Guns on Campus--CNN

[bandit383]

CNN video on guns on campus:

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/....on.campus.cnn

I thought he did a pretty good job...I imagine the discussion will heat up as the subject becomes more mainstream.

Rick

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[LastManOut]

Good piece to prompt the discussion.

Pennsylvania, as I understand the law, prohibits guns on Primary and Secondary schools, but nothing I've read prohibits guns on colleges and universities.

[edr9x23super]

Kudos to the former Marine for agreeing to be interviewed by CNN; they would have a hard time discrediting someone who had served. Still, they had to interject the politically correct statement from the cheek spreader admin type who believed that only "law enforcement" should have weapons on campus. I noticed that the footage they took from the VT shooting was typical; a whole bunch of cops standing around while the shooting was going on....

[Deacon51]

For CNN, I thought that was great.

I truly expected some type on comment about how "Students" are to irresponsible to have firearms... but interviewing a Marine on the issue, it would be kind of hard to make that argument fly.

Often, here in Maryland, I get the... "Well, I am not concerned about you having a handgun, it's the other people." To which I reply, "What other people? The other people just like me with no criminal record, no drug abuse, tons of military experience, private training, and computation shooting experience?"

Fudge, at least in VA they are trying to get to Carry a weapon on a collage campus, I would be happy to be able to step outside my home with a concealed firearm.

[Bob The Great]

for CNN, that was a surprisingly good piece. At least they didn't drag out the old tired police chief line about never resisting an attacker.

[gddyup]

For CNN, it was ok. The big thing I got from it was the female student who was talked to and mentioned that people carrying on campus would only lead to more problems. It's these types of uneducated positions that we have to perk up to and try to educate. We don't want to try and force the issue with people such as this, but at least present valid and discussionable counterpoints to those arguments.

Those types of people are the ones who will vote against the issue solely based on the fact that they are uneducated about the facts.

[P95Carry]

the female student who was talked to and mentioned that people carrying on campus would only lead to more problems.

That is exactly where I want to stay ''stop'' - ''please outline each and every problem you foresee" ......... and discover just what it is they are thinking. Then maybe some useful discussion might be possible.

It's so easy to just spout this old rhetoric without explaining its justification - and in many cases I expect said justification would be just more emotional crap instead of logic.

[Harold Fastwaker]

Andrew is a great guy. I have met with him personally before as he comes to our Open Carry meets.

Anyway, it will be along battle for us VA folks as well as all the other states. As a student myself I would enjoy the fact that I could carry on campus and not have to worry about consequences.

But I do find it funny that I can carry on any one of the other campuses (except for VCU) and they can not do anything but ask me to leave as I am not an enrolled student of theirs.

To protect ones own and risk expulsion or become a sheep. That is the big question for us students.

[Harold Fastwaker]

Good piece to prompt the discussion.

Pennsylvania, as I understand the law, prohibits guns on Primary and Secondary schools, but nothing I've read prohibits guns on colleges and universities.

Thats how VA is as well. Only K-12 are banned, except for CCW while staying in your car. College is up to the school (except VCU as its stated in VA law itself about no firearms) but then some only list students/faculty cant have guns but says nothing about visitors. Others have it written that no one shall ever have a gun on campus.

[Puppy]

What an idiot that University spokesman is. He could have been correct had he said: "We prohibit guns from being carried on campus except by Police officers, mass murderers and other criminals

[Travieso]

For those of you interested in getting more involved in allowing our college students the right to defend themselves on campus just like they can almost anywhere else in their state, check out www.concealedcampus.com

[f8lranger4x4]

Good Video I have been following this story for a while and He seems to be a level headed young man and knowes his stuff when it comes to gun facts.

[Bark'n]

Yep... all and all a fairly good piece by CNN. Of course they are gonna have both sides represented, however the Marine that Cooper was interviewing was well prepared and articulated his points well.

The female college student at VTech was clearly speaking on emotion as she is not able to speak on the issues. The male student at VTech who was on the pro-gun side may have also been speaking on his emotion but it's hard to tell because there was really enough time spent with him to establish anything else.

Regarding the representative from George Mason University: +1 on the post by Puppy

What an idiot that University spokesman is. He could have been correct had he said: "We prohibit guns from being carried on campus except by Police officers, mass murderers and other criminals

[P7fanatic]

I would be happy to be able to step outside my home with a concealed firearm.

Oh, Maryland.
It's pretty and a nice place to visit but I wouldn't want to live there.

[Skuggi]

Good piece to prompt the discussion.

Pennsylvania, as I understand the law, prohibits guns on Primary and Secondary schools, but nothing I've read prohibits guns on colleges and universities.

Not Quite:

§ 912. Possession of weapon on school property.
(a) Definition.--Notwithstanding the definition of "weapon"
in section 907 (relating to possessing instruments of crime),
"weapon" for purposes of this section shall include but not be
limited to any knife, cutting instrument, cutting tool, nun-
chuck stick, firearm, shotgun, rifle and any other tool,
instrument or implement capable of inflicting serious bodily
injury.
(b) Offense defined.--A person commits a misdemeanor of the
first degree if he possesses a weapon in the buildings of, on
the grounds of, or in any conveyance providing transportation to
or from any elementary or secondary publicly-funded educational
institution, any elementary or secondary private school licensed
by the Department of Education or any elementary or secondary
parochial school.
(c) Defense.--It shall be a defense that the weapon is
possessed and used in conjunction with a lawful supervised
school activity or course or is possessed for other lawful
purpose.
(Oct. 16, 1980, P.L.978, No.167, eff. 60 days)

Now I have yet to find a ruling on "Other Lawful Purpose" but many including myself believe carrying a weapon with a valid permit, or even open carrying of a firearm is a lawful purpose (Right to self defense).

Even without a case ruling available to me I have heard of people being charged, and then charges being subsequently dropped by the DA or Magisterial Office. Unfortunately I have no reason to go into a primary or secondary school let alone with a gun, so I can't test the waters, even so, I don't have the money to risk testing the waters with lawyers fees.

As to PA colleges, there is no law against carry. Just usually institutions have their own policies.