ROTC Students to Carry Weapons on Campus

Check this out:

http://rotc.military.com/rotc/news-article.jsf?aid=162389&am p;cms=1


Wow. Just, wow. I am an ROTC student in Alabama, so this would apply to me. I really don't think that having more weapons on college campuses will make it any safer here at Auburn. The university has a policy against carrying weapons on campus, but they have no way to enforce it. Anyone can carry a pistol on campus if they want, and no one will know. I know for a fact that several of my friends DO carry guns on campus. There are no metal detectors, no cops checking students... This really won't matter.

And what are the chances of one of 300 ROTC students being at the scene of a shooting on a college campus of 25000? And if they are present, what are the chances that said ROTC student is carrying a weapon and can employ it effectively enough to neutralize a threat and save lives? Is the chance of that happening greater than the chance of an accident occurring on our campus because more people were allowed to carry weapons?

And why just ROTC students? I can tell you that not all ROTC students are "hardened killers" that can kill a person with their bare hands (I am in Air Force ROTC... some of our guys can barely handle a stapler). The article claims that we would be giving weapons to "the cream of the crop". Not all ROTC students are the cream of the crop, and I know several I wouldn't trust with a water pistol. If we are going to give weapons to students on college campuses, you might as well let everyone that has a pistol permit to have them.

I know Senator Erwin. I have met him personally. This definitely sounds like one of his shenanigans.

Just thought this was interesting. Discuss.

TippmannBro wrote: Is the chance of that happening greater than the chance of an accident occurring on our campus because more people were allowed to carry weapons?

I think this is the million dollar question.

I personally think that allowing weapons on campus would make things worse in the long run.

This will turn out well.

they should just start deploying Marines to college campuses. we'll be a nice deterrant.

Well  if there were no guns we wouldn't have any of these predicaments would we? Every problem with shootings someone says lets get more guns which never helps no guns mean no gun problems its simply that easy. Yeah guns for hunting but why all citizens to carry guns honestly it's is just ridiculous the solution is not allowing what causes the problems.  

heliumman77 wrote: Well if there were no guns we wouldn't have any of these predicaments would we? Every problem with shootings someone says lets get more guns which never helps no guns mean no gun problems its simply that easy. Yeah guns for hunting but why all citizens to carry guns honestly it's is just ridiculous the solution is not allowing what causes the problems.

No, it's not that easy. I'm not for students walking around armed on a campus, but eliminating guns altogether won't stop criminals from getting guns.

Dang, I can't figure out why the link doesn't work, so here is the article:

If two proposed laws pass Alabama's Legislature this year, some college students and teachers could be packing more than books to class.
 
State Sen. Hank Erwin, R-Montevallo, introduced bills to allow ROTC students and any professor with a license to carry guns on campus.

Erwin's bills come in the wake of recent shootings like Thursday's rampage at Northern Illinois University, in DeKalb, Ill. A gunman killed five and injured 16 people when he opened fire at a lecture hall there.

Erwin's bill would allow only ROTC students with licenses and no felonies or misdemeanors on their records to carry guns on campus.

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The students also would have to complete a university-approved training course.

"I did that so nobody could say I'm trying to create a wild-west atmosphere," Erwin said. "(It's only the) upper-echelon, best of the best, cream of the crop."

Jacksonville State University has a policy banning students and teachers from carrying guns on-campus. University officials contacted Thursday said they do not favor Erwin's bills.

The first bill specifically would exempt schools with policies against students carrying guns on campus.

But the second bill is much broader, saying a state-supported university can not prevent any professor who has a license from carrying a gun.

Erwin said last year's Virginia Tech shooting moved him to introduce the bills.

"So my thinking is if we had a situation here where there were extra guns on campus available, that would send a deterrent to any potential madman who might want to try that in this state," Erwin said.

Erwin introduced similar legislation last year, but he said he did so too late for it to gain momentum. He's not optimistic this year, saying it will take time to build support for the proposal.

Rachel Parsons, a spokeswoman for the National Rifle Association said the NRA approves of Erwin's bill.

"I think that the main point � is the only thing that's going to take down a bad person with a gun is a good person with a gun, and in situations of campus shootings time is of the essence, and the longer one waits there is a result of a higher body count," Parsons said.

JSU President Bill Meehan, who says he is a former NRA member, does not agree. He said even trained professionals occasionally have accidents that cause injury or death.

"I fully support our policy and would not be in favor of anything that would increase the number of weapons on our campus at this point," Meehan said.

Susan Storm wrote: And for random speculation - I wonder what would happen if one of these hardened killer ROTC students opens fire, VT style, with his "service weapon".

The usual I suppose.

People will scream and demand that there be more gun laws/bans and that the law allowing ROTC students be stricken.

Other people will demand that the non ROTC students be allowed to carry so that they can protect themselves from the ROTC students.

Brady Campaign and the like will jump on the story as proof that we should all be disarmed.

Gun owners will slap their forehead and moan "not again", as they once again will have their own personal rights threatened because of the actions of an unstable individual.

Same old same olds.

rednekk98 wrote: If seen enough ROTC students look like their going to soil themselves in paintball.

The paintball team here has played with ROTC groups a few times. I didn't think people could be any more afraid of paintball until I saw them play. In terms of personality, they're just like any other college students.


I think the senator realizes something he's not telling us:
This will increase recruitment rates

    People will join just so they can carry on campus.
    People will join so that others will feel safe around them (so they can feel desirable)

procarbinefreak wrote: /me waits for the ridiculous statistics supporting the claim that having students carry firearms helps prevent school shootings when there isn't a shooting at that school for a year.

Linus might not even show up here.