Arizona, Florida and Texas propose to arm college professors
Legislators in Arizona, Florida and Texas are proposing a law that would allow community college and university instructors to arm themselves with concealed weapons.Currently, only Utah allows concealed weapons on college campuses and they are banned in 24 other states, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
But in searching for solutions to gun violence on campuses, adding more guns to the equation is not the answer.
Admittedly, sitting in class, there are days where I have looked around and realized that if someone wanted to pull a gun out of their backpack and open fire in the classroom, there would be nowhere to run or hide. Generally, there is only one exit, and with some 30 people in the room, we aren’t all going to make it the door.
And as I play that scenario in my mind, I suppose it would be a hero’s tale if the professor pulled out his Glock 22, fired back and saved us all.
I realize the fear of being shot in class is an irrational one, but it’s hard not to at least consider the possibility.
Unless the class is in criminal justice and the professor is a law enforcement officer regularly drilled in dealing with similar simulated situations (and perhaps even then), I'd guess that the chances are good he/she would hit the wrong student -- perhaps the one who tried tackling the gunman from a blind spot (which is pretty much what happened in Arizona, if I'm remembering correctly; the one person who ran toward the scene with a gun admitted to nearly shooting the person who had confiscated the gunman's weapon after unarmed bystanders had taken him down. It was a brave and dangerous thing for the bystanders to do, but the numbers, as in a classroom, were ultimately in their favor).
ReplyDeleteI'd far rather see a (continued) ban on weapons on campus, with some exceptions for trained law enforcement officers, and a much more stringent ban on automatic weapons and enhanced clips. That way, the gunman will only succeed in shooting the professor (probably the most likely target) or his girlfriend (the second most likely). Still not a great scenario, but probably a realistic one; we can limit the carnage, but only so much.
All I need is a can of pepper spray for latecomers, people who text in class, and whiners. I'm sure it will work for the occasional crazed mass murderer too.
ReplyDeleteI can't believe you'd actually pepper spray students. You'd be an outcast at my school!
ReplyDeleteSeriously, I'd also caution you against pepper spraying students who text in class. I believe there are less harsh methods of dealing with that behavior. Perhaps you could make your students take a visiting job candidate to lunch at the cafeteria.
But, again, I want to be clear that pepper spraying latecomers is something I'd advise against.
Of course, I may just be a shriveled old c*nt, but I'll cop to that.
Ah...Arizona...my home and native land, back at it again. There's a good, and accurate, line about the AZ mindset in the latest Newsweek: "...this heat-packin' state--a place where firearm ownership, entwined with a certain strain of reactionary patriotism, has in some quarters reached the level of High Creed."
ReplyDeleteFaculty meetings might be more polite.
ReplyDeleteI can just see it now: "Billy, you stop web surfing and close up that laptop RIGHT NOW, or ELSE..."
ReplyDeleteJust today I mentioned to my students a discussion of RYS on the topic on what to do if a loco enters the classroom with a gun. I told them my favorite answers were 1) "Two words: human shields" and 2) Use the stapler I carry in my bag to brain the interloper. The students laughed.
ReplyDelete@Froderick: but what happens when Billy says "make me," and draws his own weapon?
ReplyDelete@Cassandra: Then you OPEN FIRE, and shoot to KILL!
ReplyDelete(Note: sarcasm may be present in this message. In civilized societies, civilians shouldn't have to carry firearms.)
The headline writer of that article would have flunked my Freshman Comp class. "Arizona, Florida, and Texas" are NOT "proposing" to arm college teachers. Some legislators in each of those states have introduced legislation to that end; it may pass, it may not.
ReplyDeleteSlate.com is guilty of the same thing today. They say in a headline that "Georgia and Utah have wacky plans to return to the gold standard." No, again, a couple of nutty legislators have those plans, not the state as an entity.
Besides, there are plenty of other reasons why Texas, Florida, and the Zonies should go to hell without having to invoke this.