Free Republic

FORT WORTH — When Tarrant County College denied a student the right to stage an empty holster protest in April 2008 at the South Campus, officials feared someone would use the event to bring a weapon on campus. "There was certainly the expectation that someone was going to show up with a gun in a holster," TCC interim Chancellor Erma Johnson Hadley said under cross examination during a trial in federal court Thursday. School officials had the concern even though they had no evidence that anyone would, and U.S. District Court Judge Terry Means told her — when she couldn’t...

Reporting from Denver - After a gun-wielding student killed 32 at Virginia Tech, faculty at Colorado State University in Fort Collins found, to their alarm, that theirs was one of the few public schools in the country with no policy banning firearms. Anyone with a concealed weapons permit could legally carry on campus. Students, however, were alarmed when the faculty moved to change that. Among other arguments, students contended that permitting people to carry concealed weapons was the campus' best defense against another tragedy. "Let's say you have another Columbine or Virginia Tech," said Dan Gearhart, the student government president....

I am a representative in student government at the University of Texas at Austin. I'm also uniquely positioned to discuss the issue of firearms and classrooms as an alumnus of Virginia Tech. I was there in 2007 when the shooting happened, and I lost the girl I love. In no way was that tragedy the fault of those licensed to carry concealed handguns. With that said, our tragedy has been used by proponents of a "guns everywhere" policy to push a political agenda. I cannot speak to the decision of CSU's Associated Students or their reasons for voting the way...

Students all over the state of Michigan may soon be able to carry concealed weapons on campus. Bill 5474, introduced by Wayne Schmidt, R-Traverse City, to the Michigan House of Representatives, would prohibit colleges from banning weapons on campus. Section two of the bill specifically outlines what local units of government and institutions of higher learning would not be able to do if the bill were passed. “A local unit of government or institution of higher education shall not impose special taxation on, enact or enforce any ordinance or regulation pertaining to, or regulate in any other manner the ownership,...

FLINT, Michigan -- Kettering University student Brian Nichols had seen the campus e-mail alerts before -- a mugging, a break-in, warnings to be extra vigilant at night. But the 2 a.m. phone call from a fellow student whose rental house had been broken into by an armed robber just a couple of blocks away had the most chilling effect. "This term, it has hit closer to home. I'm to the point now where I feel like I have to get in my car and drive across the street instead of walking 100 feet," said Nichols, 21, of studying at Kettering's...

LANSING, Mich. (AP) - A state lawmaker wants to let Michigan residents who have permits to carry concealed weapons take them on university campuses. Legislation announced Thursday by Republican state Sen. Randy Richardville of Monroe would remove college campuses from the list of places where Michigan law does not allow permit holders to carry guns. Richardville says crimes occur on college campuses just like in other places. He argues people with the proper training and background checks to get a permit should be allowed to carry guns for their protection while on campus. The bill will face opposition from groups...