Tag Archives: second amendment

An Open Letter to Senator Whitmire

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Dear Senator Whitmire:

Last week several media sources reported that Senator Birdwell’s bill to legalize concealed carry on campus by licensed, law-abiding CHL holders would likely not be scheduled for a committee hearing. You stated that your reluctance was due to the need for a “cooling-off period” after the tragic shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, and other incidents still fresh in the American mind.

While I understand your concerns, they are misplaced.

During the last legislative session, campus carry became a hot-button issue as students from all over the state visited legislative offices, urging state senators and representatives to vote based on facts, not feelings. At that time, just over 70 college and university campuses allowed concealed carry – with no resulting negative incidents, such as “Wild West shootouts,” increases in suicide rates or accidental discharges, reported. Since then, according to Students for Concealed Carry on Campus, that number has increased to more than 200 campuses nationwide.

As you know, Senator Birdwell’s bill would allow only adults who have undergone training and classroom time, been deemed of sound mind and passed a background check to carry weapons onto campuses. These individuals are already allowed to carry their weapons nearly everywhere in the general public, where concealed carry has been legal for nearly 20 years.

Refusing to schedule SB 182 for a hearing due to events that have only one thing in common – a gun – makes little sense. The shooting in Newtown was conducted outside of Texas with an illegal, unconcealed rifle by an individual with a history of mental health problems, and it did not happen on a university campus. While tragic, and certainly worth remembering, it should not prevent others from having a chance at self-defense.

Many have told you that emotions run high on college campuses or that guns on campus would threaten academic freedom. However, as you also know, disagreements and heated arguments are just as common in everyday life as they are in classrooms. By and large, Texans with CHLs have not resorted to shootouts or duels to resolve their differences in the many places they have already been allowed to carry since 1995. They will not do so on college campuses.

The right to keep and bear arms is one of the most important rights the American people hold dear – so important it was included second in the Bill of Rights. Texans who have proven themselves responsible enough to carry a concealed weapon in public should be able to do so on both sides of the arbitrary line that defines campus versus non-campus.

Senator, I encourage you and your colleagues to schedule SB 182 for a hearing. Texans deserve to let their voices be heard on this important legislation.

Thank you for your service to the State of Texas and for your consideration.

My [Second Amendment] rite of passage

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Though I haven’t blogged about it extensively, I’ve been particularly passionate about Second Amendment rights since I became interested in public policy a couple of years ago. During the last legislative session, I spent at least a few hours a week lobbying for campus carry legislation, and I served a brief stint as social media coordinator for the national organization Students for Concealed Carry. People were always surprised to learn that I had never fired a gun – at least until last weekend.

My family and I woke up bright and early (pitch black and early, actually) on Saturday to head to Lockhart for our “Learn to Shoot” class with Ross Bransford and his wife, Dottie. For the days leading up to the class, I was simultaneously excited and terrified. Fortunately, their interesting stories, calm demeanor and perspective as highly skilled and experienced gun owners put me at ease.

The class definitely reflected the current political climate. The Bransfords got so many requests that they had to open a second time slot. Interestingly, the majority in my class were unaccompanied middle-aged women. I suppose it’s fitting as Second Amendment rights are threatened by federal legislators, gun violence draws substantial media attention, and female gun ownership (and gun ownership in general, judging by the crowds at Cabela’s and Academy) increases.

If there was one overarching lesson in the four-hour course, it was this: Don’t take anything for granted.

Don’t assume your weapon isn’t loaded or that it won’t accidentally fire in whatever direction it’s pointing. Be precise in your grip, in lining up your sights, in controlling your breathing.

target

And this doesn’t just apply to guns. At the same time, be precise and meticulous in your worldview. Question assumptions and know your facts. Guns are no more dangerous than cars or knives or grande mocha frappucinos with extra whipped cream when left to their own devices. It’s a lack of attention, care, and precision that causes harm – to people, to ideologies, to societies.

Question assumptions. Be meticulous. And don’t take anything for granted.

Overall, it was a good experience, both for the sake of practical knowledge and so I can say I’ve exercised the right I’ve been advocating for. Plus, I’m actually a pretty good shot. Those circled holes in the first quadrant are my first shots ever – not a bad grouping for a newbie, eh?

Violent crime in America: must-watch video

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Gun politics is in a sad state. Every time a high-profile shooting occurs, pundits seize the opportunity to push their preexisting opinions, as if to say, “See? I was right all along,” with little or no attention to reality. In the case of the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School, the conversation has somehow devolved from ensuring children’s safety to banning “assault weapons” (not only is that a misleading term, assault rifles weren’t even used in the Newtown shooting) and even confiscating all weapons in a flagrant violation of the Second Amendment.

As with most issues, the best solution is to calm down and take a look at the facts.

School shootings are quite rare. Violence in general is also not as common as you might think. In fact, our violent crime rate has dropped significantly, by over 50 percent, in the last 20 years. If you haven’t seen this video, which analyzes unbiased crime statistics, take a few minutes to watch it now.

Not as bad as all the media hype, eh? Even with plenty of privately owned guns and crime-heavy urban areas, violent crime in the United States is not only decreasing, but also much lower than that of England and Wales, where even most police officers don’t have guns and competitive pistol shooters are barely allowed to train.

