A recent editorial in the Dallas Morning News is in no short supply of ammunition against the recent proposal in the legislature that would allow licensed students to carry concealed weapons on a college campus. Puns aside, the author makes several great points that will resonate with liberal readers and challenge the perceptions of constitutional fundamentalists. College students should be especially interested in this debate, as they have the greatest stake in this legislation.
The editorial is quick to point out that we are generally speaking about a higher-risk age group which is prone to showing a lack of judgment. Case in point.
More importantly though, the author notes that campus shootings, especially those on par with the Virginia Tech Massacre, are quite rare and do not warrant a solution so drastic. I think that conservative politicians tend to present school shootings as an epidemic that is growing out of control, when infact the statistical support for this is lacking. The editorial equates the idea that a student could successfully quell a shooting rampage without excessive collateral damage as being "theoretical," which is not a unreasonable assertion. Police officers receive extensive training in order to deal with a crisis like a campus shooting, training which the vast majority of students would have never received.
The author notes that there is a silver lining to this legislation. The proposed bill contains a clause that will allow private schools, with the support of students, faculty, and staff, to adopt rules banning firearms on campus.
The editorial ends with a call to action:
"Lawmakers can improve it a hair more by extending the “out” clause to every campus in Texas, public school or private, professional or community college. It’s called local control, something lawmakers say they honor. This legislation would be a good place to bend to that principle."
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