AUSTIN, Texas (AP) -- Texas is preparing to give college students and professors the right to carry guns on campus, adding momentum to a national campaign to open this part of society to firearms.
More than half the members of the Texas House have signed on as co-authors of a measure directing universities to allow concealed handguns. The Senate passed a similar bill in 2009 and is expected to do so again. Republican Gov. Rick Perry, who sometimes packs a pistol when he jogs, has said he's in favor of the idea.
Texas has become a prime battleground for the issue because of its gun culture and its size, with 38 public universities and more than 500,000 students. It would become the second state, following Utah, to pass such a broad-based law. Colorado gives colleges the option and several have allowed handguns.
Supporters of the legislation argue that gun violence on campuses, such as the mass shootings at Virginia Tech in 2007 and Northern Illinois in 2008, show that the best defense against a gunman is students who can shoot back.
"It's strictly a matter of self-defense," said state Sen. Jeff Wentworth, R-San Antonio. "I don't ever want to see repeated on a Texas college campus what happened at Virginia Tech, where some deranged, suicidal madman goes into a building and is able to pick off totally defenseless kids like sitting ducks."
In heavily armed Arizona, there were several people that were armed at the shopping center where Gabby Giffords, and many others were shot.
The only shopper who responded with a gun, almost shot the person who had disarmed the shooter, Jared Loughner.
IMO, a college campus full of typical college kids who are armed, wouldn't be a safe place for anyone.
The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness. John Kenneth Galbraith
In heavily armed Arizona, there were several people that were armed at the shopping center where Gabby Giffords, and many others were shot.
The only shopper who responded with a gun, almost shot the person who had disarmed the shooter, Jared Loughner.
IMO, a college campus full of typical college kids who are armed, wouldn't be a safe place for anyone.
unfortunately we continue to refer to them as typical college 'kids'.....why do we have kids in college? why aren't they called adults? just because they dont have their completed degree and a job in such field? there are a whole lot of folks(more than go to college) that graduate/or not high school and go right to work and yet we call them adults........hhhhmmm double $$ standard????
I say let them have their guns...apparently they've had better/richer/more civil upbringings than the 85% of America that didn't go to college.....
...you are a product of your environment, your environment is a product of your priorities, your priorities are a product of you......
The replacement of morality and conscience with law produces a deadly paradox.
STOP BEING GOOD DEMOCRATS---STOP BEING GOOD REPUBLICANS--START BEING GOOD AMERICANS
In all, roughly 19.5 percent of the American population attended college but did not finish, 7.4 percent have an Associates degree, 17.1 percent have a bachelor’s degree and 9.9 percent have a doctorate or professional degree. This means that 53.9 percent of the American population has attended college to some degree or another, which represents over 150,000,000 people in the country.
I'd say they can handle it.....remember these are our future leaders/lawmakers/electorate........
...you are a product of your environment, your environment is a product of your priorities, your priorities are a product of you......
The replacement of morality and conscience with law produces a deadly paradox.
STOP BEING GOOD DEMOCRATS---STOP BEING GOOD REPUBLICANS--START BEING GOOD AMERICANS
Going to college is the dream of many high school students. The fact that those who get a degree in college make more money is not lost on anyone these days, but what percentage of American students actually go to college each year? Well, things are getting better in that regard according to a recent study commissioned by USA Today. In 1990, 60 percent of all high school graduates went on to enter college. In addition, those aged 25 to 29 with Bachelor’s degrees rose from 23 percent to 29 percent. Who goes to college depends greatly on the level of income of the family before college comes into the picture. Those who live in a low-income household are much less likely to go to college. Only six percent of low-income students earn a Bachelor’s degree by the time they are 24. In contrast, 51.3 percent of students from high-income homes go to college.
In terms of actual numbers, the United States ranks quite high for the number of people who attend college. One reason for this is the fact that the United States has the second highest number of higher education institutions in the world, with 5,758 in total, or 115 per state. The United States also has the highest number of higher education students in the world, with 18,248,128 students attending colleges. This represents about five percent of the American population. In all, roughly 19.5 percent of the American population attended college but did not finish, 7.4 percent have an Associates degree, 17.1 percent have a bachelor’s degree and 9.9 percent have a doctorate or professional degree. This means that 53.9 percent of the American population has attended college to some degree or another, which represents over 150,000,000 people in the country.
As the years go by, more and more people go to college in an attempt to further their careers and increase their earning power. As more families move higher in the middle class, the number of students in college continues to increase. With grants, loans and more, nearly anyone can get to college if they work hard enough.
I meant to put the whole article on....
...you are a product of your environment, your environment is a product of your priorities, your priorities are a product of you......
The replacement of morality and conscience with law produces a deadly paradox.
STOP BEING GOOD DEMOCRATS---STOP BEING GOOD REPUBLICANS--START BEING GOOD AMERICANS
In heavily armed Arizona, there were several people that were armed at the shopping center where Gabby Giffords, and many others were shot.
The only shopper who responded with a gun, almost shot the person who had disarmed the shooter, Jared Loughner.
IMO, a college campus full of typical college kids who are armed, wouldn't be a safe place for anyone.
So what was the last time a "gun free zone" actually stopped a shooter, never. Gun laws don't stop bad guys from doing bad things, they do however stop law abiding citizens from defending themselves if the situation arises. Look back at what happened with Charles Whitman, he opened fire on campus and the police were helpless to do anything. What gave them a chance to move in was students and armed civilians using their own rifles to keep him pinned down.
"In the beginning of a change, the Patriot is a scarce man, brave, hated and scorned. When his cause succeeds, however, the timid join him, for then it costs nothing to be a Patriot."
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