Arming the shepherds

S.C. lawmakers consider allowing concealed weapons on campuses:

To prevent school shootings, some South Carolina legislators want more guns on campuses.

A House subcommittee approved a measure Wednesday that would allow concealed weapon permit holders to carry guns onto public school campuses, from elementary schools to universities.

To obtain a concealed weapon permit in South Carolina, a resident must be at least 21, undergo at least eight hours of handgun training, and pass criminal and mental background checks.

The 8 hours of training, to me, seems a bit light. Granted, the teacher would only be the first line of defense, someone who could immediately respond and hopefully end the threat. However, those 8 hours will probably consist of safety, cleaning, and legality. Personally, I'd like to see them tack a few more hours on - only for the teachers - to focus on tactics, specifically shooting with a lot of targets around.

So what does the opposition have to say?

Opponents fear more guns will mean more accidental shootings.

"You can't call a bullet back," said Democratic Rep. Seth Whipper. "It's a bad idea."

When does an accidental shooting happen? When the gun is in the hands of a small child or an idiot. Idiots don't get carry permits. Neither do kids.

More opposition:

College police chiefs across South Carolina said such a law would make it difficult to pinpoint a criminal. "Today, if we respond, we know the person with the weapon is the bad guy," said Ernest Ellis, the law enforcement director at the University of South Carolina.

While many in my tribe have gnashed a lot of teeth over his statement (gun=bad guy), he has a point b/c of the current law. If the law changes, that won't be a valid point anymore.

I think Mr. Ellis does, though, raise a bit of a valid point, especially concerning guns on a college campus - when the good guys do arrive, how do you tell who the bad guy is if there are more than one with a gun? Waiting to see who's shooting what could be disastrous, as could taking immediate action and going after the wrong one. I'm not sure I have the answer right now. What I do know, though, is that in many cases, the shooting will most likely be over by the time they arrive, and every packer knows the procedure when a shooting goes down - isolate yourself (unless seriously wounded), safety on, holstered weapon, sit down, and immediately put your hands up when the police get there.