Texas State Senator favors College Concealed Carry

rodc13 · August 24th, 2008, 11:46 AM

Texas State Senator Jeff Wentworth plans to introduce a bill allowing licensed concealed carry on college campuses. I'm going to encourage my state senator to support him. I'd suggest any one else from Texas do the same.

VIEWPOINT: Should Texas college students remain unarmed and vulnerable? - San Antonio local news and shopping at ClickitSA.com

Quote:

VIEWPOINT: Should Texas college students remain unarmed and vulnerable?
Thursday, 21 August 2008
Jeff Wentworth
To Austin and Back

Currently, concealed handguns are not allowed on Texas college and university campuses. I believe that law should be changed.

Mass murders on the campuses of Virginia Tech University and Northern Illinois University would have resulted in fewer lives lost had a person with a license to carry a concealed handgun been on the scene.

In an effort to prevent such a senseless tragedy here in Texas like those which occurred in Virginia and Illinois, I will introduce a bill that will allow people who are licensed to carry a concealed weapon to do so on a college campus.

At first blush, the idea of weapons on college campuses may conjure up visions of a university campus filled with pistol-packing students, but this would not be the case.

Because most college students are 17, 18, 19 or 20 years old, and because only persons who are 21 years of age or older may be licensed to carry a concealed weapon in Texas, very few college students would be eligible to carry a weapon on campus, and those who are would have to be trained and licensed before they could carry one.

There are a couple of exceptions to the age rule. Honorably discharged or active duty military may be licensed to carry a handgun without regard to age.

When the Texas Legis-lature passed the concealed handgun bill in 1995, the bill’s opponents (and I heard from many of them) believed sincerely that the passage of a right-to-carry bill would return Texas to the wild, wild west, including shootouts at four-way stop sign intersections and blood in our streets.

Although I listened to them, I disagreed, and I am happy to report that none of their predictions has come to pass. As of Dec. 31, 2007, the Texas Department of Public Safety listed 288,909 active license holders, which means that only 1.2 percent of the state’s population is licensed to carry. This group appears to be very law-abiding.

In 2007, for example, more than 90,000 Texans were issued a concealed handgun license. Rigorous state and federal background checks and extensive training administered through DPS have kept revocations at a minimum.

It also is interesting to note that the minimum age requirement will limit the number of people who could legally carry a gun on a college campus. Only 5 percent of the 90,000 licenses issued in 2006-2007 were to persons between the ages of 21 to 25, the only age group representing traditional college-age students.

If you factor in the number of licensees who are not in college and the number of university and college campuses in Texas, it is clear that our state’s institutions of higher education would not be filled with gun-toting students, nor are they in the 23 states that allow adults licensed to carry a gun to do so on college campuses.

As the father of a college-age son, I am comfortable with the idea of his attending classes where some of his professors and fellow classmates might be carrying a gun. One of them could possibly save his life.

Texas State Sen. Jeff Wentworth (R-San Antonio) represents District 25, which includes part of Bexar County. He can be reached via e-mail at jeff.wentworth@senate. state. tx.us.

retsupt99 · August 24th, 2008, 07:30 PM

TX could be getting way out in front of the curve...keep going TX.

Stay armed...when hitting the books...stay safe!

HotGuns · August 24th, 2008, 07:46 PM

Sounds good to me.

dukalmighty · August 25th, 2008, 09:55 AM

I'm gonna write him and give him a big ole attaboy

Kerbouchard · August 25th, 2008, 10:11 AM

We're getting there...The Gov has already said he supports concealed carry at any place in the state.

It sounds like our politicians are starting to learn that the only place mass shootings occur are places where the good guys are prohibited from carrying.

Doctorbarn · August 25th, 2008, 10:17 AM

Ok, now the good guys maybe able to have guns on campus!

This is really a great state to live in..go Texas!

rodc13 · August 25th, 2008, 01:49 PM

I've since written to State Senator Wentworth, expressing my support, and to my State Senator, Judith Zaffirini, urging her to support the initiative.

You can find the contact info for your own Texas State Senator here:
Texas Senators of the 80th Legislature

August 24th, 2008, 07:30 PM	#2
retsupt99 VIP Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Central Florida Posts: 14,603	TX could be getting way out in front of the curve...keep going TX. Stay armed...when hitting the books...stay safe! __________________ "That I cannot do." "Give this to, uh, Clemenza. I want reliable people, people who aren't going to be carried away. After all we're not murderers in spite of what this undertaker thinks." *********************************** NRA Life Member

August 24th, 2008, 07:46 PM	#3
HotGuns Moderator Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Arkansas Posts: 4,926	Sounds good to me. __________________ AR. CHL Instr. To achieve world government, it is necessary to remove from the minds of men, their individualism, loyalty to family traditions, national patriotism, and religious dogmas.' Dr. G. Brock Chisolm

August 25th, 2008, 09:55 AM	#4
dukalmighty VIP Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: texas Posts: 3,425	I'm gonna write him and give him a big ole attaboy __________________ I like Poetry,Long Walks On The Beach,And Poking Dead Things With A Stick

August 25th, 2008, 10:11 AM	#5
Kerbouchard VIP Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Texas Posts: 2,531	We're getting there...The Gov has already said he supports concealed carry at any place in the state. It sounds like our politicians are starting to learn that the only place mass shootings occur are places where the good guys are prohibited from carrying. __________________ Money can be lost or stolen, health and strength may fail, but what you have committed to your mind is yours forever. http://miscmusings.townhall.com/ Who is John Galt?

August 25th, 2008, 10:17 AM	#6
Doctorbarn Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Virginia Posts: 90	Ok, now the good guys maybe able to have guns on campus! This is really a great state to live in..go Texas! __________________ One man with a gun can control 100 without one. Vladimir Lenin

August 25th, 2008, 01:49 PM	#7
rodc13 VIP Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: San Antonio, Texas Posts: 2,391	I've since written to State Senator Wentworth, expressing my support, and to my State Senator, Judith Zaffirini, urging her to support the initiative. You can find the contact info for your own Texas State Senator here: Texas Senators of the 80th Legislature __________________ Cheers, Rod "We're paratroopers. We're supposed to be surrounded!" Dick Winters

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