Gun laws? Not today

I don't have much to say about the the Virginia Tech shootings. I think enough has been said and, to be honest, I'm not sure much needs to be said; it defies words. I'm also realistic enough to know that whether today or tomorrow is a better time to talk about gun control that we aren't really going to talk about it. What worries me, however, are the rumors that Virginia is not talking about gun control but about loosening the few controls they have. In particular, some have posited (mostly on blogs) that the university's ban on carrying concealed weapons (or weapons in general) ought to be eliminated. It is legal in Virginia (and sadly Minnesota too) to carry a concealed weapon and, from what I've read, the permit is easily obtained. But like most universities, Virginia Tech bans them on campus.

As a university instructor (and aspiring tenured prof- I'm on the market soon folks!) I think that this ban makes sense. Moreover, any discussion that we ought to loosen such a ban is absolutely stupid. So stupid in fact that I am at a loss for words to confront such an argument. Vitriol and a severe beating is about all one could expect from me should they try and convince me of the merits of allowing guns on campus.

I don't even want to deign to discuss whether having armed students might have prevented or mitigated Monday's atrocity. But I can say that allowing armed students on campus is only going to lead to more, not less, gun violence. Sadly, it is people like me who would likely be the victims.

As it stands, most profs must deal with enraged students who feel that they deserved a better grade. We also must deal with students who (wrongly in most cases) feel that professors are suppressing different viewpoints from students. I have personally dealt with angry students who have accused me of bias and angry students who are absolutely certain they deserve (never earned, mind you) a better grade than they received. Why on earth would anyone think that bringing weapons into that equation is not going to alter the end results?

I have never been threatened by a student and likely never will. But I have seen angry students and confused students. Leaving them unarmed is probably for the best. So allow me to throw my opinion out to those idiot bloggers (and any future Virginia politician) who thinks we need to roll back gun control laws in the name of self-defense. You're idiots. Complete idiots. However piss poor and largely ineffectual our gun laws are let's at least keep them in place. God knows we won't get any real legislation making it harder to keep guns out of the population. So let's keep those controls we do have...