Friday’s alleged attack on an OU Japanese professor in Kaufman Hall has reignited the debate about concealed carry legislation in Oklahoma.
Last year, lawmakers were defeated in their attempt to pass a bill that would have made it legal for concealed carry license holders to have handguns on Oklahoma college campuses.
This year, they renewed their attempts. They suffered a setback last week when a new concealed carry bill was defeated in the state Senate, but a House version is still alive and active.
Friday’s events are only expected to intensify the debate surrounding the idea.
OU President David Boren said Saturday that the incident illustrated the importance of keeping guns off campus, even if they would be in the hands of people with concealed carry licenses.
“It makes the point that it’s best to keep the threat to anyone making this kind of threat with the professionals,” Boren said. “What would have happened if other people in [Kaufman Hall] had started pulling out guns? As it was, no shots were fired.”
In a discussion that emerged Saturday on an OUDaily.com message board, several students gave spirited defenses of the idea of legalizing concealed weapons on campus, arguing students and faculty who are victims of attack should have the ability to defend themselves.
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mfhayes 3 years, 3 months ago
Bravo Boren, Bravo.
jfreezy 3 years, 3 months ago
Maybe we need to think about allowing non-concealed weapons. I mean, if a dude's walking around with a pair of nunchuks, you know not to get into a fist fight with him. Crossbows, spears, brass knucks anyone? Boren is right, this is best left to professionals OR people who have been trained to use guns. Most people do not have the adequate mental readiness to handle a firearm as relates to another human being. Are you really ready to take a life? Or are you too ready to take a life? Who knows, not me, but I don't want to find out. But people need to be more ready to stomp a guy out. I was really surprised that at the sight of a guy trying to push a lady down the stairs that no one tried to defend her, or subdue her attacker. I hope that if ever in a situation like that I have the courage to stop that guy. People need to not be so scared about every little thing, and learn to be aware of the situation. 4 or 5 grown men should be able to stop 1 grown man, regardless of the firearm situation, unless of course, that solitary man is Jason Bourne.
MitchH 3 years, 3 months ago
There's been a lot of comment on the dangers of persons with concealed weapons on campus but no one is seeing the big picture. To get a permit to conceal weapons you have to be trained to shoot. You go to classes and you have to make good scores otherwise it doesn't happen. You have to submit fingerprints and personal information to the Oklahoma Bureau of Investigation so they can perform background checks on you to see if you have a criminal record. If you have one, you're out of luck. The entire process is constructed for the protection of the public. As a general rule, only older people (outside college age) feel the need for a permit so that eliminates what, 95% of the OU student population? Unfortunately, the general public equates GUN with BAD. Even I, as an Oklahoma CLEET certified police officer, cannot carry a gun on campus the way things are.
But my grandfather always told me never to critize without offering options. Here's mine. Give the OU police department 10% of the OU Football budget and you won't have to worry about guns on campus.
hillelkkiller89 3 years, 3 months ago
MitchH makes a good point. The problem with anti-gun legislation is that it takes away the means for common citizens to defend themselves against armed attackers. Case in point would be Washington DC, where the homicide rate rose 55 percent AFTER the gun ban took effect. In fact, in 2001 there were 46.4 murders per 100,000 people in DC (where guns were supposedly banned) as apposed to 2.1 murders per 100,000 people in Arlington, VA (across the river where guns were not banned). Criminals feed of the weakness of others and when people do not have a way to protect themselves against armed criminals, this creates a feeling of safety for criminals and fear for citizens. Most people also don't realize the difficulty in obtaining a concealed carry permit. You cant simply go to your local gun shop and purchase one. It requires several hours in a classroom covering gun safety and laws as well a qualifying time on a gun range. Many people in America fail to understand the difference between guns in the hands of criminals and guns in the hands of citizens. Criminals do not care about gun bans, gun laws, or the rights and lives of innocent people. I have been hunting since I was 8 years old. I took a safety course in gun safety as well as a hunter education course. I own guns, I don't use them to kill or intimidate innocent people, that is what separates me from a criminal. I think that allowing concealed carry on campus would be effective, but that if you choose to carry, you must register with OUPD and get another certification from them as well as the state. Guns are not bad, the criminals that use guns to hurt, kill, intimidate, and threaten people are.
DrFuego 3 years, 3 months ago
Guns are not bad, but the young and hot-headed permit carriers who want to be a hero can make mistakes. It's not that students fear guns, and it's not that students don't want to be able to protect themselves (or be protected)--it's just that the traditional college-age (18-25) demographic has proven itself to be less responsible than older individuals (Don't believe me? Ask any car insurance or car rental company). The certification process is certainly a good thing, but not every licensed individual has the law enforcement training that gives them the ability to effectively judge and respond to situations like we've seen. If (as MitchH guesstimated) 95% of the 18-25 year old students don't bother with a concealed carry license, why should we entrust our well-being to the other 5%? These are concerns that don't simply vanish with the fact that the licensing process is rigorous (although it's certainly a good start).
Now if you want to talk about letting badge-carrying officers from other jurisdictions have their sidearms readily available on campus, that's a different story. That's also not where the debate is centered.