Independent Student Newspaper for the University of Texas at San Antonio

The Paisano

Independent Student Newspaper for the University of Texas at San Antonio

The Paisano

Independent Student Newspaper for the University of Texas at San Antonio

The Paisano

Guns on campus may not be a bad thing

In response to the editorial that was published in the Jan. 25, 2011 edition of The Paisano titled “Gun rules and regulations are a must have.” After reading and rereading this article, I felt that not all of the topics were thoroughly reviewed and thought out before this article was written.

First off, there is a regulation that currently bans the sale of all fully automatic assault weapons for legal purchase in the State of Texas. There is, in fact, a significant difference between semi and fully-automatic weapons with the regards to the cyclic rates of fire, but that is possibly too far in depth for this discussion.

Secondly, the size of magazines for any type of weapon has no difference to the rounds that can be shot off again in reference to the cyclic rates of fire. As any gun owner or enthusiast knows, proficiency and range time equals accuracy. Any trained individual can easily replace an empty magazine with another full magazine in less than two seconds.

Thirdly, let’s take a look at the majority of all Concealed Handgun License (CHL) holders for the State of Texas. We are ex-military, police officers, fire fighters, business owners, security guards, government officials, teachers and lawyers. A CHL is not issued in the same way a driver’s license is issued.

To obtain a permit to carry a concealed handgun in the state of Texas requires a 10-hour Texas CHL course which trains on gun safety, as well as Texas laws regarding use of force and licensing requirements. Also involved in the training, the applicant must show proficiency on the range of fire to certify the individual in target selection and accuracy.

Once the applicant has finished that portion of the class and range time, the applicant then files his or her application with the state of Texas along with the fee for that individual; fees vary with different individuals. The total application time could take up to eight months while the applicant’s background is investigated and signed off by the investigators. You can refer to the Texas CHL website for disqualification factors, which include, but are not limited to: mental illness, domestic violence, or a felony arrest.

So as I close this letter in response to your editorial I ask a simple question: out of all the shooting tragedies, name the individual and the incident where the shooter had a CHL. Now, in that same thought, had CHL’s allowed to carry concealed hand guns. On campus, How many innocent lives could have been saved? Remember this, the good guys follow the rules and regulations, it’s the bad guys who don’t.

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