Your segment tonight on UT’s campus carry protests were painfully familiar. The liberal opposition to campus carry here at TTU is just as illogical, emotional, and idiotic as UT. I’ve been as active as I can with the campus carry task force, though who knows what impact that will have.
I’ve exchanged a number of emails with Grace Hernandez, Associate Vice President for Administration asking for clarification about the committee’s intent for gun-free zones and roving personnel. Service personnel like me move from building to building, which might require me to pass through one of the stupid gun-free zones as a part of my normal duties. Naturally, this could in essence deny my right to stay armed. She replied this was one item they were considering, but had not yet made a decision.
…some 2,000 people said that faculty offices should be gun-free zones. On the other hand, I was surprised that almost no one wanted to ban guns at the free speech zone. Then I realized that the professors don t go there and didn t care about it there.
One of my friends went to one of the faculty/staff focus groups and asked a simple question – Have they looked at the rules and results of other universities? They had printed a few studies, but had not yet reviewed them!
I went to the emergency services focus group on Tuesday and was surprised to see that the committee of fifteen or so outnumbered the audience. I ended up being the center of the discussion for most of the meeting as I tried to ask one simple question – In addition to the state law, what was the recommended procedure/process to keep both CHL holders and police safe when the they start clearing the building after an active shooter event?
I had to ask the question several times and chase several rabbits as Dr Ron Milam kept throwing up the usual illogical liberal emotional objections to carry. Fortunately, several on the committee were at least intent upon following the law and shot down Milam’s suggestions for requiring additional training well beyond the 8 hours of state training and making all faculty offices gun free zones. He also spent a fair amount of time on the “hostile rhetoric” of CHL holders about Virginia Tech – He twisted the “If a good guy with a gun was present” argument into meaning a wild west shootout as folks ran into the building. I turned it around to say that honest citizens in the classrooms would seek to protect the students in their care, which at least brought out a few nods of agreement from some of the committee.
…there were no freakin police at the emergency services forum! Nice to know the TTU Police didn’t see fit to send even a single representative.
After endless rabbit holes, persistence paid off and they did return to my question – They intended to modify the Emergency Action training to include an answer to my question. They could not give a good answer at the moment, because there were no freakin police at the emergency services forum! Nice to know the TTU Police didn’t see fit to send even a single representative.
There was one very anti-gun female who asked “How bad could the repercussions be if we banned guns from campus in spite of the law? How much would it cost us if the State sued us for banning guns completely? I had a quiet chuckle as about three quarters of the committee gave her the you re a special kind of stupid look and several spoke up the penalty could be severe and wide-ranging. One of the committee members mentioned another state s reaction to a campus (Univ. Colorado, I think) that did defy the law and were forced to open up the campus. At least some on the committee are thinking clearly.
The one thing that caught my ear was when Provost Schovanec read the results of the campus survey where some 2,000 people said that faculty offices should be gun-free zones. On the other hand, I was surprised that almost no one wanted to ban guns at the free speech zone. Then I realized that the professors don t go there and didn t care about it there.
I doubt I changed anyone’s mind, but I hope that I gave a good defense.
Keep up the good fight and keep looking up!
Tom
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