Professors don't understand gun issue

Letter to the Editor, The The Norman Transcript: published March 18, 2008

Professors don't understand gun issue

Editor, The Transcript:


The editorial published March 18, 2008, entitled "Faculty members fear allowing guns in class" exhibits a lack of understanding by the professors, pertaining to concealed carrying on college campuses. The professors mentioned in this article seem to be concerned about the consumption of alcohol among college students. However, the students that are of legal age to obtain a concealed handgun license tend to consume alcohol at drinking establishments, which are not located on college campuses.

Every state that allows legalized concealed carry has statutes prohibiting license holders from carrying while under the influence as well. Allowing concealed carry on college campuses would not have an impact on the laws restricting concealed carry at bars, pubs, clubs, or parties that are off-campus. Students for Concealed Carry on Campus only promotes the legalization of licensed individuals to carry their concealed firearms into campus buildings, the same way they carry them virtually everywhere else they go.

University presidents were quoted in this articlesaying, "they trust their campus police and security forces." This quote is rather controversial when taking the shootings at Virginia Tech and NIU into consideration. These incidents clearly showed that a disturbed gunman can do a large amount of damage in a matter of minutes. By the time campus police arrived on these scenes, the shooters had already taken several lives.

It is obvious that campus police cannot be dispatched in time to stop a deranged shooter from taking innocent lives. The only efficient way to stop these madmen efficiently is by allowing certified concealed carriers to carry on campus.

Brett Poulos

Students for Concealed Carry on Campus