Daily Skiff

Being that we spend so much time on a large campus, we get a certain sinking feeling in the pit of our stomachs when violence erupts at another school.

Even though it seems an unlikely event, and God forbid that anything like that would ever happen here, it is a good idea to consider at least once what steps could be taken to protect oneself during an attack.

Proposed solutions in the works in the Texas Legislature are a couple bills that would allow students who are licensed gun owners to carry concealed weapons on campus for their protection.

The bills, drafted by Republican Sens. Joe Driver of Garland and Jeff Wentworth of San Antonio, would strip universities in Texas of the right to ban concealed weapons on campus.

While the bills' intentions are understandable, the number of concealed weapons this would invite onto our campus is a horrific prospect.

These legislators' answer to the danger posed by someone with a gun is to give everyone a gun.

Although many college students are responsible, I have met more than a few I would not trust to be in possession of something that could take my life without my ever knowing it was there.

I do agree with the principle that a campus should have the means to protect its students and faculty if necessary. But it would make for a much safer environment all around if designated faculty members who have been through proper training courses could have access to a gun.

The weapon could be safely stored in a lock box location in each building or floor and only be able to be accessed by key in an emergency.

I have heard people that I find to be otherwise reasonable individuals speak out in support of this bill and the only explanation I have for their support is that they are only considering their own level of responsibility and failing to see the trust level it requires them to place in students they have never met.

It is unfortunate that there are mentally imbalanced people out there who make discussions like these even necessary, but turning the TCU campus into something out of a Western flick is not going to make us safer. In fact, it would do quite the opposite.

If the Texas Legislature is more concerned with actual safety than emotion, appearances and the agendas of pro-gun lobbyists (most of whom don't even attend college campuses), this bill will never pass.

Article Tools