Friday, March 7, 2008

Campus Gun Bills Shot Down

Let's hope the "guns for everyone" proposals now before the Oklahoma house stay safely locked up in a secure locker where they belong.

The Tulsa World reports today that two gun bills are unlikely to be voted in for the foreseeable future.

One bill, proposed by Rep. Jason Murphey of Guthrie, would have allowed concealed-carry permits for 21-one-year students on state college campuses. In the wake of recent campus shootings, Murphey said the law would allow students to protect themselves on campus.

Right, and we've got some really nice Florida beachfront we can sell you in for $500 an acre.

Remember when college was about civic virtues and high ideals? We do—which is why we resist the idea of turning OU and OSU into armed camps, where every bruised ego or off-the-wall comment could turn into the gun fight at the OK quadrangle.

The other bill would have extended concealed-carry permits to 18-year-olds, another scheme to promote the shoot-first-ask-questions-later philosophy of the Wild West.

But why stop there? If more guns make us safer, we propose arming more Oklahoma teenagers, another way to ensure that no breathing Oklahoman will every feel venerable to a crazy shooter.

In any case, House Speaker Chris Benge, a Tulsa Republican, told the World that these proposals are not likely to be voted on" at this time."

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