Let’s get one thing straight right now;
…the ability to carry guns on a college campus doesn’t equate to stopping mass murderers.
John Parker, a student on the campus of Oregon's Umpqua Community College admitted to carrying a concealed gun on Oct. 1st when another student opened up with his gun killing nine other students.
But Parker wasn’t in a position to use it — he was locked down in the school's veterans center several hundred yards away from the science hall where the shooting took place.
Parker wasn’t the only armed student on campus that day. The reason I know this is Oregon is one of just eight states that allow the carrying of concealed weapons on campus, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
Despite Umpqua Community College’s claim to be a Gun Free Zone, state law trumps that claim. It’s anyone’s guess how many students were packing that day, but the law of averages suggest that out of 3,300 students there was more than one, or two.
It’s safe to say there’s a certain amount of confusion regarding gun laws in Oregon.
Here’s the main point:
Debate over the ins and outs of concealed carry policy misses the broader point: that putting more guns on campus is not an effective way to prevent or limit violence.
The NRA and other gun lobbies like to raise this argument (arm everyone and that’ll solve our mass killing problem) to feel good about themselves.
In the end, it’s about confusing what we really need to talk about, which is how guns are completely out of control.
Related: ‘Good Guy With A Gun’ Was On UCC Campus At Time Of Massacre
Time for me to walk on down the road…
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