Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Guns on campus

The Texas Legislature is at it again, and Molly Ivins is no longer around to defend us! The latest crazy proposal: to allow concealed weapons on public university campuses in Texas, where they are presently prohibited (as they are in every other state except Utah). Those in support of this change in the law say that students have a right to defend themselves against violent crime, but virtually everyone who has studied this issue in depth says that more guns = more violence. It doesn't take a genius or a PhD to figure this out: people who have guns use them, and on college campuses where there's living in close quarters, pressure and stress, there have been far too many recent shootings by people who obtained guns legally. What we need is not more guns, it's intelligent gun control. How many more of us will have to die in campus shootings before the NRA loses its total and complete grip on American politics?

If you live in Texas, please contact your state representatives and state senators and urge them to vote NO on this dangerous proposal. It's easy to do online: go to TXLegislature to contact your elected officials and let them know how you feel!