More Guns on Campus?

Do you have to be 21 [to get a license to carry a concealed handgun]?
In most states you do. Six [states] issue concealed-handgun licenses starting at the age of 18 and these are all very rural, sparsely populated states. We're talking about Montana and some states like that.

So this might also be about getting that age lowered?
We're not seeking to get the age lowered … If you look at the Virginia Tech massacre, 19 of the 32 victims were over the age of 21. So we're not trying to change existing concealed-carry laws in any aspect—except removing college campuses from the list of places off limits to concealed-handgun license holders, in the states where it's prohibited. We also want to see states say that public, state-funded colleges cannot enact school policies that override state law. We want them to basically follow Utah's lead of saying, "Look, you're a state institution. You have to follow the state laws and allow people to use their state licenses on your property."

Have any of the Virginia Tech family members or survivors joined in the effort?
I don't believe we have any of the victims. We definitely have quite a large chapter at Virginia Tech. But we don't have, as far as I know … any of the actual [victims] or their family members [who] have joined us.

Is copycatting turning into a big issue? Does that increase the urgency?
That's definitely a factor. People are deciding, "I'm not just going to kill myself. I'm gonna go out in a blaze of glory and make everyone remember me."

If a few of these people who attempted this walked through the door with guns drawn and got shot down before they could do much damage, I think a lot of them would start to lose interest. Because they'd realize, "Wow, I'm not gonna get famous getting shot in the chest as I draw my gun on a classroom full of potentially armed students." So there's a chance that as far as the fame factor goes that it could be a deterrent.

© 2008