mass shooting is usually determined by whether the gun used to stop the killer is already at the site, or whether it must be carried there in the holster of a police officer."

There is so much wisdom there, I can't even begin to describe it.