Local news channel “YNN – Austin” covers the concealed carry on campus debate. The article focuses on Colin Goddard and John Woods.

One state legislator wants concealed carry laws for college campuses across the state, but two men impacted by the 2007 shootings at Virginia Tech are fighting those efforts.

Colin Goddard was shot four times during the Virginia Tech incident. John Woods’ girlfriend was among the 32 victims in the shootings. Together, they are asking Texas lawmakers to reject efforts to allow concealed handgun license owners to carry weapons into campus buildings.

And yes, they have a quote from Rep. Joe Driver, sponsor of the legislation. But the article then goes on about the man who ran onto the University of Texas campus last year with a rifle and shot himself.

Hrm. Have we forgotten about how Charles Whitman was stopped? Who is Charles Whitman? Why, he’s the man who in 1966 climbed to the top of the tower on the University of Texas campus and starting shooting people. What helped stop him? Students running back to their dorm rooms, fetching their deer rifles, and shooting back.

Imagine that. People fighting back stops crime. If you say it doesn’t, then please start recommending rape victims just lie back and take it.

Imagine that. Police and others didn’t mistake the citizens for the criminal. Sure there was chaos abounding, but they knew who was the bad guy and who were the good guys. I dare say with 40+ years of advancements in training — especially in dealing with active shooter situations — we just might be OK.

Imagine that. The people there on the scene were the ones able to respond. Yes police arrived, but it takes time for them to show up. The people right there right now are the ones able to respond the quickest.

 

Goddard contends campus security, alerts, background checks and mental health evaluations should be the focus not more guns.

 

Tell me. How is that going to help anything? I do agree that alert systems using text messages, email, social media and whatnot are good things to quickly spread information and certainly we should use them where we can. But how is that going to stop the problem? If some nutjob starts injuring people, how is an alert going to stop the immediate act of injury and death? How will a background check stop the injury and death? How will mental health evaluations stop injury and death? And unless you put a cop every 5 feet, you cannot be sure one will be around when you need it. So please, Mr. Goddard, tell me how do you deal with the immediate problem? We do what we can as a preventative measure, but the reality is that you can’t stop crazy, you can’t eliminate it from the face of the Earth. So while those other measures might be nice, we also need to be able to address evil swiftly and firmly when it makes itself known.

But to hear this from the local news media… the bias is not surprising. But who knows. With all the local journalists and lobbyists that obtained CHL’s merely so they could have “easier” access into the Texas State Capitol building, maybe, just maybe, going through the process they gained a little more insight into the fact that CHL-holders are good people, just like them. It’s still early. We’re still hopeful.