Gun saftey, Texas-style

 In the Los Angeles Times article titled “Gun safety, Texas-style” the author of the article makes a valid argument against Jeff  Wentworth. Jeff Wentworth has proposed a bill “which would allow the carrying of concealed weapons on college campuses by those with permits to do so.” A bill like this has been proposed before in 2009 and although the Senate passed it, the House of Representatives rejected it. But this time around it has a better chance “because more than half the members of the House have signed on as coauthors of a version of the bill.” The author of this article is against passing a bill like this because he doesn’t think it would actually do what it is suppose to do. The bill is being set out so that students and faculty with gun licenses could stop incidents of shooters who come to college campuses and start shooting random innocent victim. Although I see where Jeff Wentworth is coming from, I have to disagree with him because giving all students with a permit the right to carry guns at school will not make it safer for the students. It will make it less safe for everyone attending the school because anyone can start shooting out of anger. If two students are to get in a fight one of the student could pull out his gun and shoot the other student out of anger, if there is no gun to his disposal then he wouldn’t be able to do that. Also it is rather easy to get a gun licenses, anyone over the age of 21 can take the required ten-hour course and become an official gun licenses holder. If the bill is passed many students who do not have gun licenses will take the course to get a license and then a gun just so they can feel safe at school because others have guns. The author says “A student firing back at a gunman in a crowded classroom might pose as much of a risk to his fellow students as the assailant.” I agree with the author in this matter, the student trying to shoot down the “bad guy” can be just as harmful as the “bad guy”. I believe that the bill should be rejected again because it will just lead to less safety in our schools. 

Charges Against Muslim Students

   The was an article in The New York Times about 11 muslim student who were arrested for speaking out against an important speaker. Last year at The University of California, Irvine, the Israeli ambassador Michael B. Oren came to the University to give a speech, some Muslim students didn't agree with his speech or with his ways so they decided to interrupt the speech as a way to protest. By the end of the ambassador's speech 11 muslim students were arrested and were later suspended from the University for a quarter. But last week Tony Rackauckas the District Attorney  of Orange County filled misdemeanor criminal charges against the 11 students that were protesting the Israeli ambassador. You should go and check the article out to get more details, but I found it pretty interesting that the District Attorney waited so long to file charges against the 11 students for "disturbing a public meeting and engaging in a conspiracy to do so." Although the students did disturb a very important event it was to protest the speaker. I am not sure where I stand on the whole criminal segment but I don't think they did something that is worthy of prison time.