Posted on 03/17/2008 9:40:30 AM PDT by kiriath_jearim
OKLAHOMA CITY -- University of Oklahoma President David Boren called on lawmakers Friday to reconsider the passage of a bill that would allow certain people to carry guns on college campuses.
"If it would help for me to get down on my knees to plead with the Legislature for the safety of our students, I would do so," Boren said in a prepared statement.
House Bill 2513 by Rep. Jason Murphey, R-Guthrie, passed 65-36 on Thursday. It would allow veterans, active-duty military and National Guard and reserve personnel, and people trained in law en forcement to carry concealed guns on college campuses if they have permits. Originally, the bill would have allowed anyone age 21 or older who obtained a concealed-carry permit to be armed on cam pus.
The bill now heads to the Senate.
OU has developed rapid communications systems and highly trained law enforcement personnel to take action in an emergency, Boren said. Allowing people to have guns who have not trained with the university's police units would create chaos in a crisis situation, he said.
"Police would not be able to sort out dangerous gunmen from others on campus with guns," he said.
Boren added that the bill would hurt OU's ability to recruit students and faculty members who would view the campus as unsafe.
"Current law protects the constitutional rights of our people, but it wisely bans guns from schools and colleges," he said. "We should stick to the laws that have worked so well and allow our colleges to continue to improve safety on their campuses."
Paul Sund, a spokesman for Gov. Brad Henry, said Friday in a prepared statement that the governor "has not yet reviewed the latest version of the bill and therefore cannot pass judgment on it, but he does have great concerns about the issue and will seek input from interested parties, particularly college presidents and the campus safety task force."
As opposed to VA Tech which was safe?
You don't want these people on your campus if you want to keep the illusion of intelligence on campus...
“We should stick to the laws that have worked so well and allow our colleges to continue to improve safety on their campuses.”
The ones that worked so well at Virginia Tech?
David Boren is an ass. How it is that keeping students and faculty unarmed and vulnerable makes them “safer” defies logic. This man is not fit to be a dogcatcher, let alone a Univerisity president.
At the University of Texas, Austin in 1965 the police were quite easily able to distinguish the gunman from the people who were defending themselves. Why should this pose any problem today?
Being in the guard a veteran or trained in law enforcement does not guarantee a person to be a safe handler or that they will not twist off and become an aggressor.
This is such a bowl of crap and we are being force fed like a baby eating peas. There is a revolution coming whether overt or through passive means but it is coming and this country will be torn worse than during the war of northern aggression. The next uprising will not be over states right it will be over peoples’ rights and more than just the 2nd.
Apparrently Boren thinks his students are too stupid to be able to handle an effective self defense, and his instituiton is ineffective in being able to convey handling such matters in an effective civilized way.
‘”If it would help for me to get down on my knees to plead with the Legislature for the safety of our students, I would do so,” Boren said in a prepared statement.’
You should be on your knees praying for concealed carry on campus then. CCW are much more likely to be used defending the innocent than against them. The criminals will simply ignore anti-gun laws as they have in the past.
Boren is an idiot.
Why indeed? The commentor wants to portray legal gunowners as a bunch of wannabe Rambo vigalantes who, at the first hint of violence, will unholster and start storming about the campus, shooting all who appear to be suspicious. Rather than simply DEFENDING themselves if a whacko shows up intent on doing violence.
And that policy is in part due to a lack of training on the part of the glorified security guards who pose as campus police. They are not trained to deal with actual crimes and when confronted by an actual crime they are typically worse than useless.
Covered even in basic concealed carry training.
Personally, I'd have no objection if during college orientation there was a safety session, which instructed any CCW holders on campus to take cover in the event of a lockdown or shooting, and take action only if in immediate danger from the gunman.
I agree. They simply provide an illusion of safety. Even if they were well-trained and proficient, there are not enough campus cops to protect against a lunatic, as we have seen again and again....
Past experience with campus cops proves that they exist mostly to cover up crimes on campus in order to protect the reputation of their employer. For a long time now I’ve advocated that public universities and schools should be patrolled by actual law enforcement who rotate in and out of the schools the same as they do any other patrol zone.
Agreed, though in some states I believe they don’t have the statutory power to patrol the campus. Simple fix: change the law.
I used to attend a State University before the campus cops were armed. The thought of these glorified security guards dealing with a psycho on a killing spree is scary.
But, even if they were the best trained cops in the world, they can’t be everywhere, instantly, especially since a Cho type will do his best to avoid them.
***OU has developed rapid communications systems and highly trained law enforcement personnel to take action in an emergency, Boren said. Allowing people to have guns who have not trained with the university’s police units would create chaos in a crisis situation, he said.***
I’d prefer somebody who has done a tour or two in Iraq over a policeman.
***”Police would not be able to sort out dangerous gunmen from others on campus with guns,” he said.***
That’s easy: the criminal would be the swiss cheese on the floor. The law abiding citizens would be the ones with their firearms already in the holster.
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