HB 1893: Letter to the Editor by George Dillingham

Two years ago on this infamous date, April 16th , a deranged student went on a deadly rampage at Virginia Tech University killing 32 people and wounding 17 others. Since that tragic event there has been continuous public discussion and inquiry concerning what went wrong at Virginia Tech and what society and universities can do to prevent this type of attack in the future.

Currently there is a proposed bill before the House of Representatives in the Texas legislature (H.B. No. 1893) that was conceived by its proponents as a rather crude attempt to prevent a Virginia Tech type of tragedy in Texas and to further advance the usage of concealed handguns in Texas.

The proposed HB 1893 Bill provides that a person who is licensed to carry a concealed handgun can, without restriction, carry a concealed handgun into classrooms of both public and private universities.

This proposed bill reads as follows:

A license holder may carry a concealed handgun on or about the license holder’s person while the license holder is on the campus of an institution of higher education or private or independent institution of higher education in this state.

The bill further provides as follows:

An institution of higher education or private or independent institution of higher education in this state may not adopt any rule, regulation, or other provision prohibiting license holders from carrying handguns on the campus of the institution.

This legislation is undoubtedly promoted by the National Rifle Association (NRA) and other proponents of unrestricted usage of weapons. The National Rifle Association is a highly visible, well organized, and well funded special interest group that is relentless in applying political pressure to achieve their ends. Without question, many elected representatives in the Texas legislature who support this bill are heavily influenced by the NRA and their followers.

I feel confident that there are many citizens in Texas who would object to having guns in college classrooms if they were made aware of this pending legislation. This letter is written to bring to the attention of the local community what is actually going on under the big top in Austin.

Rational people certainly might questions whether a law allowing handguns in college classrooms would create more problems than it is intended to solve. I would hate to be the college professor who gave a failing grade to an aggressive gun toting student. Of course, the same professor might feel more secure in a freshman class since most freshmen are not yet 21 years of age, the current age requirement to obtain a license to carry a concealed handgun. A well organized mass killer might also be aware that a freshman class would offer an easier mark for their bloody endeavors. Do we want gun “protection” in the classroom for seniors but not freshmen?

I was a student at the University of Texas in 1966 when a highly trained marksman named Charles Whitman, picked off students with a high powered rifle from the Tower of the U.T. administrative building. Every student on the University of Texas Campus could have been armed with a handgun that day and they would have been unable to deter the deranged killer, Whitman.

What we don’t need on campus is the NRA inspired vision of the recreation of the gunfight at O.K. corral. What we do need is increased trained security and law enforcement personnel on campus. If Texas legislators directed their efforts to that end, society would be better served than by leaving the safety of innocent students to a group of vigilantes whose modest training in the use of handguns apparently qualifies them for the role of defenders of the universe.

Please contact your state representative and express your opinion as soon as possible.

George Dillingham
Brenham, Texas