Common Folk Using Common Sense

Hat tip to John Hardin:

From the East Tennessean:

It has become harder for students to imagine themselves completely safe on their college campuses because of the recent school shootings across the country. The one-year anniversary of the shooting at Virginia Tech is at hand and images of the Northern Illinois shooting still fresh in our minds, students everywhere are constantly wondering how to feel safer on campus.

ETSU like other campuses has made changes to better ensure student safety. There’s the GoldAlert text messaging system that alerts students on their cell phones and via e-mail if there is an emergency or school closings. GoldAlert was proven effective late January when ETSU closed due to ice and on March 13 in informing students of an unsubstantiated threat to the Academic Advisement Center.

Large decals have been placed on the doors of every building to warn students of six years imprisonment and a maximum fine of $3,000 if a firearm is brought onto school premises. The decal also states that those who have the appropriate concealed handgun license are not excluded from those penalties. Although these are viewed as helpful and useful changes, some on the ETSU campus wonder if more guns could be a solution to the problem.

Jessica Rose Hodge, a senior general studies major, supports the idea of the right to carry concealed handguns on college campuses. “I would not be opposed to it, but I believe there should be extensive background checks, a waiting period, and psychological testing done before handing a gun to anyone,” she said. Hodge also stated that she wouldn’t feel that her safety would be affected as long as those granting permits were following the regulations. “The government is not here to baby us, we have to make our own choices. It’s not their job to make our choices for us.” Agreeing with Hodge was Paul Jonas, a senior who has his concealed handgun permit. “After what happened at Virginia Tech, I no longer feel safe on campus,” he said. “If concealed carry was permitted on campus, I would feel much safer knowing I could protect myself.”

So they have a GoldAlert text messaging system in place now. Great. Now those under fire from a deranged gunman can be notified of their impending doom via their cell phones. “Hey gunman, would you mind stop shooting at me so that I can check my text messages?”

But the real gem in this article is the ominous “six years imprisonment and a maximum fine of $3,000 if a firearm is brought onto school premises decal.” Yeah, that ought to scare the pants off anyone wanting to being weapons to school for the sole purpose of taking as many innocent lives as possible. Does someone really think that a gunman, wanting to kill innocent people, and then probably already decided to take their own life after their bloodbath is complete, is going to be scared off with a threat of a $3,000 fine and six years imprisonment?

Does someone really have to be that stupid in order to become an Administrator at East Tennessee State University?

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