Wednesday, March 05, 2014

Guns on campus opens a new debate - when can the professor shoot a student?

Professor Asks Idaho Lawmakers For The Green Light To Shoot A Student (Click on this link to view the original post)

Catherine Thompson - February 28, 2014, 10:36 AM EST25110
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A professor at Boise State University was concerned about the legal ramifications of a proposed bill that would permit concealed-carried guns on Idaho's college and university campuses, so he posed this question to state lawmakers: When may I shoot a student?
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Biology and criminal justice professor Greg Hampikian used that hypothetical in a New York Times op-ed published Thursday to explore what sticky situations could arise if the bill were to pass and concealed-carried weapons were allowed on campus. From the op-ed:
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    I assume that if a student shoots first, I am allowed to empty my clip; but given the velocity of firearms, and my aging reflexes, I'd like to be proactive. For example, if I am working out a long equation on the board and several students try to correct me using their laser sights, am I allowed to fire a warning shot?
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    If two armed students are arguing over who should be served next at the coffee bar and I sense escalating hostility, should I aim for the legs and remind them of the campus Shared-Values Statement (which reads, in part, "Boise State strives to provide a culture of civility and success where all feel safe and free from discrimination, harassment, threats or intimidation")?
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Hampikian later pointed out that the campus murder rate is "zero at present" before invoking a central tenet of the defense of gun rights: "I think that we can all agree that guns don't kill people, people with guns do. Which is why encouraging guns on campus makes so much sense."
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A recent report compiled by Moms Demand Action and Mayors Against Illegal Guns showed Hampikian has reason to be dubious -- of the 44 school shootings that have taken place in the U.S. since the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, 16 occurred at a college or university.

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