What We Really Need is the Application of Some Common Sense

There is an interesting editorial from the Oklahoman today about Senate Bill 2230 in Oklahoma.  For those who haven't kept up, this is the bill that would allow people to leave their weapon in their vehicle on CareerTech (vo-tech) campuses provided that it is unloaded, locked with a mechanical device, and the vehicle is locked.

I am actually against this bill as it is written (the unloaded and mechanical locking device provisions).  Until the substitute passed out of committee, I was for it.

Anyhow, here's a quote from the editorial:

But we’re uneasy with the idea that a matter of inconvenience could dictate policy, especially when weapons are involved. Allowing students, staff and faculty to bring guns on campus — even left in a locked car as proposed — poses a safety risk. It also sets a bad precedent and opens the door for straying even further than the weapons ban that now covers education institutions at all levels.

Anyone with common sense will tell you that banning firearms in certain areas only allows criminals to possess firearms.  "Gun-Free Zone" is a misnomer; it should be referred to as a "Free-Kill Zone" because the victims in these soft targets have no means to defend themselves from an attacker.

To think that education institutions are somehow immune from this "phenomenon" is ludicrous.  Just look at this list from (gasp) Wikipedia.  Each of those since the Kent State shooting in 1970 is in a Free-Kill Zone.  Oklahoma even had one themselves at Fort Gibson Middle School in 1999.

The only way to get anywhere close to ensuring a Gun-Free Zone is to have limited access to the campus and metal detectors, pat downs, and gun dogs at every entrance.  Even then, something is bound to slip through.

Why not allow qualified faculty to carry their weapon in order to defend themselves and the students who are entrusted to them?  It seems to be working quite well in Harrold, Texas.