ORIGINAL: SwampCollie
ORIGINAL: wyotimberghost
I know many college-aged individuals who are more mature and level headed than older adults. It's a matter of personality and self control, not age. Besides, if one "loose cannon" did go off, there would be others who were better tempered to put him down if concealed carry was legal and other students were taking advantage of the freedom. Denying individuals the right to defend themselves because of a stereotype is dispicable.
Let me get this right.... if one kid flips out it would be an acceptable loss because other kids would be there to use lethal force and subdue him? Thats what you are telling me? So would you be in favor of personality tests or interviews in order to obtain a carry permit on campus? How do you submit we would go about determining who was fit or unfit?
And yes I agree, I do know a FEW college aged folks who ACT more mature than older adults, but they are the exception certainly not the rule. It is hard to quantify the word adult, though our society puts it at age 18 and/or age 21. There are plenty of 30 year olds that have yet to arrive.
No matter how you slice it, guns in the hands of students on school grounds just does not fly in my opinion. I think the answer here to shootings like this is NOT firearm related at all.
It happens now. Like yesterday at NIU. Like at VA Tech. People do suddenly snap. When it happens in a weapons free zone, body counts are ridiculously high because nobody has the ability to defend themselves, and are at the mercy of a lunatic.
It has been proven time and time again that weapons free zones simply allow body counts to be ran up higher when someone decides to hold a massacre. It is a massacre because nobody has the ability to defend themselves.
If people are mature enough to go through the CCW permit program, they are mature enough to carry weapons on their person whereever they go. If you are going to ban CCW someplace, that place should have the responsibility to have metal detectors manned by armed guards at all points of entry. If you don't want to do that, then don't limit the ability of potential victims to defend ourselves.
Nothing against the police or anything like that, but with the police, when seconds count help is at least minutes away. I can't remember the last standoff the police were able to end in a case like this. The crazy person offs enough people and then decides to end his or her life. I cannot in good conscience agree that people should be prohibited from having the means to defend their lives.