This is not to say that violent crime in our nation, with or without firearms, shouldn’t be addressed. But perhaps – shocker, I know – letting law-abiding adults own guns, including “assault weapons,” is not the problem. Everyday Americans will follow rules like which guns they can own and how many rounds they can have. The people who commit crimes like this horrific shooting couldn’t care less.

There’s one thing the president has said on this issue that I agree with:

“We cannot and will not be passive in the face of such violence. We should be willing to challenge old assumptions in order to lessen the prospects of such violence in the future.”

Talking points are not reality. Challenge assumptions, no matter which side they’re from.

Redistricting, guns on campus, and Lloyd Doggett, oh my!

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It’s been something of an eventful week in politics. Three issues have been foremost in my mind for the past few days:

Redistricting

One word: YES! Thank God the Supreme Court has seen sense and given the original maps a chance. Not only does this give some great conservative candidates a better shot, it’s the first step to getting the Voting Rights Act off Texas’ back.

Key dates:

  • Jan. 9: Oral arguments on the maps
  • March 6: Primary for president, Senate, State Board of Education, Railroad Commission, and other races not affected by redistricting
  • May 22: Primary for state House, state Senate, and the House of Representatives
  • ???: Nobody seems to know what the filing deadline situation is yet.

Having two primaries will probably minimize already low turnout for state elections, but I’m optimistic and more raring to go than ever.

If your head is still spinning, this post explains what comes next. Texas Redistricting is a great blog to follow to keep up with what’s happening.

Virginia Tech

It’s heartbreaking to see Virginia Tech University going through a second tragedy only four years after the infamous shooting of 2007. Gun control advocates will tell you that this strengthens their argument: Guns are bad. But in reality, it does exactly the opposite.

Guns can be used to kill people. But they can also save lives when in the hands of law-abiding, licensed adults. What if a student or professor at Virginia Tech, in 2007 or 2011, had their concealed weapon? How much carnage could have been prevented or stopped?

Signs, stickers, and social norms mean nothing to criminals and murderers. Expecting them to abide by so-called “gun-free zones” is like asking a barn cat to stop eating mice because it’s just not very nice. There is no logical reason to prohibit the lawful right to bear arms by CHL holders on college campuses. Restrictions against guns on campus are not only pointless, they actually endanger lives.

Having a handgun is not a guarantee of safety. But I, for one, would like the chance to prevent a tragedy like Virginia Tech or UT or, even on a smaller scale, tragedies like the rape of Amanda Collins. That chance is all we ask for.

I’ve been an advocate for concealed carry on campus for about a year now, and I can safely say there are few issues I feel more strongly about. To learn more and join the movement, visit Students for Concealed Carry on Facebook and Twitter.

Lloyd Doggett

This morning I attended Congressman Lloyd Doggett’s neighborhood office hours. It was quite fun lurking on the sidelines in my Donna Campbell shirt, perplexing everybody in line to talk to him. I didn’t get the chance to talk to Mr. Doggett, but I did get to meet this fine patriot outside.


It was almost hilarious to hear someone thank a policeman for being there to guard Doggett “after what happened last time.” Because, you know, my mom and I standing there with our Republican getup and Starbucks cups were so intimidating.

We’re totally the mob. Don’t tread on us, libs.

Tyranny v. Liberty

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A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

The wording of the Second Amendment is often questioned: The pointed reference to a “well-regulated Militia” led to the Supreme Court’s decision that the Second Amendment promised a collective right, not an individual right. But that precedent has been shattered.

On June 28th, the Supreme Court ruled in McDonald v. Chicago that the Second Amendment does indeed guarantee the right of individualsto keep and bear arms for their own protection. This decision, coupled with 2008′s D.C. v. Heller, represents one of the most critical triumphs for individual liberties this century.

Gun-fearing leftists claim to be advocating for your safety and well-being. But the entire foundation of their argument is faulty. Why? Because guns actually keep people safe.

If you were a common criminal – bear with me here – and you wandered into somebody’s house to steal stuff, only to have someone point a gun at you, would you bother? Probably not.

Research has consistently failed to show that gun control helps at all. Miguel A. Faria – who is actually a neurosurgeon, not a pundit - wroteabout how strict gun control laws harmed Britain while gun ownership helped America:

Violent crime is steadily coming down in American cities, despite the fact that there are more guns in America than ever before… and record numbers of citizens carrying permits for concealed firearms… To make matters worse for British citizen disarmament… crime has steadily increased in Britain in the last several years.

And furthermore, according to the CDC only 0.3 in 100,000 people died because of “accidental discharge of firearms” in the United States.

Taking guns away doesn’t keep America safe. And it certainly doesn’t keep them out of the hands of criminals. As my favorite blogger,Doctor Zero, observed, “‘Gun-free’ cities like Chicago produce bumper crops of bullet-riddled corpses.”

When the founders talked about a “Militia,” they meant that the people could freely build a network of trust and help keep each other safe. With guns. They also meant that an armed populace could keep a tyrannical government at bay. It’s about time the Court recognized that.

This quote is falsely attributed to Thomas Jefferson, but it sums up the issue perfectly: “Where the people fear the government there is tyranny. Where the government fears the people there is liberty.”

I don’t know about you, but I’m all for liberty.