Tampa Bay Times: Campus Carry for Self-Defense ‘Imprudent’

On January 23, the Tampa Bay Times reacted to campus carry legislation being considered in Florida by suggesting, having guns on campus for self-defense is “imprudent” and will not make campuses safer.

According to the Times, House Bill 4005 (HB 4005) is a campus carry bill, sponsored by representative Greg Steube (R-Sarasota), and is the wrong answer to gun crime and heinous attacks on campus. It would allow concealed carry permit holders to carry guns for self-defense on college and university campuses.

The Times reports, “this is the third time Steube has introduced misguided legislation on guns in schools.” He first began pushing it after the danger of gun-free school zones was exposed via the attack on Sandy Hook Elementary.

His efforts to date have been opposed by the statewide teachers union.

But the push for campus carry predates Steube’s efforts. In 2011, a bill was pushed but struck down by then-senator John Thrasher (R). Thrasher later accepted the position of president of Florida State University, where a gunman attacked unarmed students on November 20. Breitbart News reported that a combat vet with a concealed carry license was close enough to the gunman to kill him but was unarmed because of the policies Thrasher rejected.

The Times believes the push to reverse course and allow concealed carry on campus is “imprudent” and only “increases the potential for accidents and other unintended consequences.” Moreover, police are better trained to deal with emergencies and depending on them, “not college students, teachers, or volunteers,” is the best way to go.

When Adam Lanza attacked Sandy Hook Elementary, the teachers were unarmed as was the staff. Their only recourse was to wait on the police. Because of this—and the time it took police to arrive—Lanza had four unimpeded minutes to kill his unarmed victims.

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