University of Texas at Austin professor Daniel Hamermesh has some interesting concerns about Texas’ new campus carry law, passed in June. The economics professor is leaving his post at the college next fall as the policy goes into effect because he thinks concealed carry will only put firearms in the hands of students wanting to seek revenge for poor grades.
“Occasionally a student comes into my office disgruntled about a grade or something,” he said. “The worst they’re going to do is throw a wastebasket around with a concealed gun in their pocket they could have a brake and pull out and shoot at me. I don’t want to take that risk.”
I had a hard time finding a realistic example of this scenario on Google, but Hamermesh was insistent.
“It would lead to much higher grades for students, because who wants to give a student a bad grade if you’re afraid they might shoot at you?”
The professor dismissed the argument that allowing students to arm themselves would help to stop a gunman before he or she goes on a mass shooting spree, saying he doesn’t want to turn his classroom into the Wild Wild West.
“I know I would be the victim,” he said.
Does this not sound a bit selfish? Instead of being so frightened of his students, perhaps Hamermesh should take into account that they are the ones who could be victims should they have no way to defend themselves against an intruder.
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He concluded that the policy will scare faculty from joining the ranks, yet failed to take into account the other demographic concealed carry laws could keep at bay: criminals. Campus carry is, after all, more intimidating than those gun-free zone signs.
In other news, students unhappy with the law will be using provocative measures to be protest the policy come next August.
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