The University of Texas Shooting
While investigators are still looking for the motive that resulted in 19 year old student Colton Tooley firing shots from an AK-47 on the University of Texas campus early Tuesday morning (9/28/2010), I can’t help but think of the bigger tragedy that could have taken place. Reports say that he fired random shots while running, but that no one else was hurt. Some reports even mention UT’s speed and effectiveness of using their emergency response system to notify students and lock down the buildings; but lets focus on what we’re not hearing in the news…
What I’m not hearing in the news is the fact that a student was able to get an AK-47 onto a gun-free college campus and fire off several shots. The only reason no one else was injured is because Tooley didn’t take the opportunity to aim at them! The campus lock down and emergency response system would have done nothing to stop Tooley from killing 10 people if he so chose.
http://www.a-human-right.com
No one ever dreamed that terrorists could join forces and kill over 2700 civilians just by hijacking two airplanes with box cutters. If something like that could happen, who is to say that a few disgruntled college students aren’t capable of causing injury to hundreds of students eating in the cafeteria. Three students covering three doorways would be a tragic situation for any college, let along a gun-free campus where no student is allowed the opportunity to defend themselves with a firearm.
Many people would think that it should only take one, maybe two tragic incidents to occur before people start getting the message that students can not defend themselves properly without a firearm. While some can legally carry a firearm into the Walmart down the street, they’d be breaking the law by eating in the campus cafeteria while armed.
On the one side of the debate are people who are in favor of concealed carry on campuses, and on the other side are those who say that guns on campus would cause more shootings. To the second group of people I’d just like to say that there are already guns on campus, legal or not, and there is nothing to stop anyone from bringing them onto campus; whether it be by a good-intentioned student, or by a criminal looking to kill.
Just like the ‘no guns allowed’ sign on the door at the local mall; criminals can just as easily bring a firearm into the building as a concealed carry holder can. If a mall shooter has the freedom to walk into the building, unsearched, carrying an AK-47 under his jacket in winter, than a concealed carry holder also have that freedom, plus the ability to project themselves, their family and others.
We can only pray that one day the leaders of America will wake up and realize that gun control is not solving a single thing. I just hope it doesn’t cost any more civilian lives to get to that point.
Prayer: Lord, thank you for the freedom you give us. We pray for our leaders and those protecting our country. Give them wisdom and guidance. Amen.
