Kansas considering carry on campus; local paper editorial says what?

The media is funny, yet scary at the same time. The sad thing is, some people will believe whatever they read simply because it's in print. I've come to the point where I scrutinize ALL media (even "conservative" news sources), because their end goal is to make money. I think that there is a large portion of the population that believes published/broadcasted material because if it made it to print there must be something to it. I also believe that the more modern trust of media is from the advertising market telling us that we deserve this product or that product.

/mysocialobservations

I live in a college town and to allow those students to have guns is a VERY BAD IDEA.

mrcooper said:

I live in a college town and to allow those students to have guns is a VERY BAD IDEA.

Click to expand...

*Sigh*
Oh you, stop it. Not everyone on campus chooses to have/carry a gun.
Only the ones who have permits, went though the process and can carry them everywhere else.

I think that there is a large portion of the population that believes published/broadcasted material because if it made it to print there must be something to it. I also believe that the more modern trust of media is from the advertising market telling us that we deserve this product or that product. Copied from post #2 above..

And they have certainly told us for months now that certain candoidates are not electable, ie Ron Paul, and as a result he has done poorly. The news media should just stick to reaping their millions from the elections and not comment. Even the more 'conservative' have said 'he isnt electable'... ???

I live in a college town and to allow those students to have guns is a VERY BAD IDEA.

Click to expand...

They're already allowed to own and carry guns provided they can jump through the legal hoops involved. Please explain to me how they're any more dangerous on campus than they are standing behind you in line at McDonald's.

I just got a headache from banging my head into the wall over the stupidity displayed. I'm-a send the paper a vereh ejukational emayl!

mrcooper said:

I live in a college town and to allow those students to have guns is a VERY BAD IDEA.

Click to expand...

No one is "allowing" these students to have guns. They can already have and carry firearms. All that the legislature is doing is allowing people, students or not, that are already licensed to carry their legally carried firearms on campus, just like they can anywhere.

mrcooper said:

I live in a college town and to allow those students to have guns is a VERY BAD IDEA.

Click to expand...

Yeah, because everyone at college is a traditional undergrad. When I graduate next year with my second doctoral degree, I'll be almost 31. I've had my CHL for 6 years now, and the only time I'm not carrying is when I'm at school.

Lots of people starting undergrad later now as well, or returning after not taking it seriously the first time around. Parents finishing their degree to make a better life for their family, or vets starting school after several tours in the sandbox.

I live in a college town and to allow those students to have guns is a VERY BAD IDEA.

Click to expand...

mrcooper, this is a MIGHTY HEAVY COMMENT to make without offering a shred of evidence or reasoning as to why.

Care to enlighten us?

I wear my gun all the way to getting out of my car on campus. With my concealed license I can leave it in my car, but not carry it on campus. I would love to if possible, but its not a pressing issue.

I live in a college town and to allow those students to have guns is a VERY BAD IDEA.

Click to expand...

You shouldn't have them in your home then, or on your person at any time. I'm really worried about your safety, really. It's just to dangerous for you, so we'll make a dumb law to make sure you're disarmed fully. Maybe we'll take shifts watching out for those out of control college scum.

mrcooper, this is a MIGHTY HEAVY COMMENT to make without offering a shred of evidence or reasoning as to why.

Care to enlighten us?

Click to expand...

Why bother asking? As someone who was an undergrad student and also a graduate student with a concealed carry permit, I can tell you he can't possibly have a good reason. I carried (and carry) everywhere when not on campus and the world did not end. I think we should just ignore those posters who decide to drive-by post unsupported opinions rather than get ourselves worked up over it and drawing further attention to it.

I for one would love to see such a bill passed here in VA.

The only part of the carry on campus idea that bothers me is the big parties. College kids, really drunk, in large groups, are dangerous.

As a staff member at a large university I'd consider carrying, especially when I have to go in at 2am to fix a server. And I'd try to talk my wife into training and carrying to her large lectures that she teaches, and in her office that is semi-secluded. There's always that nagging worry about a mad student in the back of my head.

tlatoani said:

The only part of the carry on campus idea that bothers me is the big parties. College kids, really drunk, in large groups, are dangerous.

As a staff member at a large university I'd consider carrying, especially when I have to go in at 2am to fix a server. And I'd try to talk my wife into training and carrying to her large lectures that she teaches, and in her office that is semi-secluded. There's always that nagging worry about a mad student in the back of my head.

Click to expand...

Most states have laws against carrying while intoxicated. If they are caught, permit is taken away, as they are breaking the law and deserve it.

Campus carry perfectly legal in Utah (maybe elsewhere) and I carried routinely as did others I knew about while teaching at two colleges in the Beehive State.

As always, good people being armed is not the problem.

Parties happen mostly off-campus anyway.

I attended K-State which is the school in question.

I like most of the students had all of my drinking and going to parties out of my system by the time I turned 21. The students and faculty members who are old enough carry are generally calmer and more responsible. I am a little surprised at the response from the Manhattan mercury. Now if it was the Lawrence world journal it would not surprise me at all.

"Parties happen mostly off-campus anyway."

I imagine that depends on the school. The frats here are all on campus.

Keep in mind this doesn't just affect students - it affects college staff and faculty. Some take their lifestyle (i.e. concealed carry) into account when choosing employment.
Also, keep in mind that these people are educating college students.

Keeping guns off campus isn't about keeping guns off campus. Its about keeping people who understand RKBA off campus.

This debate came up here in Florida a few months ago and here at UF it was heavily demonized by the liberal student paper as well as the UFPD Chief in a press release. The main thing that killed the bill was that the liberals in the state congress dragged the father of a girl (who was killed at FSU by a drunk frat rat at an off campus house party when he pulled out his hunting rifle and "it went off".) to testify before FL congress about the evils of drunk college kids with guns. My heart goes out to that family of the girl that was killed, but that argument has nothing to do with college carry
It was a rifle, off campus, the shooter was under 21, and he was intoxicated...all things that are not factors in everyday carry by licensed individuals

It sounds like those of us here who are Aggies (maybe only me) should feel lucky. I do.

"Parties happen mostly off-campus anyway."

I imagine that depends on the school. The frats here are all on campus.

Click to expand...

My experience, state school in KY. YMMV.

The main thing that killed the bill was that the liberals in the state congress dragged the father of a girl (who was killed at FSU by a drunk frat rat at an off campus house party when he pulled out his hunting rifle and "it went off".) to testify before FL congress about the evils of drunk college kids with guns.

Click to expand...

A bill allowing carry on campus failed in Idaho last year due exactly this same thing. The bill passed the house. The liberals in Moscow and McCall, ID went berserk. While the bill was being discussed in the state senate, a representative had a melt down regarding his son who was shot at a party, off campus, by a person who didn't even have a carry permit. The bill died before being voted on by the senate.

The stock arguments are:

1. College students are an unstable bunch because they are young, away from home, and cannot deal with the stress of losing a boy/girlfriend. So they might shoot a professor.

2. College students party a lot and they drink. If we let them have guns on campus, then there will be deaths due to guns being used in anger by drunk students. [But wait, students already have guns off campus, they party off campus, and we don't have problems with them shooting each other. (That tidbit was ignored by the anti-gunners.)]

3. Guns on campus somehow present a unique threat to officer safety in the event of an active shooter scenario.

4. And my favorite argument raised by a university representative to our state legislature: If guns are allowed on campus, then a person can walk across campus with an assault rifle on his/her back. And since guns would be allowed on campus, the police will no longer respond to that sort of thing until the shooting starts.

OK, to point out the things that are wrong with #4. In my town in Idaho, even with open carry, tons of hunters and gun guys in the area, and pro-gun cops, there are STILL MWAG calls all the time when people open carry and the police ALWAYS respond to them. The university pinhead reasoned that the police would not respond at all.

I also attended K-State and my brother runs one of the research labs there so I'm fairly connected with the school for being 3 hours away. I'm not too surprised by the Mercury having a negative take, I've seen that "metal detector" argument referenced in other articles about CC in KS involving state buildings as an attempt to shoot it down by saying there is no budget. I personally hope it passes and is allowed as it might start to open some eyes as to how its not a problem and allow some other positive things to happen.....such as the fairly nice shooting range in the basement of the ROTC/Military Science building be allowed to open back up because someone tells the Dept of Public Safety(who don't know jack about jack) that their supposed "hazards" don't exist. Over the past 10 years they have opened up a bit to firearms, when I was there the school trap "club" was in its first couple years and starting to get organized and travel to shoots, maybe allowing CCW and putting the Public Safety group in their place would help pave the way to having a smallbore club again.

As to partying on campus, the posters who stated that most of the partying is done off campus are correct, the dorms are fairly quiet and most students don't stay in them past their sophomore year if they do come back for it, generally its freshman year then off campus. There are parties in the dorms, I know as I lived there and was an RA but you just can't get that crazy in a 15 x 12 room, the major parties are at the Frats(off campus) or at houses/apts in the student housing that surrounds the university, oh yeah and the best bar district in the midwest called Aggieville.

So in the end would it be nice to have it affirmed that although they are "students" those that are old enough should be allowed to carry if they desire and meet the legal requirements....yes. Do I expect it to actually happen, nope.